I can easily find the phone number, e-mail address, and home address of almost any other Dane County Timebank member. They can also access that information about me, except that I listed my work address instead of my home address because that is where I meet with Timebank members.
Timebank members can always view each others’ offers and requests. Under “Complementary Therapies”, members’ requests sometimes include personal information such as their physical or mental health issues.
Personally, none of this really bothered me.
Then, about two weeks after I had started my membership with Timebank, I got a message from a coordinator who was interested in one of my offers. After describing his availability he added,
“Also, it's great to see your listings of so many awesome offers Ali, thanks! (I get notice of all new ads). Spanish speaking partner.....Javier* comes to mind (a bit older than you....but young in my eyes!), and Melinda* (don't know her, but fairly active TB member). Otherwise, you can do a search for Spanish speakers on the site by doing 'advanced search' under member directory and clicking the 'Spanish' button and see who pops up.”
I had not realized how actively the coordinators were monitoring my activity on the site! At first, it made me feel a little uncomfortable at first to know that I was being watched. Still, part of his job description is to “help members make meaningful connections” and I did end up getting in touch with Javier*, as he suggested. It was a great match! Also, I felt comforted to know that the coordinators ensure that members use the Timebank responsibly. That would not be the last time that a coordinator connected me with another Timebank member.
(*name changed to protect privacy)
Monday, April 13, 2009
My introduction to Dane County Timebank.
To obtain membership to the Dane County Timebank, an online sub-set of the international community Timebanks.org, always starts with a face-to-face meeting in real space.
A Timebank coordinator came to meet me on an early February afternoon at my business. After we exchanged friendly introductions, we pulled up two chairs in front of the computer. He signed on to his own Timebank account and gave me a complete tour of the virtual space. He went beyond the basics, giving tips on how to get the most out of the community. For example, he suggested that if I place an offer that fits into more than one category (teaching martial arts could fall under “Fitness”, “Sports” and “Classes”) I should re-submit the offer in as many categories as fit in order to get the most responses. Finally, I filled out some brief paperwork and he activated my account. His final advice? “Have fun with it!”
Getting started with the Timebank took an initial time investment.
Step 1: Add offers.
Timebank members request a broad range of services. Some are as simple as spending time socially, or providing occasional transportation. People want help learning how to use their computers or learning to speak better English. They need help with cleaning and home repairs, pet care and yard work. These are the requests for which there are many offers to meet the need. I decided to offer my more specialized services.
My professional background and expertise is in martial arts, fitness and wellness, and energy work (a complementary/alternative medicine). I started with the energy work.
Writing a good Timebank offer is like writing an advertisement. There were many existing offers in the “Complementary Therapies” category, so I set mine apart by creating multiple offers that specified symptoms which specific treatments were likely to help ameliorate.
Example offer: Black Pearl Sanctuary Technique--for deep relaxation, stress relief and emotional peace
Relaxation. Calm. Peace of mind. Emotional ease.
This technique involves gently holding points on the head to bring blood to the brain and circulate oxygen through the body. It is deeply relaxing and calming, and can help you to find peace in the face of emotional turbulence or trauma as well as the stress of everyday life.
Takes 30-60 minutes, depending on if you are interested in additional energy balancing. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if you call me at work: 251-7755.
Green blocks indicate my availability for this service: (Weekday afternoons @ 532 State St.)
Step 2: Browse requests
After submitting my offers, I browsed the list of members requesting complementary therapies. If their requests seemed to match my services, I sent them a message through the Timebank about my offer.
Example message:
Send a message to (Name):
We have created the following message as a starting point; you can send it as-is, but we suggest you add your availability preferences:
Hi (Name)!
I saw your Request for I'd be interested in a complementary therapy.
There is a good chance that I may be able to provide what you are looking for.
Please respond to me through the TimeBanks web site, or you can call:
Daytime: 1234445555
Evenings:
Cell: 1234445555
I look forward to hearing from you!
Step 3: Browse offers
Even though I hadn’t yet earned any time dollars, I browsed offers to see what looked appealing and made a mental note of them.
Step 4: Add requests
My first request: “Speak Spanish with me!” I hoped to find a native Spanish speaker through the Timebank who could help me improve my fluency.
Step 5: Wait.
A Timebank coordinator came to meet me on an early February afternoon at my business. After we exchanged friendly introductions, we pulled up two chairs in front of the computer. He signed on to his own Timebank account and gave me a complete tour of the virtual space. He went beyond the basics, giving tips on how to get the most out of the community. For example, he suggested that if I place an offer that fits into more than one category (teaching martial arts could fall under “Fitness”, “Sports” and “Classes”) I should re-submit the offer in as many categories as fit in order to get the most responses. Finally, I filled out some brief paperwork and he activated my account. His final advice? “Have fun with it!”
