Having Problems with Bookmooch.com

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Having Problems with Bookmooch.com

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1Jaw1LA
Feb. 22, 2011, 12:59 am

A member of Library Thing suggested that I post this here:

Many people have recommended different book swap sites to me.

I am having a great time using Paperbackswap.com & Swap.com

But after having built up a 40+ credit with bookmooch.com ... for some reason they froze my account. I have tried to get communication to happen and have failed to get any response.

HAS ANYONE ELSE GONE THROUGH THIS ... AND DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW THIS CAN BE ADDRESSED.

Thanks,
John Watson
Jaw1LA

Also are there other trade sites that people would recommend?
I miss the international aspect of BookMooch.com .

2chelonianmobile
Feb. 22, 2011, 1:15 am

John, from what I can see on your account, that's not an actual account freeze, but the most dreaded glitch known to BookMoochkind. The confirmation email thing showed up out of the blue, you can't mooch/post on the forums, but can log in, etc? I know a few people here have had it happen, at least one quite recently.

Unfortunately, I think pretty much the only thing you can do is talk to tech support. You might also be able to change your email address, but don't quote me on it. Someone else probably knows better.

People here have tried a bunch of sites with an international aspect recently, but nothing seems to have worked out particularly well.

3rainbowgirl28
Feb. 22, 2011, 2:50 am

Good luck John! I hope they resolve your problem quickly. You have obviously been an excellent bookmoocher and there is no reason for your account to have been deactivated or whatever!

Funny how the people doing everything right get their accounts frozen, and yet we've all sent book to and mooched from flaky newbies who receive 10-20 books and never send one!

4Jaw1LA
Feb. 22, 2011, 6:53 am

I have had trouble getting through to tech. I wrongly thought a couple months ago that I would send an email per day... that triggered their spam filter. Then I cut that out to one per week. Still nothing.

It is strangely comforting to know that I am not the only one...

That in my efforts to be kind and generous... I may not have done anything wrong.

Hoping for the miracle to come.
Jaw1LA

5Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 23, 2011, 1:21 am

Got some communication today... simply asking me to patiently wait. So I will... I will try to give this about a 6-7 weeks of silence... believing that eventually they will get to looking at my account.

Got some additional communication saying that if I remove the communication I posted... that they will look into the problems with my account within a 14 day period...

I am glad to comply...

Hoping to be back in the bookmooch.com fold in due time.

6Jaw1LA
Feb. 22, 2011, 6:55 pm

One last note...

I am having a good time using the other trade sites that I do use... and I was also having fun on bookmooch.com until the problems came up.

7DaynaRT
Feb. 22, 2011, 7:05 pm

Accounts are flagged for review due to reports from other trading sites, as we share data

Yet another reason to leave BookMooch ASAP. I'll be so glad when my points are used up and I can close my account.

8rainbowgirl28
Feb. 22, 2011, 7:22 pm

Wow tech support are real jerks. It's perfectly reasonable IMO for people to keep emailing support when they get NO REPLY.

I find it vindictive for them to say they automatically won't even look at your account until 14 days have passed since the last request. That's horrible.

O_o

9atimco
Feb. 22, 2011, 7:56 pm

It's lame that they would punish you by moving you down the list, but what's this about your account being reported for emails to other members?

As your account activity caused both more than one member report of abuse due to your e-mail communications, and we had a flag from another trading service, your account has come under review.

Did you send nasty emails to other members whilst fighting for your rights, perchance? Just trying to sort out why this would occur.

10chelonianmobile
Feb. 22, 2011, 8:13 pm

>7 DaynaRT: I'm on a bunch of small sites with similar interests who share data like this. It actually makes a lot of sense, from a potential abuse point of view. If someone is misbehaving on one site, chances are that if they will move on to another site, where their behavior might repeat. If that site is BookMooch, we will all be unhappy about it.

>8 rainbowgirl28: Think about the queue in terms of the "remind" button when you are trying to get someone to check their book in. Every time you press the button it resets the clock on when you can force receive the book. Every time you send in a ticket for the same thing, the situation is considered "new" and thus moved to the back of the line. It's irritating but that's how the system works.

My real point of confusion here is why they didn't officially place John's account on temporary hold if they were reviewing it, because the symptoms of temporary hold and the Dreaded Glitch are pretty much exactly the same except for the big red TEMPORARY HOLD sign.

Tech support and abuse are constantly asking us to a) wait, and b) not send in multiple reports of stuff. This is nothing new. They got cranky at me when I accidentally reported the same account twice; someone sending in 30+ emails is not going to go over well, especially if they were reviewing the account for other reasons, which apparently they were. I can't condone the tone of the second email, but frankly they are all volunteers and I doubt they get sensitivity training. Even Mark sometimes comes off badly, and he's been interacting with us for ages. (Sorry, Mark!) We have also frequently been asked not to do exactly this same thread past about the fourth message, and yes sometimes it is good to discuss this stuff but it's not actually going to help John at all.

11rainbowgirl28
Feb. 22, 2011, 8:35 pm

I don't have a problem with bookmooch and other sites sharing information about bad traders.

