Hey Coffeeswappers!
I hope you've been having a wonderful summer. It's already time for me to start thinking about our next swap, but before I post a few ideas about that I wanted to make sure that everyone is settled from the last swap. I had a few people who needed angels and a few who thought they might but then said their package was on the way. Did everyone get a package? I don't want anyone to be left feeling glum about their experience with this swap.
Moving on to FALL SWAP INFO!!!! ( I know you are excited about this, but don't sign up quite yet:-)
Their will be a fall swap (October) and this might be the last one I do, not sure yet. The first swap wasn't that tough as I limited it to about 50 people so it felt very manageable. This last one was well over a hundred and as much fun as it was, it took my life over a bit for quite awhile and I still don't feel like it is quite wrapped up yet. So here's what I'm thinking of:
-Keeping it open to a bigger group but using Swapbot to do the matches. This would be easier for me but then I can't try to match people up with similar interests, allergies, needs, international, etc.
-Limiting it to 50 again. This means a lot of people get left out and I like to include everyone as much as possible.
-Not being a total control freak and realizing that I should get a couple co-hostesses who have done the swap before, preferable with swap experience. My only worry with this is that someone will volunteer and either flake or just not do that great of a job with it.
Okay people, now is when you bombard me with ideas and suggestions! :-) I know there will be lots!
xoxo
Knittymama
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Knitters' Coffee Swap Four
Where It's At
Good Stuff From our Swappers
Good Coffee
Contributors
- Adrienne
- Aihara Ramintessah Sanchez
- Amysatx
- Carrie Penny
- Cathy-Cate
- Chris
- Chrissie
- Corinne
- Dawn ;)
- ElizabethAP
- Frances
- Gretchen
- Heather
- Knittymama
- Linda
- Lisa/knitnzu
- Marisol
- MyInnerGeek
- Nana Sadie
- Nicole
- Paige
- Penny
- Petronella
- Pheelya
- Pixie
- SisuGirl
- StarKnits
- Terri
- The Dip Lady Knits
- TulaBug
- emicat
- hapagirl
- jules
- mama reddog
- mrspao
- perridesigns
- rachelb
- scappyhappy
- sunneshine
31 comments:
Hello,
Hooray for another swap. It would be a shame to limit the swap to 50 people, and I understand your reservations about swapbot - I've not got on well with it myself. I know how it feels to not want to relinquish control - but that's what happens when you get too successful! I'd love to be involved - although I haven't had prior experience of hosting swaps, I can be ultra-organised (I'm a real librarian as well as a crafty one) and you'll note the level of enthusiasm in this comment! I would love to be considered as a hostess if you decided to go down that route. I also work round the corner from this marvellous coffee and tea shop http://www.algcoffee.co.uk/ so I'm perfectly placed for angel missions! Of course I understand if you want people who've done the swap before, but I'd love to be considered - I have to start somewhere.
Hooray , hooray, I have been in only one coffeeswap but it was terrific...I would love to be in another but can't imagine the frenzy during signup of only letting 50 in. I also know how much work it is....I would be willing to be anangel as I have been one on other swaps
I missed the last coffee swap and am looking forward to the next, should I get in. I can understand the issues involved in organising something on this scale. When swaps work well, they work very well. I've had some great experiences and some terrible ones. I think it would be a shame to leave the matching to swapbot as my best swaps have been the ones where I was matched with my partner by a person rather than a database. If you need help I'd be more than willing to help out. I haven't been involved in administering a swap before, but I do run a school and have ample experience of sorting out problems, organising timetables, 'motivating' the tardy and umpiring squabbles. Good luck, however it works out!
I can imagine how organizing this swap is very time consuming! I'd love to participate in the next round (having missed round 1 because I didn't know about, and round 2 because I was sure signing up would prematurely reveal me as your SP10 spoiler), but if you decide not to do another I'll get over it. Maybe. :)
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Swapbot SUCKS. It's wayyy too impersonal. I had one swap with it and had no fun at all. I vote co-hostesses. It's easier on you. And from what I have noticed, it makes things go very smoothly.
