Comment on Introducing Skillshare.im

Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:51:59 GMT

One reason is that I didn't know they existed—I'd never heard of time banking before. Perhaps participation in existing time-banking communities would allow people to draw on a larger pool of people, and there would be a smaller chance that these communities would disappear. And unless you're traveling to one of a few large cities, you're more likely to find gratis accommodations on Couchsurfing.

On the other hand, I can think of a few advantages specific to having a sharing site targeted at effective altruists. First, it seems that time banks (at least the ones listed on the site you linked to) are local organizations. So you'd have to live in a community with a vibrant time bank to take advantage of it.

Second, it seems that most of the time banks listed in the directory are moribund. For example, the Berkeley group's most recent exchange (if I'm interpreting this correctly) occurred over eight weeks ago. Many of the local chapters have a member count in the single digits or have never recorded an exchange. Some exchanges, however, are quite active (e.g., those in Los Angeles and Oakland), and they might be worth checking out if you live nearby.

Third, time banking is supposed to be reciprocal. That might mean that people who don't have much to offer (because they're young, busy, etc.) might have difficulty participating in them. Effective altruists don't have to worry as much about shirking, as long as what they're doing advances the goals of effective altruism. The lack of a need for reciprocity might help facilitate exchanges, though it's possible for people who aren't effective altruists to take advantage of those who are.

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