Getting started with the Timebank took an initial time investment.
Step 1: Add offers.
Timebank members request a broad range of services. Some are as simple as spending time socially, or providing occasional transportation. People want help learning how to use their computers or learning to speak better English. They need help with cleaning and home repairs, pet care and yard work. These are the requests for which there are many offers to meet the need. I decided to offer my more specialized services.
My professional background and expertise is in martial arts, fitness and wellness, and energy work (a complementary/alternative medicine). I started with the energy work.
Writing a good Timebank offer is like writing an advertisement. There were many existing offers in the “Complementary Therapies” category, so I set mine apart by creating multiple offers that specified symptoms which specific treatments were likely to help ameliorate.
Example offer: Black Pearl Sanctuary Technique--for deep relaxation, stress relief and emotional peace
Relaxation. Calm. Peace of mind. Emotional ease.
This technique involves gently holding points on the head to bring blood to the brain and circulate oxygen through the body. It is deeply relaxing and calming, and can help you to find peace in the face of emotional turbulence or trauma as well as the stress of everyday life.
Takes 30-60 minutes, depending on if you are interested in additional energy balancing. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if you call me at work: 251-7755.
Green blocks indicate my availability for this service: (Weekday afternoons @ 532 State St.)
Step 2: Browse requests
After submitting my offers, I browsed the list of members requesting complementary therapies. If their requests seemed to match my services, I sent them a message through the Timebank about my offer.
Example message:
Send a message to (Name):
We have created the following message as a starting point; you can send it as-is, but we suggest you add your availability preferences:
Hi (Name)!
I saw your Request for I'd be interested in a complementary therapy.
There is a good chance that I may be able to provide what you are looking for.
Please respond to me through the TimeBanks web site, or you can call:
Daytime: 1234445555
Evenings:
Cell: 1234445555
I look forward to hearing from you!
Step 3: Browse offers
Even though I hadn’t yet earned any time dollars, I browsed offers to see what looked appealing and made a mental note of them.
Step 4: Add requests
My first request: “Speak Spanish with me!” I hoped to find a native Spanish speaker through the Timebank who could help me improve my fluency.
Step 5: Wait.
What the heck is a “Timebank”?!
“Neighbors helping neighbors is as old as our species yet in the hustle and bustle of modern life we are losing touch with the pleasures of being in community. So we're using that touchstone of modern life - the Internet - to reintroduce neighbors to each other and the joys of doing things for each other in reciprocal relationships. To learn more about this new twist on a fundamental human need and custom, please visit www.timebanks.org.”
--www.community.timebanks.org
“For every hour you spend doing something for someone in your community, you earn one Time Dollar. Then you have a Time Dollar to spend on having someone do something for you. It's that simple. Yet it also has profound effects. Time Banks change neighborhoods and whole communities. Time Banking is a social change movement in 22 countries and six continents.”
--www.timbanks.org
“The Dane County Timebank, based in Madison, WI and surrounding communities, links individuals, social service organizations, public and private institutions, food producers, neighborhoods, local businesses and arts groups to make it easier to work together.
Timebanking is an exchange system. People help each other and receive credits for their service. Anyone who helps another member earns one time dollar per hour, which they can then spend on an hour of service from anyone else in the network. Timebanking is a way to value the work we do for others in our community and the work we do in building that community. Instead of going without things because we cannot afford to pay each other with money, we exchange time.
As budgets shrink and expenses grow, it's time for us to use the many wonderful assets of all residents of Dane County, matching unmet needs with unused resources. We each have talents and skills that someone else values. By sharing them, we can create community one hour at a time. “
--www.danecountytimebank.org
--www.community.timebanks.org
“For every hour you spend doing something for someone in your community, you earn one Time Dollar. Then you have a Time Dollar to spend on having someone do something for you. It's that simple. Yet it also has profound effects. Time Banks change neighborhoods and whole communities. Time Banking is a social change movement in 22 countries and six continents.”
--www.timbanks.org
“The Dane County Timebank, based in Madison, WI and surrounding communities, links individuals, social service organizations, public and private institutions, food producers, neighborhoods, local businesses and arts groups to make it easier to work together.
Timebanking is an exchange system. People help each other and receive credits for their service. Anyone who helps another member earns one time dollar per hour, which they can then spend on an hour of service from anyone else in the network. Timebanking is a way to value the work we do for others in our community and the work we do in building that community. Instead of going without things because we cannot afford to pay each other with money, we exchange time.
As budgets shrink and expenses grow, it's time for us to use the many wonderful assets of all residents of Dane County, matching unmet needs with unused resources. We each have talents and skills that someone else values. By sharing them, we can create community one hour at a time. “
--www.danecountytimebank.org
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