Borrow things from your neighbors and friends

What's in a name? continued

2012-02-14T00:56:00.000-05:00

Every rental consists of borrowing but not every borrow is a rental. Borrowing means that you are going to return it or something equal to it. Renting means you are returning it AND paying a fee.

So to borrow a cup of sugar is correct, ONLY if you return an equal amount of fresh sugar at another time. If you return the sugar AND some of the cookies you made, you technically rented that sugar:)

So how about money... if you borrow money and pay it back - good for you:) You are a borrower. If you pay it back with interest, you are technically a renter.

On the flip side, you are a lender in either case- but when you accept payment you are also a banker, or a proprietor, or a rentee?

Borrowing is not about free- its about frequency

Yes WE CAM-ERA

2011-07-12T17:20:00.005-05:00

neigh*borrow is proud to offer free digital cameras to anyone who want's to use one for the day, even two. The cameras are public, and for the summer, the photos are too- as part of a public art project.

Here's how it works!

tweet "@neighborrow, I want a public camera http://bit.ly/yswcmr" or just click HERE to see if one of the five cameras is available for pickup. (right now we have only one pickup location in Battery Park, perfect if you are on your way to see Lady Liberty. We are adding dSLR's soon)
If there is one available, all you need to do is agree to the terms (basically that you will return it) and take your picture holding the camera, that's your library card.
Then feel free to use it however you wish- during the public pilot program, all photos from the cameras automatically go into this gallery.

REQUEST THE SPECIAL SHOCK PROOF CAMERA by clicking "tweet" (not the counter number)

Intelligent Design.

2011-07-12T09:27:00.003-05:00

We said it from the beginning, we didn't invent sharing, we are just making it easier. Trying to, anyway.

Every day, I think about ways to solve that problem; how do we make it easier and more worthwhile to share ownership of the things we don't use all the time?

Is the solution in software; does it need to be easier for people to list and search for things they need and find relevant results? Maybe.
Do we need to preach the virtues of sharing and what it does for communities and the planet, not to mention- our wallets? That won't hurt.
Do we need to build tools and mechanisms to help strangers trust each other more. Definitely.

The more I think about it though, and the more time I spend talking with other smart folks in the space and engaging with users, the more I am convinced that the biggest factor that will really push sharing mainstream is a new physical infrastructure; both the items being shared and the physical mechanisms that allow these items to be shared need an upgrade. They need a more intelligent design that makes it easier and worthwhile to share.

For example; I recently "brokered" a bicycle transaction on neigh*borrow. (from time to time I get involved in a transaction to meet the folks using the site and to see how we can improve the platform). A lovely couple (from our neighbors in the attic), were visiting NYC for the weekend and wanted to borrow a couple of bikes. They knew about neigh*borrow, were able to request bikes, find two separate lenders, and everyone involved in the sharing ballet played their role to perfection. I was thrilled! Everything was perfect, except for one thing. Literally. The bike.

THESE bikes weren't shareable. The size was off. The performance wasn't what borrower had hoped for. Locking it was burdensome. This bike wasn't designed to be shared. But that doesn't mean bikes can't be shared. In fact, I think bikes are one of the things that can be shared best! The solution is in the infrastructure, not the people or the web.

Enter sites like SoBi. They understand the true root of the problem and are doing their part to build an infrastructure to make bike sharing easier. The bikes are one size fits all. They are more durable and weatherproof. And of course, they can be locked and unlocked, tracked, reserved and paid for using the latest in mobile technology and GPS.

Right now, things are designed not just for obsolescence as I have quoted before from WMIY, they are designed for individual ownership. I think that is changing thanks to innovators like Sobi, GetAround, and so many others.

To do our part, to highlight the "new infrastructure of sharing" and to to pay homage to the NYC CollCons folks, (Shared Squared- coming soon), neigh*borrow is proud to introduce a project we are calling Public Cameras. Or maybe we'll go with the cheesier, "yes WE cam(ra)"! Similar to the wonderful and popular Street Pianos, we are offering free cameras for the public to use, in New York City.

You know you've always wanted to try one of those long lenses the pros use at the ball game. You don't want to buy one, and you don't want to lug it around all week, but you know you want to try it for the afternoon while you're at the Statue of liberty, or in Central Park or just people watching in Soho. With PublicCameras, you will get that chance.

