Shareable
= Shareable is an online magazine about sharing. Check us out for news, tools, and tips for a better life through sharing.
URL = http://shareable.net
Description
"Shareable tells the story of sharing. We cover the people, places, and projects that are bringing a shareable world to life. And share tools and tips to help you make a shareable world real in your life.
In a shareable world, things like car sharing, community gardening, and cohousing bring us together, make life more fun, and free up time and money for the important things in life. When we share, not only is a better life possible, but so is a better world.
The remarkable successes of Wikipedia, Kiva, open source software, Burning Man, Freecycle, and Creative Commons prove this. They tell a hopeful story about human nature and our future, one we don't hear enough in the mainstream media.
They show what’s possible when we share. They show that we don't act merely for our own good, but go to great lengths to contribute to the common good. They show new ways to work together that will help us resolve the social and environmental crises we face, and perhaps thrive as never before. They show that a new world is emerging where everyone can share, where the more you share the more respect you get, and where life works because everyone is motivated to help each other.
We tell this story because a shareable world might be just what we need to enjoy life to the fullest and restore the planet in the process. And it's being built by ordinary people right now. Shareable is your invitation to join the fun of building a new world." (http://shareable.net/learn-about-us)
Interview
1. By Triple Pundit:
"Triple Pundit: How did Shareable.net come to be?
Neal Gorenflo: I became disillusioned with my work and came to realize that I really had no purpose. That started an internal conversation. At first, it was about me. I wanted to do something else with my life. I thought I was betraying myself by not doing the work I should be doing. But I also felt that I was not alone, that a multitude felt the same way I did and I knew that sharing would be good for people and planet.
I vowed to do whatever it took to create a world where people do not feel lonely, alienated, bored or hopeless—then went to my office and submitted a letter of resignation.
I began consulting for Internet startups that helped people share stuff in the real world, and also began a monthly salon for social entrepreneurs interested in sharing. I consciously built a community around the idea of sharing. Through the community I built, I met the people who launched Shareable with me.
3p: Where did your startup funds come from?
Gorenflo: The magazine started with a four-year grant from a small family foundation interested in doing a follow on to Free Range Graphics’ movie, “The Story of Stuff,” about the destructive materials economy. The foundation wanted to do something that talked about solutions. So, we got together and wrote a plan for the foundation focused on sharing as a solution, and it was accepted.
While I was motivated to help others, my decision wasn’t purely altruistic. There was something very selfish, too. By dedicating myself to a mission, I was saving myself from a life poisoned by regret.
3p: Tell us how your organization works.
Gorenflo: We’re ramping up our earned income and fundraising to move toward self-sufficiency. These efforts include sponsorships, affiliate revenue, events and high donor work. Our long-term funding will likely always be a mix of donations, grants, and earned income.
Partnership is a key strategy for Shareable, not only because it’s an effective strategy for a small organization, but also it’s at the core of our value system. This means making space for others to join in the work and working with other organizations such as On The Commons, the P2P Foundation and Rentalic to advance our shared goals. We find partners through this process. Any financial support flows from this.
Most of our contributors do not get paid. Many are inspired by our mission, because there’s nothing quite like Shareable. We’re also catalyzing a movement, so those with similar goals want to help. Much of the time it’s a matter of engaging volunteers as partners, understanding their needs and motivations. In every case, the experience has been mutually beneficial.
3p: And, what about longer-term plans?
Gorenflo: Long-term, we’re working smart to create a breakout success with Shareable, which will make us less reliant on grants. Our traffic is growing surprisingly fast. We’re tapping into a zeitgeist where folks are less trusting of big institutions and turn to each other for support." (http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/04/part-i-interview-with-shareable-nets-neal-gorenflo/)
2. By Naomi Seldin:
"What does sharing have to do with relationships?
Everything! It’s impossible to have good relationships unless you have an economic system that supports them. The economy, in fact, shapes the types of relationships we have with one another.
And sharing creates great relationships. When you share, you simultaneously affirm a bond with another person, the larger community and with the earth. I say “with the earth” because sharing is good stewardship of resources.
In contrast, a wasteful, stress-filled, work-and-spend McLifestyle works against good relationships. And you can’t thrive without good relationships. Good relationships are a key ingredient to happiness. We should put them first in our lives, but also create public policy that supports healthy relationships.
Q: What’s the connection between simplicity, sharing and social change?
