LOBSTER NETWORK
Just what is Lobster Network? The first thing coming to my mind when I think of Lobster is the chain restaurant with the yummy, cheesy biscuits. Next, I think of a pet wind up lobster owned by a certain pickle cucumber in a VeggieTale about Flibber-o-loo. Well, this lobster is not any of those.
Lobster Network is part freecycle, part paperback swap, part craigslist, part facebook, and part mozy. I found out about through my association with TOS Homeschool Crew. It is our latest item to review and is also from one of the members of the Crew. I think it would be a great way to keep track of your homeschool resources either as your own inventory and/or as a list of items available to share. You can enter a list of items for lending and enable it to be seen by only a certain group of people. You can tag other items as free or for trade. You can enter items you are looking for. This is not limited to books or media items only. Do you have a carpet steam cleaner you only use twice a year? You can list this as an item available for lending. Do you lend things and want a good way to track who has what and send gentle reminders it is time for their return. With Lobster Network you can do this–even if they are not members of Lobster. You can share as little or as much as you want. You can even use this as a secure off-site data back-up. All of this is free!
It was very easy to set up my account, join a community and list a book for free. I’ll be listing more things for sale or free. I also plan to inventory first all of our movies. When my dear husband is out, he picks up interesting movies found in the bargain bin or previously viewed section. We have only had a few duplicates, but maybe with a list we won’t have any. All of the details are explained on the site. It is very easy to get started with the clear directions given and FAQ full of all of the questions and answers you can think of. The creators of this network say it best, so I am copying from their site:
Lend it. Borrow it. Trade it. Sell it. Give it away.
All with the click of a button and only with whom you choose.
How LobsterNetwork works:
| It’s simple. | Create a personal library of your stuff. | |
| It’s easy. | Create friendships with the people you know. | |
| It’s fast. | Browse your friends stuff and request to borrow something. | |
| It’s flexible. | Approve or reject any request for your stuff. | |
| It’s controlled. | Decide who sees your stuff. Even create “communities” of friends that only share stuff with each other. | |
| It’s helpful. | It tracks your stuff on loan and automatically reminds your friends when to return your stuff. | |
| It’s secure. | Keep a private inventory of your stuff online for insurance purposes. Include pictures too. | |
| It’s free. | Best of all it’s free. |
If you want to see more reviews, be sure to check the links here on the TOS Crew blog.