These cameras are meant to be shared. They come loaded with a special memory card that tracks the location of the camera, and auto uploads the photos to a gallery, in the cloud, over wifi. There is no need to upload any files, and for now during the pilot program, there is no need to pay!

VIEW the public, collaborative gallery!

These cameras are meant to be shared, and we are working on cameras that are designed to be shared. You will be able to pick up the cameras in convenient places all around the city and unlock it with your credit card, using technology similar to how the SoBi bikes are unlocked. The cameras will charge and upload the images (over wifi supplied by KeyWifi) to a private, individual gallery, when they are returned to their proprietary dock.

Not only designed to share, they will be impossible not to:)

Then look out for public drills. The drill, remember is the poster-child for CollCons, we buy them because the infrastructure to share them is lacking. Soon, you will be able to walk around the corner, and unlock a drill with your iPhone the same way you grab a copy of the Village Voice! The same way people used to buy their lunch, automat style!

Myths about borrowing

2011-06-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

At neigh*borrow we think that clarity will go a long way in helping people embrace the new sharing economy. So we want to help clear up a few myths about borrowing.

Myth Number 1: Borrowing = Free

Borrowing does not necessarily equal FREE. Borrowing refers to the fact that you are going to return it, it has nothing to do with pricing. You are borrowing everything you rent, but you are not necessarily renting everything you borrow. The perfect item to borrow is something that you do not need to use all the time, regardless of whether you need to use it ONCE or ONCE IN AWHILE. We know better than to try and re-write the dictionary or try and re-teach our audience about the definition of a word- the point we are trying to make is that borrowing is not about a price, it's about access. It's about "velocity of use". Since a drill is used infrequently on an individual basis, the goal is to get it used frequently, collectively; regardless of the underlying motivation.

We are getting a whole bunch of feedback about pricing. Some lenders want the option to make a few bucks when they lend something out. Some just want to lend things to support their community and do good deeds. Both are perfectly awesome reasons:)

Again, the economics are secondary, anything that motivates you to USE AND SAVE rather than OWN AND WASTE is our goal..

So next time you think of borrowing, think FREquency, not necessarily Free.

-thanks to Cameron Tonkinwise for his wise feedback

Myth #2 - borrowing is just for people who can't afford to own... (coming next week)

Looking to borrow a soldering iron. Filled in 2 seconds!

2011-05-06T21:53:00.000-05:00

We have been seeing some great stuff happening in our Seattle facebook group recently, but nothing as cool as the offer that was filled in 2 seconds.

We have always admired the efficiency and scope of Freecycle. It is a great organization that provides free items to people who need them and keeps these items out of land fills. I've heard many times of the efficiency of a simple yahoo email list; when something good is listed, it GOES, FAST.

I was curios to see if the same thing could happen in the opposite direction, and it did!

Conventional wisdom suggests it should be no surprise that where there is a giver, there are takers. But would the same be true for people just asking for stuff? Even if they are not offering direct compensation? The answer, which we were pleasantly surprised with, was yes! In 2 seconds flat.

I think it could be a sign!

A rose by any other name

2011-04-19T01:54:00.001-05:00

Is it underused asset utilization? Collaborative consumption? Allocative efficiency? Idle capacity reduction? Fractional ownership? Timesharing?

Or is it just sharing?

When multiple people use the same asset, it's just sharing. And it's just smart. Hotels aren't known as "p2p room sharing networks" (for good reason)- but it makes no sense to buy a whole new house when you go on vacation for a few days, or to bring your existing house with you.

Access is the new own. Assets will (should) be more like that famous coffee commercial, "good til the last drop".

Get your viral url ID here...

2011-04-14T17:06:00.002-05:00

Some of you are starting to discover a great new tool we are using to introduce people to new features and upgrades on the site. Rather than keep it running in the background, we wanted to introduce our integration with LAUNCHROCK.com and how it will affect your experience on neighborrow.

If you already have a group or if you are already verified, your account most likely will not be affected, but we still would LOVE IT if you go to v2.neighborrow.com and get your unique URL and use it to invite people to the site.

If you don't have an account already, we are using this tool to manage how new members can access the site.

As a site that relies on not only geographic proximity but social proximity for exchanges, as well as a critical mass of users in each "neigh*borrow-hood", launchrock is a perfect fit for us.

If you try to create a group or borrow something and are redirected to v2.neighborrow.com, don't despair, it's super easy to get started and these tools help us keep the community close knit and thriving.