Through simpler living, you can cut your costs, work less and spend your time on those things that give you the most satisfaction. Simpler living makes a better life possible.
But there’s only so far you can go by yourself. If you want to take simpler living to the next level, you have to work with others.
One of the many social innovation salons I organized in San Francisco after I returned home.
Q: Can you give some examples?
There’s two related paths. First, you can simplify your life even more by sharing. For instance, you can dramatically reduce the number of things you need to own by sharing. Shared housing, transportation, workspace, meals and food production can dramatically lower your costs while building community — the ultimate form of social security.
And it’s possible to create a whole lifestyle based on sharing without joining a commune. Car sharing, co-housing, co-working, yard sharing, bike sharing, tool sharing and other innovations are growing in popularity. And they do not require you to give up your privacy, individuality or even ownership of your stuff. New websites like Neighborgoods can help you and your neighbors share in a way that protects your privacy and stuff.
And second, the time you free up by sharing and living more simply can be used to get engaged in issues that affect your lifestyle. For instance, going car-free is a lot easier if there’s plenty of bike lanes and good public transportation. These are community issues that you can’t work toward alone. You have to get involved in your community to make sure your tax dollars are spent in ways that make simpler living possible." (http://blog.timesunion.com/simplerliving/shareable-building-new-social-networks/25718/)
Editorial Policy
"What is Shareable?
A new peer-produced economy and culture is rapidly emerging where the more you share, the more respect you get from your peers. Our goal is to get more people to organize their lives around the logic of this new world where contributing to the common good is the priority.
Towards that end, Shareable looks at culture, cities, the economy, and daily life through the lens of sharing. We look for how people are sharing and we ask ourselves how the world can be made more shareable. The website is a place to learn about this new world where sharing is important and to access helpful sharing tools, tips, and how-to’s.
To whom does Shareable speak?
We call our audience the sharing community. These are the people who engage in sharing activities all the time. They’re members of City Car Share, they go to Burning Man, they live in cohousing or dorms, they organize potlucks and food clubs with friends, and they share code, videos, and news over the Internet. They’re also people who share professionally: designers, architects, scientists, nonprofit workers, digital journalists, sharing service employees, and so on.
Our audience reads Shareable because they are seeking new ways to share—not out of virtue, but as a path to a better, fuller, more successful life and career. They’re also looking to discover the meaning in sharing, to discuss and understand the values that facilitate sharing. Sharing is not a style or a fad. It’s a philosophy and a way of living, one that helps all of us to thrive in the twenty-first century.
What makes us valuable to this audience?
There are five key editorial goals: to build a strong, clear voice and brand; provide a platform for the ideas and creativity of the sharing community; generate original content that creates engaging, unique experiences; develop expertise and authority; and influence offline and online behavior." (http://shareable.net/blog/shareables-editorial-strategy-what-do-you-think)
Editors/Founders
- "Neal Gorenflo is the publisher of Shareable.net. A former lobbyist enabler, stock analyst, and Fortune 500 strategist, Neal is perhaps an unlikely voice for a shareable world. A revelation one Saturday in Brussels drove Neal to leave the corporate world and to help launch a series of Internet startups to enable people share their stuff. He started a monthly meeting called the Abundance League with friends to explore sharing solutions. And he set up his life like an open source project that friends could contribute to and encouraged his friends to do the same so he give help in return. Through his experiments, Neal met those who would co-found CommonSource with him and launch CommonSource's first program, Shareable.net. You can reach Neal at neal [at] shareable dot net.
- Jeremy Adam Smith is the editor of Shareable.net. He’s the author of The Daddy Shift, published by Beacon Press in June 2009; co-editor of The Compassionate Instinct, forthcoming from W.W. Norton & Co. in January 2010; and co-editor of Are We Born Racist?, which Beacon will publish in Spring 2010. His essays, short stories, and articles on parenting, popular culture, urban life, and politics have appeared in Mothering, The Nation, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Utne Reader, BusinessWeek.com, Wired, and many other periodicals and books. Jeremy has also been interviewed by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, GQ, Nightline, Salon.com, ABC News, NBC News, and many NPR shows. Before helping to launch Shareable.net, Jeremy was the senior editor of Greater Good magazine, where he still serves as contributing editor. During Jeremy’s tenure with the print edition, Greater Good was nominated multiple times for Maggie and Independent Press awards."