Mooching for Fun and Profit (er, "savings") (bookmooch.com)

Member Name: LovesTravel

Product:	bookmooch.com
Date:	04/09/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A cost-effective and easy way to exchange books with other book lovers

Disadvantages: The system depends on the availability of titles and the reliability of members

OVERVIEW

It's true. Mooching has become a serious part of my life. Indeed, I'm proud to belong to a large circle of moochers--all based at www.bookmooch.com, an online community dedicated to the mutual mooching of books.

The concept behind BookMooch is simple: I give you my unwanted books, and you give me yours. It's a great circle of book swappers. In fact, it's a worldwide circle of swappers--unless, of course, you choose to limit your circle of moochers to those within your own country. The only cost for this remarkable service is postage; that is, the cost of mailing your books to their new owners. You pay nothing for the books you receive.

Such a deal, no? It certainly has been for me. I joined BookMooch in September 2007, and so far I've received (er, "mooched") 41 books and given away 35. The whole system is based on a system of points. Members earn points as follows:

* 1/10 point for each book listed in your inventory (books you are willing to give away)
* 1 point for each book given away within your own country
* 3 points for each book given away internationally (the system awards members more points to compensate for the higher cost of postage)
* 1/10 point each time a member acknowledges receipt of a mooched book

In return, the system charges members 1 point for each book "mooched" within their own country and 2 points for each book mooched internationally.

The system is kept in check by the "mooch ratio calculation." In plain English, this means that if your mooch ratio exceeds 2:1, then the system will not process your mooch (meaning, you can't get more than twice the number of books you give). Here again, the system automatically adjusts for international mooching by giving the donor triple credit for each book sent internationally.

Otherwise, the site is peer monitored. Members quickly learn to check out how long it has been since the owner of a prospective "mooch" have visited the site. If someone hasn't been around for several weeks, chances are they have lost interest. Also, if a member has a poor record of processing requests, then it's probably better to mooch from someone with a better record.

SITE ORGANIZATION

The BookMooch Web site design is user-friendly for building inventories, browsing available books, and handling the book exchange process. When making your initial visit to the site, check out the details provided under the ABOUT tab to determine whether this service is for you. If it is, use the JOIN tab to process your membership. Membership is free.
Once your registration has been completed, log in. Logged-in members will find key site functions organized under sensibly labeled tabs:

* BROWSE - for browsing the site's current collective inventory and for accessing various administrative operations associated with the site (this option also allows you to browse your request on Amazon)

* ADD - for adding items to your personal inventory of available books

* INVENTORY - for monitoring your personal inventory

* WISHLIST - for listing books you would like to mooch (the wishlist allows you to be notified by e-mail as these items are added to the collective inventory)

* PENDING - for tracking your active mooches (a HISTORY function allows you to retain a record of your own mooches and check on how reliable other members are with their follow-through on requested books)

* MEMBER HOME - for conducting the day-to-day operation of your account

Each tab includes a number of functions and links that make site navigation easy and fast.

PRACTICAL NOTES AND FOREWARNINGS

In addition to the exchange of books between members, the site provides options facilitating the donation of books to worthy causes. It also offers opportunities to invite friends and join forums, and thus to build a larger sense of community. For example, my daughter (who has been a member for longer than I and persuaded me to join) uses some of these other options to enhance her membership in www.bookcrossing.com. I freely admit that I have not taken advantage of these other opportunities. I use BookMooch for exchanging books with other readers, and that's it.

For the system to operate effectively, members must provide the site with real-life names and addresses. When you mooch a book, this information is forwarded to the member who owns the book you're requesting. Only the member you mooch will receive this information. Names and addresses are not exactly splashed over the site, and their window of availability is limited, but if this makes you nervous, BookMooch may not be for you.

Membership over any significant period of time requires a measure of commitment. The system does not work effectively if members do not respond to mooches with relative promptness. If you are unwilling to check frequently for incoming requests, don't join. Your inventory will become just so much chaff clogging the system. For this reason, the site includes the capability to post a STATUS notice on the personal profile page, thus allowing members to notify the community of planned absences.

Note that BookMooch proactively posts notices on the profile page of members who have not accessed their accounts for several days.
Personally, I have experienced no problems with the site, either in theory or in practice. My daughter, however, has occasionally experienced significant unexplained delays between the acceptance of her mooches and receipt of the book. The site's feedback process helps to identify slackards. In order to identify reliable members versus those who are unreliable, it's absolutely vital to complete the feedback form after each exchange has been completed. This takes only a matter of seconds in a preformatted form, and it helps to ensure the health of the community.

FINAL WORD

I've found BookMooch to be an excellent mechanism for disposing of books that I no longer want or need. It allows me to find suitable homes for old friends. In exchange, I receive books that I want. Moreover, since the cost of postage is so much less than that of the typical book (even the typical used book), it has been a bargain. Indeed, some of the books I've mooched have been first editions and books no longer in print.

BookMooch will never fully replace bookstores. Not every book is available--nor is it ever likely to be. The ability to procure a given book is entirely dependent on the current inventory. Still, this book exchange process is a valuable and cost-effective service that helps make it possible to put more books in our hands and to do so at a reduced overall cost. In my opinion, that's a winning formula.

Summary: A modern, Web-based book exchange