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS

You will be directed to v2.neighborrow.com and asked to enter your email
You will receive a unique url
Post this url anywhere you can- Lauchrock tracks the people who follow that link and sign up because of you
The more people you get to sign up, the more quickly you will gain access yourself. We will also have contests and upgrades based on your invites.
You can check your progress (Launchrock is a 3rd party site we can't touch the numbers) by going back to v2.neighborrow.com and seeing how you are doing.. We will post the exact number of invites needed to reach your goal (for example, you need 8 to start a group)

Help her borrow...

2011-04-13T00:50:00.000-05:00

Support 3 great organizations at once!

2010-12-07T02:23:00.000-05:00

Investing in our raise helps support Profounder's launch, GoodsforGood's incredible mission, and of course... neigh*borrow.

We are thrilled to join the other entrepreneurs in Profounder's first class of companies to seek public "crowdfunding."

The Internet is one of the most disruptive mediums in history and will continue to drastically change the way people communicate, consume and live. Peer-to-peer networks and transactions are thriving and we continue to see amazing innovation in this space. It has even begun to change how start-ups raise their initial capital! :)

You need the hole, not the drill.

2010-12-06T00:01:00.003-05:00

Borrowing (heavily) from the simplistic experiment, goingtorain.com, we are adding (another) experiment to neighborrow, drillavailable.neighborrow.com. We are building an inventory of every drill in America and creating a marketplace for short term use.

The page shows the real-time availability and current price for access to a power drill within 3 miles of your current location.

Rachel Botsman and Roo Rodgers point out in their book, "What's mine is yOURs" that the average drill is used between 7 and 13 minutes in its lifetime. They also guess there are around 50 million drills currently sitting in people's homes today.

That just doesn't make any sense! Even @ $50/drill (and power drills cost much more) people are paying $300 an HOUR just to own a drill. Silliness! We can do better than that. Let's see how many of them we can catalog (and help the other half of the households when they need a hole and not a drill).

Victor Papanec would be proud!

Vote for us!

2010-06-18T21:51:00.001-05:00

Please vote for us in the myoo create "beat waste startup challenge"

As the paradigm shifts from owning things to using things, everyone stands to save more than a pretty penny! Shared access means access to higher quality items and less waste:)

Competition. It's a beautiful thing:)

2010-05-24T13:26:00.003-05:00

Once in a while, we Google ourselves. We search for "neigh*borrow" and other keywords not only out of curiosity but also to see how well our pages are being indexed and what our SEO campaign looks like. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised to find a nice blog post that we hadn't seen before. Rarely do we find an unpleasant surprise as even criticism helps us learn and improve.

The other night, we found the ad below in the sponsored links section. Not only did swaptree use "neighborrow" as a keyword that they bid on (a borderline move itself) but they used our copyrighted name as the HEADLINE in their ad, basically purporting to be us! We were flattered that they feel as if they need to resort to these antics, but also annoyed. And confused (did they not think we would see it?).

You need not be familiar with Google's algorithm to see, unequivocally, the organic search results on the left and the sponsored links on the right.

Anyway, rather than waste time sending them a letter, we wanted to use this opportunity to focus on something positive. We at neigh*borrow have always tried to reach out to the brave and bright people trying to solve the same problems that we are. It's not easy to start a business from scratch, especially in an infant industry. We have nothing but respect for the fine folks at NeighborGoods, Loanables, and others attempting to use this unprecedented human interconnectivity to save financial and natural resources. We even talk to Micki and Ryan from time to time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. To them we say, keep up the good, important, difficult work!

Using a copyrighted name without permission in advertising copy such as the one above, is not only illegal and fraudulent, but a tad classless as well. We encourage our readers to Google the term "neighborrow" and click on the top organic link and the top paid link to see which one is more useful in finding you something you need to use. Enter #stcopyr along with your search!

