Looking for a new read without going through your local library? Or want to avoid “the man” and/or your local bookstores? Try Swaptree.
Pretty cool site from the looks of things. Share the books you want to trade, mark the books you want and let the system find a match. You can trade books, music and DVDs.
I added 16 books to my “have list” and it matched me up with 266 possible trades. Didn’t see anything particular I wanted, but I didn’t offer up any of my “better” books either.
Could turn into something really cool though. I’m wondering if there are similar sites for clothes, furniture, toys etc. I’ll be on the lookout.
{rant}
I’m going to break ranks tonight and go on a little rant. You can thank my bride for the fact that I do this very infrequently – I know she will remind me that this is not what you signed up for!
Okay, that done …. If you forward an e-mail that contains exaggerations, intentional lies, or just inaccurate information, are you guilty of gossip? Those who practice such things are deserving of death according to Romans 1:29-32! If we don’t verify it, are we guilty? Can we blindly click forward and tell God we didn’t know?
My reason for this rant is a growing number of inaccurate, urban legend, and slanderous e-mails forwarded to me by those who say they follow Jesus. I do not actually question that they desire to follow Jesus, but I am sure Jesus would not forward gossip! The e-mail that put me over the top was one I received today which seemed to me to be an attempt to scare white voters into voting against Obama. I don’t think this was the intent of the person who forwarded the e-mail to me, but I rather strongly suspect the person who crafted the e-mail was attempting to doing that. The e-mail contained bits of truth, held together with inaccuracies, innuendos, and outright lies.
Just something to think about before you share what falls into your Inbox!
I have enough social networks that I ignore now – do I really need another one? Well…. maybe, maybe not.
I saw something about Roov.com a week or so ago but kinda bypassed it – thinking “great another Christian MySpace and Facebook.”
But Lee shared a post about Roov and I’m definitely more intrigued. Seems that Roov is more about building off-line communities than online communities.
It’s a social networking site that works locally. It connects people in the same geographical area based on interests AND it gets people off the computer and into each others’ FACE – as they hang-out and do fun stuff together. As social networking gains popularity, a few people have questioned whether this phenomenon is actually making us more isolated. I mean, we may have 300 friends now, but very, very little depth, and less human interaction. ROOV is a welcome remedy to that, using the internet to help you meet & connect in real life – facilitating conversations and experiences that have real depth and meaning.
I just joined ROOV.com, a new website to connect the Body of Christ. Why? Well, it sure wasn’t because I needed to be a part of another social networking site. No, in fact, it’s because ROOV is like the antithesis of what social networking sites represent these days – narcissism. Unlike facebook or myspace (which aren’t bad – I use both), ROOV doesn’t center around an individual’s profile. In fact, profiles don’t even exist. They center around groups and issues that matter, like “orphans and refugees” or “Impact Africa,” for example. I don’t think you’ll find any “I lost my digits” groups on this site – at least, I hope not.
Their goal is to connect people online so that they can connect offline. As someone who spends over 10 hours a day on the internet (that’s probably a conservative figure), this is something I need to do – unplug, detach, and really connect with flesh and blood.
I’m excited to find out more. Apparently you need to be involved in a local church body though – and encounter isn’t on the list yet – but hopefully I’ll get confirmation in the next day or so (or 5 min would be preferred) and I can explore the site for myself.
The site is also apparently limited to the US for now, and limited to the cities participating as well.
Are there ways that you are building off-line communities with the current “social networking standards” like MySpace and Facebook? Are there ways we can better utilize those tools?
btw – just got an email from Roov – they’re “reviewing the church you submitted. We’ll be getting back to you shortly.”
Just a quick plug for the podcast.
Episode 1.3 went live last night. I spoke with Dave McHam who’s heading up an after school ministry in Waco and has plans/vision to bring a similar ministry to Waxahachie.
I also flew solo this week, so Thomas’ Scottish charm will be noticeably missing – but if you choose to listen, we’ll tell you how you can win Shawn McDonald’s new CD, “Roots.” So tune in and check it out.
John LeSieur is in the software business, so he took particular interest when computers seemed mostly useless to his 6-year-old grandson, Zackary. The boy has autism, and the whirlwind of options presented by PCs so confounded him that he threw the mouse in frustration.
LeSieur tried to find online tools that could guide autistic children around the Web, but he couldn’t find anything satisfactory. So he had one built, named it the Zac Browser For Autistic Children in honor of his grandson, and is making it available to anyone for free.
The browser is geared towards kids with autism but looks like it could be a good way for other kids to learn the web and computers as well.