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My Experience With Swap-Bot

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 by Alyice

I’ve been on Swap-Bot.com a few weeks now: browsing old swaps and reading comments, reading forum posts, and of course, partaking in a few swaps of my own. My feelings are now mixed.

On the one hand, I think it’s a great way to have a little fun, to create with purpose, to enjoy the thrill of receiving a traditional package in the mail—and of course, obtaining positive reinforcement from those who actually take the time to appreciate your part in the swap. On the other hand, it’s not easy to build camaraderie amongst those you’ve swapped with—which can make one feel more like a number than an actual human being.

Some leave nice comments about what you’ve sent, and even thank you when you rate and comment on what you’ve received but that seems to be as far as it goes, then there are those who don’t say a word to you. They don’t acknowledge the item being received until you contact them a few times to ask if it arrived, then when they finally rate your swap, they simply use the number system and offer no personal feedback—which of course makes you feel like they didn’t like what you sent.

From what I’ve read online, there are swappers who give their best, swappers who do the bare minimums, and swappers who really shouldn’t be swapping at all. They are the ones who flake on completing their part in the swap or they forget that there are actual human beings behind a swap; people with different skill levels, different tastes, and different styles. They are the ones who think not rating another swapper (or rating too low) is okay simply because the item swapped didn’t live up to their personal expectations—never mind the fact that the item received met the swap’s obligations. Then there are those who’ve forgotten that swaps are supposed to be fun and create a huge list of “do nots” on their profile page making it near impossible for someone to create something likeable, or they become disgusted with this or that then hop over to the forums to throw a hissy fit.

And yet, it’s hard to not want to continue swapping when you receive a comment like this: “Wow! So pretty and I love the card! Your ornament is gorgeous!” Or you receive a swap like this!

So for now, I’ll be selective in the swaps I partake in. I’ll be appreciative of what I receive, I’ll do my best to meet the swap’s obligations, I’ll let my partner’s know when an item goes out and when one is received, and I’ll avoid all the drama by avoiding the forums.

Keep Creating

Posted in Art Swaps & RAAKs | 3 Comments »

Thanks For The RAAK

Friday, December 11th, 2009 by Alyice

Awhile back I joined a group on Ning.com called Milliande Creative Club. And while I do browse the forums from time to time, I am ashamed to admit that I don’t get there as often as I’d like—partly because it’s so difficult to search through, and partly because there is so much going on that it can sometimes be overwhelming and a huge time stealer. That being said, it’s a great forum full of wonderful, friendly artists and crafters from all over the world.

So when they created a group within the group called, RAAK—Random Art Acts of Kindness, I just had to join! Every so often, someone will send out a package of ephemera, an artist’s trading card, or some other form of 3-D art. And the best part is that there are no assigned swaps, no rules, no grading system, and no put downs.

The women in this group simply share their artwork with whomever they feel led to share it with—and the receiving party graciously accepts the artwork, then goes online to publicly thank the giver. As the group’s owner, Milliande, puts it, “the RAAKS are a collection of art pieces that bring us all together…reaching out across the universe for connection.”

Today was one of those days in which I received a RAAK and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I was feeling somewhat down this morning and nothing I did to shake the blues helped. So imagine my surprise when I opened my mail to find a lovely package—straight from Canada—all decorated with Christmas stickers and filled with carefully packaged ephemera and a gift-wrapped ATC card that totally reminds me of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas“.

It was such a lovely surprise and a great way to jumpstart my mood! So thank you so much Ms. Gaye Smith from Canada. I am so thrilled and appreciative of your RAAK today.

Give thanks…

Posted in Art Swaps & RAAKs | Comments Off

Thanks For The Xmas Gift

Thursday, December 10th, 2009 by Alyice

As I was checking email this morning, I heard a faint ring of the doorbell. “Who’d show up at this hour?” I thought. Immediately I dismissed the doorbell, but there it was again. In the near five years that we’ve lived here, nobody has ever come to our home this early, except one person. I should have guessed it was our landlord.

And he came with such a treat! Ground beef, a lovely Christmas card, and our rent check, uncashed!

He and his wife live on a farm—a money producing farm. The home we live in is his childhood home—which was passed down to him when his parents died. We rarely speak with him and his wife, but on the rare occasion that we do, they are always well-mannered, kind, and loving. I have to say that they are probably the nicest people, aside from the Bos family (our next door neighbors who moved away at the beginning of the year), that we have met since moving to South Dakota nearly five years ago.

Since I’ve already blogged about them here I won’t bore you with the details again. Suffice it to say, renting this place, is one of the reasons we aren’t ready to pack up and move to Sioux Falls anytime soon—even if making friends in the area is difficult and damn near impossible.

Give thanks…

P.S.

In case you’re wondering, the card came with a beautiful family photo and reads:

What can I give Him, Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part – -
Yet, what can I give him,
Give my heart.
– Christina Rosetti

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | 1 Comment »

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