Things you should be neigh*borrow-ing

2010-05-10T19:22:00.000-05:00

neigh*borrow a BOOK instead of buying one. It's more fun, it's cheaper than buying, it's easier than going to the library. It saves paper. END OF STORY!

neigh*borrow SOMETHING FOR A VACATION. A CAMERA, TENT, A MEMORY CARD, A DVD PLAYER. We guarantee you will save money. We are not TRIPPING!

neigh*borrow a VIDEO GAME or BOARD GAMES or a BOCCI SET. It's really easy. You don't get stuck buying something you will get board of. We are not TOYING WITH YOU!

neigh*borrow BABY ITEMS. BABY TOYS, BABY CLOTHES. These items are the epitome of temporary use. Borrow the things you need from people close to you. Keep the things that are sentimental and lend out everything else. NO KIDDING!

neigh*borrow SOMETHING FOR A PARTY or HOUSE-GUESTS. An AEROBED, EXTRA TABLES AND CHAIRS. These are definitely things you need once in a while. They are things you need, but don't need to own. ISN'T THAT FUN!

Launching "B&W and read around the world"

2010-05-10T18:09:00.009-05:00

PHASE I - neigh*borrow offices in NYC to stickybits offices in SF!! REQUEST THE BOOK HERE

We have flushed out the details and are pleased to announce the launch of this exciting project. For the sake of simplicity, we will start with phase one, getting the book from here in NYC to stickybits offices in SF. The only rule is that you can't put the book in the mail. We are reaching out to the neigh*borrow and stickybits communities for the very first borrower and all subsequent borrowers!

**UPDATE - THE BOOK IS IN LA. Dembo is getting antsy, help the book travel up the coast to SF!

The book is in Irvine Ca, from NYC! After phase 1 is complete we have borrowers lined up from SF, to SEATTLE, to ALASKA, then around the world she goes!

Read Around The World in ??? Days...:)

2010-05-02T18:25:00.013-05:00

READLAY RACE AROUND THE WORLD WITH STICKYBITS AND NEIGH*BORROW

"BLACK and WHITE and READ around the world" is an exciting project brought to you by neigh*borrow and stickybits. "Around the world in 80 days" is on a Journey around the world, that started in New York City. The goal of the project is to send the book on a journey around the world using the technology and communities behind neigh*borrow and stickybits!

THE RULES:

The book can only be lent to someone who is west of you
The book must be lent to the next borrower in two weeks or returned to the lender
The borrower must agree, by scanning the stickybit, to the rules of the project
The book cannot be mailed (Options: bring the book to work, school or a coffee shop west of where you received the book...lend it to someone west of you... bring it on a plane with you...???)

Things to think about for PHASE II and future projects. (comment or add your own)

Should we make a minimum number of countries scanned?
Should there be a maximum distance for each segment?
Should we ban air travel?
Should we race one book we take out from the library with one book originated by a member of the community to see if people are motivated by our potential fine?!!
Should we enforce a rule that you have to read the whole book? Should we send around a book of quotes instead and ask each person to scan in their favorite quote? Should we send around a book in another language?
Should we add checkpoints of members in the community who opt in to the project or just let the item go with the wind (as long as it goes in one direction)

The potential is endless...

HOW IT WORKS:

Go to www.neighborrow.com and find the book or just cheat and click HERE.
Click BORROW IT and enter your email address.
Based on your location we will contact you when it's your turn to borrow the book.
When you receive the book, scan the STICKYBITS STICKER (for instructions click here) we placed inside the first cover, this will acknowledge you accept THE FINAL RULES. (if you do not have an iPHONE or a droid supported smart phone, try and borrow a friend's or check the stickybits site to learn about other ways to interact with sb - as released)
Read "Around the World in 80 Days" (or at least part if it) in less than two weeks.
Update the comments section on the item page and add a "BIT" to the barcode at www.stickybits.com.
When you are ready to pass the book along, send an email to atw80@neighborrow.com or post it to facebook to find the next borrower; or locate one on your own (just make sure they follow all the steps and agree to abide by The Rules - you are still on the hook until it's scanned again:))
Send the book off on its journey....
***After the first item gains some traction, users will be able to start their own races and send different items around the world or just around the neighborhood.

MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

This promotion aims to do more than illustrate the fantastic technologies and communities behind stickybits, neigh*borrow, and the other organizations helping to make this possible.

Read Around The World...

Will reinforce how the web and our online worlds can influence and enrich our offline connections and experiences.
Will show how something can be hyperlocal and genuinely global all at the same time.
Will help bring global awareness to important issues like re-using, recycling and literacy.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

zeemaps.com

ecolibris.net

****UPDATE*****

PHASE I - neigh*borrow offices in NYC to stickybits offices in SF!!

