Monday, April 25, 2011

I got an email recording 0 hours. Why?

This scenario occurred in our old software, Community Weaver 1.0. As of November 1, 2011 we are operating on Community Weaver 2.0 and this scenario should not occur, as there is a delete function for messages in CW 2.0. If you have questions about this or are experiencing difficulties, please contact the Coordinator.
-Jennifer

Our software, Community Weaver, is a little picky. If I request a service and you respond to it but no TD$ are exchanged, your message stays in my inbox. Forever.

As the Coordinator of Time Trader, I get a lot of emails in my regular Inbox and in My Messages in Community Weaver. Periodically I need to clean out the CW messages so that I have less to wade through. To do that, I simply click "log hours" in the message, and I log it as 0. This triggers an automatic email to you but does not require you to take any further action.

Some reasons TD$ are not exchanged:
  • multiple people replied to an offer but only one person was needed
  • we exchanged messages but for whatever reason the transaction was not completed
  • the service was provided but TD$ were not credited from the My Messages section using the "log hours" button
  • multiple or similar offers/requests exist and the TD$ were credited on a different offer/request than originally specified
All of these scenarios are fine; as long as TD$ are credited to the right person for the right task, there is no problem. Using a 0TD$ transaction simply clears out the message.

Once a transaction is recorded and TD$ credited, even if the number of TD$ is 0, the messages automatically move to your archives. This means you can still access them and may refer back to them at any time in the future.

Remember that if you have any problems or questions about how to credit yourself or someone else for TD$ you can always contact me and I am happy to help make sure it is correct.

Thanks Time Traders!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

But I don't have any skills people will find useful. What can I offer?

I get that question all the time as coordinator of Time Trader. So often we sell ourselves short, not recognizing the skills and talents we possess.

In the last couple of months several items in Community Weaver have surprised me; things that I never would have thought to ask for or to offer, yet were brought to my attention because TD$ were exchanged for those items.

Case in point: a Service Request asking for someone to teach them how to eat with chopsticks. The requester offered to provide a take-out Chinese meal and invited a Time Trader to come and teach them how to use chopsticks. Now, I have to confess that as fabulous as I think Time Trader is, and as talented as I know our members are, I would not have thought to put that request out there. The request was fulfilled and our adventurous eaters learned a new skill.

Second case: a Time Trader has an offer out there titled "Nit Picker." This was something that surprised me; it isn't a skill one would think of looking for on Time Trader. However, it turned out our intrepid Nit Picker was called upon to offer her services. A Time Trader had a case of head lice in the household and needed help. What to do? How to get rid of them both on the head in question but also in the house? And could it be done without using those awful, toxic shampoos sold commercially?

It turns out it could, and the advice offered by the Nit Picker helped to calm fears (is your head itching yet?) and provided websites with additional information as well as follow-up emails to make sure all was well.

What does any of this have to do with YOU, you may ask. Well. Maybe you learned how to home can pickles from your mother or grandmother. Now you may not look at this as a special skill, but there are many people out there interested in growing and preserving their own vegetables. You might be just the person they need to get started.

Perhaps you enjoy gardening. Again, people might be able to use your help in choosing appropriate plants for a flower bed, planning a vegetable garden, or caring for those lovely but oh-so-fussy roses. Or maybe someone just needs help in weeding a garden. Perhaps it would be a way for you to get to know another Time Trader, get a little time in the sun, and dig in the dirt, even if you live in an apartment or have no space in which to garden yourself.

In choosing what to offer, think of things you enjoy doing and things that people compliment you on. Maybe you are a great party planner. Perhaps you can make beautiful and delicious appetizers. Maybe you just like to putter around outside and wouldn't mind picking up all of the dog "land mines" left in someone's yard after the winter before taking a rake to it.

Oftentimes people get stuck thinking they must be an expert in things they offer. That is not the case -- explain yourself in your Service Offer, that you love to plan parties or want the exercise of raking someone's yard -- and let other Time Traders know you're available. You may be posting a service someone needs but that they would not have thought to ask for.

On the other hand, if you need help with something you think is just a little too odd or "out there" for Time Trader, consider posting a Service Request. You just never know who might have the skill and time to get the job done for you, and you could make a new friend in the process!