I missed out on the first two swaps as not knowing about it until the second one was closed. I love my tea and coffee. I was so hoping for a third. I have hosted a secret pal, was a co- hostess on the ITE4 and have been in many many swaps as I am a swap junkie and take swapping very seriously. If you need help just holler and I will help out. I sure hope you don't limit it to only 50 as there will be many disappointed people out there.
Hi Knittymama,
I received wonderful items from my swap buddy. She was great! It's fine - so you don't have to worry about it, but I never received my gift for winning one of the contests. I'm sure with all those that needed angels, it went to someone w/o a great partner. Just fyi.
KnittersDelight
I've done two of these swap and had lots of fun. It would be a shame to limit the participants or not be able to control the matches. I volunteer to help as a co hostess for a small group. If you need help just ask!
Hey,
thx for considering doing another, I've had lots of fun. I've got several more of my friends interested and I'd be more than happy to assist you in anyway I can either as a hostess or an angel. I look forward to having more swapping fun though I totally understand not wanting to do another after this one. I'll miss the fun but you know sometimes good things must come to an end.
ps ~ I did mail my angel package and I'll double check w/her to make certain she received.
I want to be a part of this next one - so hope you keep it open to more spaces. Co-hostesses are a great way to alleviate some of your stress!
I've been in both of the Coffee Swaps so far, and would love to be in a third. I don't know much about the details, but would love to help in any way.
Thanks for doing all this! I'm not a huge fan of Swapbot. Here are my suggestions:
- limit it to 50 (you snooze, you lose)
OR
- get some co-hosts to help out (esp. people you've had contact with before). Possibly have an extra, substitute co-host lined up just to soothe your worries!
I had a great experience on round 1, and sat out on round 2. I'm hoping to do round 3!
I missed out on the last swap, but I would really love to join in on the next one! I think co-hostesses are a great idea. I know if having co-hotesses you can have more people sign up. I am in a swap that uses swap bot. well it didn't match me up very well. I smoke and my pal was a non-smoker, so it's a 50/50 chance swap bot will do it right. I know people are more than willing to be angels, I know I am. So don't stress to much about the next swap. With so many people wanting to help, I think things will go smoothly.
I missed the last swap, but would love to participate in the next one. I like the personal touch of hostesses or co-hostesses running the swap as opposed to swap-bot. I've never hosted before - but I would be happy to assist. I am a project manager.... so I have good organizational and communication skills.:O) Just let me know if I can assist. I'd love to see a Fall swap.
I can't wait for the next swap! I missed the first two and am determined not to miss this one again. Did you say you were thinking about dividing it into maybe mini groups with a different hostess/moderator? That might make it more manageable--and everyone can post at a primary sight....
I'm sure you've already had plenty of offers, but I'd totally help out if you decide to give it another go!
I've had a great time with both swaps.
This coffee swap was my first swap ever and with coffee being my beverage of choice, it was the beginning of my infatuation with swaps. I received a great package from my swap pal and had a lot of fun. I thank you for hosting this swap and I'm sorry if it got to be too much.
I would love to participate in the next round, and I think with some co-hostesses, I hope it will make it easier on you too. I'd much rather that happen than to limit it to only the first 50 people, because I think this swap is pretty popular.
I'd certainly be up for a new swap! I missed the date for the last one, but have such a blast with swaps! *fingers crossed*
This was an absolutely fantastic swap, I loved being a part of it and would defo like to do it again.
You did a wonderful job matching partners and the contests were all great, kudos to kat for sifting through all the entries and picking well worthy winners.
I'm with the majority and think the best solution to the overwhelming numbers would be co-hostesses.
(I completely understand the control freak thing, I always find it incredibly hard to delegate because I'm perfectionist to the point of losing sleep over the fact that someone else tied the bows in the ribbons on my order of service for my wedding and they weren't centred or tied so all parts of the ribbon face out the same way or so each side of the bow was the same size or that the tails were the same length or because they weren't made of gold and engraved with beautiful writing by fairies! But I had to let it go because there was no time left to do it myself - I did secretly keep them with me to re-tie the night before the wedding though, but had too many other things to do at that point! Oh dear, there is definitely something wrong with me!!!!!)