CURRENT LOCATION- ST. Cloud, MN
PREVIOUS LOCATIONS- NYC, NY; PRINCETON NJ;
CHECK OUT THE HISTORY AND CURRENT LOCATION OF THE BOOK ON STICKYBITS.
JOIN THE FUN AND REQUEST THE BOOK ON NEIGH*BORROW

Access to communal Wii @NYU!

2010-04-26T14:58:00.005-05:00

We are running a promotion to celebrate the launch of neigh*borrow@NYU. After reaching the first 100 transactions on the site, neigh*borrow will purchase a new Wii gaming system that will be made available to all Premium members. Premium members will be able to request the Wii and use it for 3 days at a time, or until it is requested by someone else.

The faster we, as a community, get to 100 successful transactions, the faster we can play some Wii for free! So spread the word about neigh*borrow to others in the NYU community. More members... more transactions. More transactions... more money and resources saved. Oh, and quicker access to the Wii! Remember, if something can be used more than once by more than one person, it's "neigh*borrow-able."

Wii Promotion Details:

Wii will be purchased immediately following 100th qualifying transaction
Qualifying transactions must be completed through www.nyu.neighborrow.com
Qualifying transactions must be between 2, unique members (at least one Premium member)
All members must have valid and confirmed @nyu.edu email addresses
Both Premium and Basic item transactions qualify
neigh*borrow reserves the right to disqualify any transactions not deemed genuine or in good faith
Wii comes with one controller and Wii Sports (tennis, golf, baseball, bowling) -- but you can always neigh*borrow other games on the site!
Wii will be available to Premium members only and can be reserved for 3 days at a time, on a first come, first served basis (or until the Wii is requested by another Premium member)
TO START A SIMILAR PROMOTION IN YOUR NETWORK (NEIGH*BORROW-HOOD) PLEASE CONTACT FOUNDERS@NEIGHBORROW.COM

neigh*borrow light

2010-01-06T00:59:00.003-05:00

neigh*borrow light

As the world shrinks, the term neighbor is redefined. We like to use the term GLOCAL (yes, Up In The Air borrowed the term from us). neigh*borrow lite is a simple way for people to engage with our site instantly, to use their neighbors and existing networks as a resource to find things they need to use. No registration is required by the lender or the borrower, we just grab your email address so we can assist with communication and remind the borrower when the item is due back. neigh*borrow light plays no role in the exchange, or the accountability, or the history of the user, or anything like that (you'll need the full version for that). Our app will simply help you utilize your networks more efficiently and help you feel comfortable knocking on scores of doors at a time to ask, can I borrow a ...

If you want to try it out, click here and remember to send out the listing when it's generated.

SMARTaccess

2009-12-07T00:47:00.001-05:00

Powered by neighborrow. Things you need, when you need them, and only when you need them. Ending excess capacity of durable goods by promoting the shared use model within communities.

Increasing access, decreasing excess.

twitterfeed.com

2009-08-09T11:48:00.002-05:00

Testing out twitterfeed.com-- if you found our blog using twitter, leave us a comment below...

Green a book raffle

2009-07-27T00:25:00.001-05:00

Everyone who balances out one of their books (listed on neigh*borrow) by planting trees on Eco-Libris website (1 Book = 1 Tree = $1) will be entered into a contest to win one of the books listed below. Each purchase, no matter how many books you balance out (the minimum on the website is 5 books per purchase), will receive one entry to the random drawing scheduled for September 1st. (we reserve the right to extend the drawing until December 31st, 2009).

To participate in the raffle you just need to have the book listed on neigh*borrow and when you balance it out on Eco-Libris, add on the comments box in the PayPal payment page the magic word "neigh*borrow" or send an email to info@ecolibris.net following the purchase with the subject "neigh*borrow".

VIEW PRIZES HERE http://fromreadtogreen.com/Eco-Libris-raffle.php
BALANCE BOOKS HERE http://www.ecolibris.net/
LIST BOOKS HERE http://www.neighborrow.com

New in the neigh*borrow-hood!

2009-07-21T12:57:00.003-05:00

Hello fellow neigh*borrow-ers! My name is Dave Tomback and I am a co-founder of neigh*borrow. I recently came on board full-time and will be dedicating my time and effort to growing neigh*borrow.

I firmly believe that the website can play a significant role in helping us all save money, conserve our planet's precious resources, strengthen our communities and create new, lasting friendships with our neighbors.

