Frequently Asked Questions

How does it work?

The Sharehood website is a tool to help you meet your neighbours face-to-face and share things with them.

It's like a community noticeboard, with lots of bells and whistles. When you join the site, you are able to see the profiles of your nearest one hundred neighbours (or all those within a five minute walk, whichever is the greater), and the things they're willing to share. You can organise and stay informed about local events, check out the community book library, or even trade with your neighbours using our local currency, Samaras.

The search tool can be used to search for a ladder or whatever - results are returned ordered by distance from you.

We've got lots of information about how to start a 'hood and oodles of suggestions for activities. Underneath all that, the basic idea couldn't be simpler: it's an easy way to get to know your neighbours, share stuff and skills with them, and have fun.

Does it cost to use The Sharehood?

It’s free to borrow and lend using The Sharehood. There is a local currency, which you may wish to use, by arrangement between the two sharers.

Do I have to share with everybody?

You don’t have to share with anyone if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. If you’d be happier sharing with people once you’ve met them, organise a social event, such as a picnic, and get to know your neighbours face-to-face first.

How can I be a good lender?

If you’re lending something to a neighbour, make sure you tell them clearly if you have special instructions or care requirements for the item. Agree on how long they can borrow it for, and in what kind of condition you’d like it returned. If you want it cleaned afterwards, ask beforehand.

How can I be a good borrower?

When you borrow something, return the item in as good, or better condition than when you took it. Tell the owner why you want to borrow it and what you’re going to use it for. Agree on how long you’ll borrow the stuff for, and stick to your word. Always say the magic words: please, thank you, and, my you’re such a wonderful neighbour!

What if someone breaks my things?

Most of us borrow and lend stuff regularly, without hesitation. It feels good to help other people! Be clear about what you require of the person borrowing your goods, and the overwhelming likelihood is that they’ll bring them back just as you’ve agreed. In the case of breakage the borrower should generally replace or fix the item, unless the lightning strike that broke it also put them in hospital, in which case the lender should deliver flowers. But seriously, deliver the item to their house so you know where they live and if you have a problem, try to communicate honestly and openly about it.

Does The Sharehood provide insurance for the things I share?

No, The Sharehood doesn’t offer insurance for stuff you share. If you have your own insurance policy you could check to see what it covers.

I've got no neighbours? What do I do?

If you join and find that there is no one joined up nearby here are some suggestions on how to get the Sharehood going in your neighbourhood and how to expand the Sharehood in your neighbourhood.

How do I change my user name?

At the moment you can't. Sorry. We're working on it. Contact us and we'll do it for you.

How do I edit or delete a shareable I have put up?

If something you have posted to share (or something you want) is out of date you can edit or delete it by simply clicking on that item in your shareables list. All of your shareables should have an "Edit" tab through which you can update or delete it.

What about people who don't have/can't use the internet?

If we're really interested in building community, then it is important to cater for neighbours who don't have computers or the internet and/or are not computer literate. You can do this in two ways:

Firstly, find somewhere local where people can go to use the internet for free like a library or a community centre/neighbourhood house and mention it in your letter or in person. These spaces often offer computer literacy classes as well. Or you can always sit down with neighbours yourself and go through the basics. Many people are reasonably computer literate but would still appreciate being shown through the site before they'll venture into it on their own.

Secondly, don't rely solely on the website. Put up a public noticeboard somewhere central in your area that people can add to themselves, and where you can also post printouts from the website. Or print out a directory of neighbours' profiles from the site and deliver it to people who don't use the internet. Organise a phone tree for events, send text messages, and so on.

People used to organise communities without the internet; the Sharehood website is just there to help facilitate that community. In a way, the less reliant you are on the website, the better. The advantage of the Sharehood's web infrastructure is just increased communication.

What about people who don't speak English?

The Sharehood website is currently only available in English and probably will only be in English for the foreseeable future. A complete multilingual site is beyond our means at the moment (help us translate). Yet not everyone in English speaking countries speaks English and we want everyone to be part of our community who wants to be.

If you call your local community centre or council, they will be able to tell you the languages most widely spoken in your area. They often have translators who could help you translate your initial letter too. If you deliver your letters with a few copies in different languages to each household, you are more likely to encourage non-English speakers along to your events or the website. People often have a friend or someone from their family who can help them with English, either to help with the website or to come along to social events with them. So even if the site is not multilingual and we don't all speak the same language, it's worth trying as hard as possible to be inclusive of all cultures and languages.

What about people giving or taking too much?

Unfortunately we don't live in utopia yet, and there are people out there who might use a welcoming community to take advantage of individuals. In order to counter this, a lawyer from the first hood created a Terms of Agreement document that all neighbours must agree to when they join the site. This states, amongst other things, that all borrowed goods must be returned in the same or better condition.

Additionally, we have created a local currency, called Samaras, for use in trading goods or skills and time. This is largely there for the bigger trades, and ensures that people are able to get back from the community as much as they give. There is a lot more information about the trading system which you may like to familiarise yourself with.

We also have a whole section on conflict resolution coming soon to our resources. So far, we haven't been notified of any serious issues or problems; however, they are bound to occur. Most issues that will arise, should be able to be dealt with through honest communication, mediation, or through legal avenues as an absolute last step.

What about privacy concerns?

Many people have concerns with posting details of things they have to lend out, because they are worried that someone might then come to their house or shed and steal those things.

The main answer to this problem is that your address is not listed on the site – unless you decide to put it up there. If someone emails you wanting to borrow your electric drill, say, you can either respond by agreeing to drop it off at their address or meet up elsewhere, or you can decline, saying that you don't know them so you'd rather not. In our experience so far, people won't ask to borrow things until after they've gotten to know you anyway.

If you are very concerned about your personal privacy, you may not want to join the Sharehood, and that's fine. The whole point is for people to get to know others in their local area.