Anyway, total control-freak perfectionist idiot knows how hard it is to delegate, but for the joy of the many (many many many it would seem!) it would be far better to enlist some lovely co-hostesses and if you're not too freaked out by my crazy bridezilla-esque episode I'd be a willing helper, though I should say I haven't hosted before.
Here's to Knitter's Coffee Swap 3, looking forward to it and hoping I make it in!
Thanks again for a great swap.
Hi Knittymama! Great to hear that you are thinking of swap 3. I had such a great experience with swap 2 and have put off other swaps recently to wait for this one.
It looks as if you have a couple (or more) excellent choices for co-hostesses, reading the other comments. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many co-hostesses, either (keep that in mind as you organize). I'm not familiar with how/what a co-hostess needs to do, but I am willing to help. Give me a job and directions: I'm good to go. As a teacher, I have great "juggling" skills for multi-tasking and organization.
I vote for: NOT limiting to 50 the participants. So many people love this swap and so many would be disappointed. It would be a piranha feeding frenzy. I vote for: co-hostesses. I vote for: NOT using swapbot. Nothing good, positive, warm-and-fuzzy can come from an automated system with no soul.
With some of the past issues of flaking (to put it nicely), there could be a few more tightly written rules prior to sign-ups. One that I think would give everyone a "heads up" on potential problems is some kind of a weekly "check in" between partner and partner. I still keep in contact with my "old" partner from swap 2. If one half of a partnership isn't contacting/connecting with the other half, a co-hostess should be notified and stepping in to see what is going on. I love knowing who my partner was at the very beginning (I don't like "secret" partners) because it gave me a chance to get to know her through her blog (which is another necessity and should also have at least one post a week to their blog--which shows that the person is active, involved, motivated) and through emails to each other.
The contests and such last time were wonderful. Everyone was so creative.
+1 on a new swap and I'd also be willing to help out. Think about what you'd like to get rid of and then delegate away.
There are enough wonderful people out in blog-land that we're all excited to try and do something to make this continue.
Thanks for all the hard work you've put in to the last two rounds and here's to a wonderful third!
I have never done a swap before and have been reading this page hoping to see a new one being opened!!! (I found it through one of the blogs I read) Anyway, I really hope you do another one and that I can sign up as it sounds awesome!!!!
rachel
I have never done one of these and I am wild to do one! I have done "secret santas" long ago when I was in college and that month was the highpoint of the fall, despite the finals! I hope you will be able to find the help you need to do this--it must be a huge task--is there anything I can do? I am a pretty organized list-maker....
Carrie
Hi! You can count on me in whatever capacity you need. I'm loving swaps and regret I missed out on a few I'm going to stay on top of from now on. I will say I've only been in two swaps as a "participant," but I'm a fast learner and willing to help in anyway possible.
I am really hoping there will be another coffee swap! (I go by CoffeeYarn for a reason after all!) I am willing to help in any way you need to make this a successful one.
I have missed the first two rounds but I certainly don't want to miss round 3... Thank you for running this again! :-)
I vote co-hostesses too. I have never participated in running a swap, but I could make myself useful if you needed...
Oh I hope you do another around of this swap. I missed the first two rounds, but am determined to not miss a third!
Hi - I'd love to join. I wasn't in on previous rounds, but I would love to be in on the next. If it would help I am more than willing to volunteer to co-host and/or go through surveys and help match up people if that would help.
I've never organized a swap, but I can imagine how overwhelming it is, so thank you for doing this one -- I had great fun with it! I think having a couple of cohosts is a grand idea and I hope you won't limit it to 50 people -- the more the merrier, I think! Anyway, I'd be happy to help with organizational stuff -- just let me know! Thanks again for a great swap!
I am looking forward to being a part of this swap!
Post a Comment