Costanza should neighBORROW

JERRY: So forget about the books. Did you read them?

GEORGE: Well, yeah.

JERRY: What do you need them for?

GEORGE: I don't know. They're books.

JERRY: What is this obsession people have with books? They put them in their houses - like they're trophies. What do you need it for after you read it?

GEORGE: They're MY books.

JERRY: So you want me to get those books? Is that it?

(Scene ends)

[Setting: Coffee Shop]

(Jerry and Marlene are sitting, a pile of books are on the table.)

HISTORY ALREADY

Photos from the original neigh*borrow-hood

How does it work?

neighBORROW.com harnesses the power of the Internet, utilizes existing inventory and infrastructure, and adds a few proprietary (and some traditional) accountability metrics, to provide users with unprecedented access to the enormous "collective contents" of their entire building, apartment complex, community or neighborhood. The site also provides for smarter, more efficient collaberation for new purchases.

For most items, if you get it locally- there are no shipping costs and no usage fees. Just join and list what you own and may be willing to lend, donate, or trade (or just show off or organize your collection). Then browse through or search for items available in your neighBORROW-hood and request an item from the database when you find something you need or want.

In public neighBORROW-hoods, if you have a doorperson or concierge, it is not necessary to deal directly with the counter party (unless both parties choose to). Your personal information will not be public, nor will any public link exist between you and the items you list (again, unless you want it to). Members will have the option to refuse requests; however, there will be minimum listing and lending requirements to continue borrowing in PUBLIC neighBORROW-hoods. Members will only be penalized if they do not follow through with a committed transaction. Members will be rewarded for frequent participation and for lending high-demand items.

To summarize, you will have access to more stuff, it will cost you absolutely nothing, it will be perfectly convenient, and your privacy will not be compromised.

FREE, FUN, SAFE, CONVENIENT, FLEXIBLE, GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT... what could be better

We have it all figured out. Basic membership is FREE. Borrowing basic items within neighBORROW-hoods is FREE. And due to the nature of neighborhood sharing, even shipping costs have been eliminated. It is possible, finally, to use some of the things you want, without paying with a single penny. You will not pay in other ways either. You will not sacrifice your privacy. People will not be running around your neighborhood or building ringing your doorbell and knocking on your door. We have built a system that allows for anonymous borrowing and lending. You will not sacrifice convenience. In many cases in fact, it will be more convenient than driving to the local video store or belonging to an online rental club. You are not giving up actual ownership, you can have the item back whenever you want, you don't necessarily have to find someone who wants something of yours to borrow something of theirs. We have made it as easy as possible to list items and keep them safe and protected.

Plus, it's FUN to list items and meet other people on the site and in your community. And neighBORROW-ing is GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!

Borrow from your neighbors!

"With neighBORROW.com you make the most of the items you use least and pay the least for the items you want most!"

neighbBORROW.com is a global yet extremely localized, interactive, online library (glocal onlinebrary) which enables you to see the DVDs, books, CDs, games, tools, and other items that are available in your building or neighborhood, and allows you to check them out and borrow them, FREE. Now you can find (and borrow, trade, or donate) items in your neighborhood without compromising anyone's privacy, especially your own (all profiles can be private, addresses are kept private and exchanges can be anonymous if desired). Securely lend the items you rarely use but still want to own, trade or donate the items you don't want at all, and share the cost of new items. Finally, a fun, free, safe and practical way to get the most out of your stuff. Sharing with your neighbors really saves dollars and makes sense."

Battery Park City Photos

We are hiring!

We need graphic designers and programmers at the "guru" level for PHP and MYSQL. You must have a very good proficiency with AJAX and CSS compliance. We need a CTO that will work with us, not for us. Send all applications to neighborrow@gmail.com.

Check us out pitching the site on MSNBC!

Check us out on MSNBC

borrow from your neighbors!

Hey, nice pictures! I really can't wait until neighborrow.com takes off as I'm confident it will. I truly feel that it will be so beneficial for our members and will really change how we acquire and use many of the everyday things we want and need. We're not just consumers anymore...we're NEIGHBORROW-ERS!

Battery Park City neighBORROW-ing

Living in Battery Park City has had a profound influence on the creation of neighBORROW.com. The community feel of BPC in such a big city makes it very special. The sheer volume of residents, stuff, the close knit neighborhood atmosphere, the friendly doorpeople and the existence of storage/mailrooms makes BPC an ideal place to share things with our neighbors. I thought to myself, "I live in this great place, with all of these people, have all of this stuff I might be willing to lend out, walk by my doorpeople or go to my office SEVERAL times a day (to drop the actual items off, or make an exchange)... I knew there was a way to create/coordinate/engineer something special, as long as privacy and accountability were addressed, since all of these other pieces were already in place.

Personally, I would feel comfortable, and would find it very convenient, to drop off a movie, book, or anything else with my doorperson. Or bring it to work. Or give it directly to the person borrowing it. I realized that with so many options, users would be able to dictate their own levels of privacy and convenience. We already trust our neighbors, we don't steal each other's newspapers or laundry, and have some things, if not many things in common. So a website that not only helps to organize this new inventory, but also requires security deposits and facilitates exchanges, is the perfect solution to allow everyone to take advantage of all of this stuff and feel completely comfortable doing so... And it's not a bad way to meet the neighbors and make new friends. The only reason I built this site is because I would use it myself, I HOPE YOU WILL TOO.

Founding lunch...

neighborrow was born high in the mountains of Bali... not quite but it's a cool picture of the founders...

Some photos of Battery Park City, Downtown Manhattan. I took this photograph on Sept. 11 2006.

Borrow a cup of DVDs?

neighborrow.com Alpha

There should be a way for neighbors to be able to borrow and share more with one another!