I hope this blog will be a useful tool for letting everyone know about new developments in the neigh*borrow-hood and for communicating with our growing community of neigh*borrow-ers. See you around the block...I mean blog!

Definition?

2008-06-08T00:57:00.002-05:00

Einstein says you should neighBORROW!

2008-06-07T22:57:00.001-05:00

neighBORROW a winner in spigit contest

2008-03-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

neighBORROW NAMED A WINNER OF THE ENTREPRENEUR CHALLENGE

Won Awards in “Top Idea” and “Most Popular” Categories in spigit.com’s Contest for Innovative Start-Ups,

Seeks “Mayors” to Help Fuel Expansion

New York, NY -- March 12, 2008 --

neighBORROW (www.neighborrow.com), a free, web-based platform uniting neighbors and online communities looking to borrow and lend personal belongings, was voted a winner of spigit.com's Entrepreneur Challenge for innovative start-ups. neighBORROW has been awarded the opportunity to be flown to the offices of Keiretsu Forums in Southern California to present to private equity and venture capital investors. Additionally, neighBORROW will be granted a $1,000 marketing consulting package. “This award validates our core concept of unifying neighbors interested in efficiently and safely lending to and borrowing from others in their community, and endorses the underlying value proposition of our site. We have been impressed with spigit's application since it launched and feel truly honored to have been recognized,” says neighBORROW founder Adam Berk.

neighBORROW enables members to save time, money, and the environment by pooling resources in a concentrated area, reducing the need for ‘unnecessary’ purchases, “neighBORROW is a resourceful model that allows members to get more out of items they own and spend less for items they want, all while reducing the negative environmental impact of inefficient consumption. Listing and lending opens the door to free borrowing and responsible borrowing keeps the door open," says neighBORROW Chief Technology Officer, Phuc Quang.

Since neighBORROW does not supply the goods that are lent and borrowed and is presently in its beta testing stage, the site currently relies on “Mayors” to populate the website with both new members and inventory. “Any active member can become a Mayor by creating a new network, or ‘neighBORROW-hood,’ in their community and we are currently rewarding successful Mayors for their efforts in growing neighBORROW-hoods during our beta test,” adds Berk. One way neighBORROW is rewarding select Mayors is by sharing the local advertising revenue generated by each community.

*********
About neighBORROW:
neighBORROW, founded in 2005 and located in New York City, is a "green" web-based start-up that facilitates the borrowing and lending of personal items among neighbors or other groups. The website, currently in beta, uses accountability metrics such as deposits, user reputations and borrowing history as well as customizable privacy settings to help ensure the safety of its members’ property. Users have the flexibility to decide what and with whom they are willing to share by participating in both private (invitation only) and public networks. These networks, or “neighBORROW-hoods,” have been created in apartment buildings, dormitories, offices, and other natural localities, and have been used to pool and catalog extensive online inventories of CDs, DVDs, video games, books, tools, sporting equipment, baby items and many other durable goods.

About spigit:

spigit is a platform that provides professionals the ability to showcase new ideas and innovations and in the process build their professional network. Companies and Entrepreneurs can obtain feedback-contributions-ratings from employees, partners and customers. Through our proprietary simulation they can build and refine an idea, find the right resources to contribute, create buzz, and calculate a multitude of targeted metrics to provide insight into viability and simulate the likelihood of success.

*********
For more information about neighBORROW, please visit http://www.neighborrow.com. To schedule an interview, please contact Adam Berk by email at info@neighborrow.com or by phone at (516) 554-4255.

Costanza should neighBORROW

2007-06-06T18:30:00.001-05:00

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

2007-05-24T13:16:00.000-05:00

Photos from the original neigh*borrow-hood

2007-05-11T23:55:00.001-05:00

How does it work?

2007-04-30T17:58:00.003-05:00

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

2007-04-30T17:54:00.001-05:00

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!

2007-03-25T23:34:00.001-05:00

"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

2007-03-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

We are hiring!

2007-03-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-03-13T04:17:00.000-05:00

Check us out on MSNBC

borrow from your neighbors!

2007-02-21T00:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-19T05:54:00.002-05:00

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...

2007-01-17T18:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-09T15:57:00.000-05:00

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

Borrow a cup of DVDs?

2007-01-09T03:03:00.000-05:00

neighborrow.com Alpha

2007-01-09T02:53:00.000-05:00

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