January 21, 2005
Curious George: MonkeyFilter gift swap community
I just created this; it's called MonkeyGifts. Would you like to join up for gifty swappy goodness?
There was interest expressed in the MoFi Secret Santa swap thread about having gift swaps more often, not just for Xmas. For a while now I've been wanting to set up a gift swap community, so I set up this community for any Monkeys that are interested, and I'm willing to moderate it. It's based on other monthly mail swap communities I've seen. There's a round every month and you have to be a member to sign up, but you don't have to sign up to mail swap every month. You can opt in or out as often as you like, if you have time or money crunches. I put all the info over in the community, if you're interested!
-
Sure, I'm in.
-
Hmmm... after not receiving my Secret Santa gift, I am decidedly gunshy.
-
Shoot... there's two people now that haven't received secret santa gifts. Sorry that I've not contacted people yet (I'm dealing with the divorce from Mrs. Santabashi)... I'll gently try to get a response from the absentee Santas in the next day or two.
-
Which is why one of the rules is that if you've flaked on other MoFi Swaps (CD or Santa), you can't join. But hope springs eternal. Especially since the rate of flakiness seems pretty low around here.
-
I wouldn't mind doing it, just not all that often. I'm not sure I could afford to more than a few times a year. And now isn't the best time. But at some point in the future, sure. (Check your email, Santabashi)
-
This might sound like an insanely stupid question, but is each round of gift giving in "secret" (a la Secret Santa) where you don't know who you're receiving from? Or is it all open? I see advantages and disadvantages in both, I guess. Also, will each month have a theme, or just some? Who decides this?
-
Someone (Melinika?) has done a good amount of work over there at the monkeygifts community. Thank you. I like that the price range was decreased from the santa exchange range. I'll probably sign up this weekend, even though I have this illogical aversion to giving my real name for anything online.
-
It's all open, not secret. Secret would be too much work to do every month, since it would require me emailing everyone personally instead of making one announcement. And it's better to be transparent so people are visibly accountable for following through. Maybe now and then there could be a "secret round". Depends on what everyone wants - we can take member polls for stuff like that. And no theme months - again, unless people want it. But you might feel like sending Halloween-ish stuff in October, perhaps, or grouping a bunch of little items with an idea that makes them all go together (like I did with your "monkey" gifts, Mfpb), which is what I meant by "theme". PY: you don't have to give your real name or address to anyone but the person who's got your name to mail to you that round, if you want.
-
Good work on this - I sent my email off already! I like the idea of occasional theme months, it helps to give some direction to the gift buying or making. Otherwise, we might all start ending up with bath salts after awhile. Our holiday gift swap at work is a "white elephant" exchange with the idea that one person's trash is another person's treasure. Along those lines, after a few months there could be a theme month where you have to exchange a gift received in a previous swap. Just an idea.
-
ooh, this will be good!
-
Cripes. Now that you mention it, I could use some free gifts, myself. I say we constuct the gifting mechanism in a pyramid shape, and give more gifts to those at the very top, along the lines of Haida Potlatching or Maori Powhiri. In this way, those of us with the foresight to recognize a golden opportunity, will be appropriately rewarded.
-
Bump.
-
On IRC:
if mofi is the quaint and perfect town in the countryside where you know everyone and are married with 10 kids, mefi is new york city minus all the cool people. -
Changed my mind about this. Best o' luck to you monkeys.
-
bump