But this John seems like an excellent trader! Shipped 41 books and got 41 +1s with all positive comments. He has only mooched 20 books, so it's not like he's even come CLOSE to abusing the site (in terms of trade balance) or even getting the points he has earned and spent good money on.

I don't get it...

12theapparatus
Bearbeitet: Feb. 22, 2011, 9:13 pm

Gotta admit that I would be emailing John directly:

http://bookmooch.com/about/email_mgmt

While pointing out that the email that you received on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 was in response for your email dated Dec 27, 2010 and ask them if three months was longer than the 14 days they asked you to wait. Coping all needed emails with dates and to/froms as well.

Of course if you have contacted them during those three months, that's all moot.

And I say this without knowing the actual communications that took place between you folks. I know if you were emailing me every day after I told you you were in the queue, I'd be pretty ticked too.

Gotta admit though I wouldn't be using Bookmooch after seeing this.

Granted I personally think LT is pretty much in the same boat.

edit: I;ve always been real iffy with using sites that don;t allow you to see their support forums before creating an account. You don't know how things are run and can't see what folks think of the site. That's a big -1 for me right off the bat.

13Jaw1LA
Feb. 22, 2011, 11:51 pm

I am part of a interdenominational Christian order that works among the poor. While I did ask a few members to see if they could help me... I would not intentionally be offensive.

I still think that BookMooch.com is a great service. I read their response now as ... we are overwhelmed and need more volunteers to help sort things out.

14rxtheresa
Feb. 23, 2011, 12:14 am

John, This exact thing happened to me. I am a pharmacist and I have an excellent reputation on PBS. I also got upset when I didn't hear from anyone in over two weeks although the notice said you would hear in 48 hours. I even wrote to John. No response.
One day I got a response from a volunteer who asked me what my BM history was. I went to my account to try to copy my history but it had been closed so I went to the e-mails I had gotten and forwarded them as an attachment to one e-mail and I received a very nasty letter back that I had sent too many e-mails. I thought I was helping them get my history. I was then accused of having been a previous member, which I had not.
My case has never been resolved even though I sent a lot of personal information which should have cleared up the matter.
I have over 900 books listed on PBS many highly wishlisted on BM and I'm saddened by the fact I could share them on BM.

15rainbowgirl28
Feb. 23, 2011, 2:49 am

>13 Jaw1LA:

I am guessing someone contacted abuse because you solicited something from them outside of a normal trade?

I think given your excellent trading history, you should be given a warning and welcomed back... and it shouldn't take MONTHS to do it.

16rxtheresa
Bearbeitet: Feb. 23, 2011, 7:59 am

It just seems to me that a site as sophisticated as BM could send out an automated response to your first e-mail saying that they have received your message and are working on it. Do not send any further e-mails unless you haven't heard back in 7 days or something along those lines. Then you would feel your e-mail had been heard and you wouldn't begin to wonder if BM was a scam site as I did because I was only a member for 3 weeks and had sent out 5 expensive books.

17Jaw1LA
Feb. 23, 2011, 2:00 pm

I don't think that I have ever asked to go around the system. I have added extra books to peoples orders... or added personal notes of critiques of certain popular books like "The Secrete". But all of this was done out of generosity or a firm belief in dialogue.

For any group to be a group it must establish norms for those who are part of it.

18atimco
Feb. 23, 2011, 2:32 pm

So you solicited something from other members (I'm guessing you were asking for free books/points for your interdenominational organization?) and more than one member found that problematic enough to report your messages to abuse. Apparently the abuse team also has information on you from other sites where you have been doing the same thing. They freeze your account to investigate, and you bombard them with emails, knocking yourself to the end of the line with every new request. The abuse team (all volunteers) is understandably annoyed with your constant emails, and snaps back petulantly (that's not okay but I can certainly see why they'd react in that way).

The fact that you are so vague about what you did to get your account suspended in the first place is a red flag for me. It's easy to stir up righteous indignation when only half the story is told.

Maybe the answer is to be patient until your account is reviewed and stop sending new emails. The truth is, you got yourself into this mess by bothering other members and asking for freebies. The BM volunteers didn't do this to you; you did. Once your account is back on track (and I am assuming it will be, since you seem to have good feedback), stop soliciting books/points from other members. No one else is obligated to support your organization, and you shouldn't be using contact information from the BM site to solicit support.

Hope things are straightened out soon for you!

19Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 23, 2011, 4:16 pm

Let me be clear... I do not think I have ever asked for books in order to bypass any system... It would be in my nature to give books to others that might ask me... now I see that this would be bad for the system.

I also give a lot of books away in my friendship networks. So I will re-order the same book over and over again. I love to share ... for example Postema's book on prayer (isbn: 0933140460).

I am in a privileged position as part of our non-profit. I work with books and I am helping to redistribute them in our Pico-Union / West-lake community in Los Angeles CA. We are given hundreds of books every month. I have the freedom to trade some of them on various trade sites.

I trade for: Books helpful to our work (Spiritual, How to empowerment books, Language and Cultural Studies,etc.), Books of interest to my wife & I, about Urban Studies (which she teaches at the masters level), Books about How to do Art (I have a lot of friends who are interested in art.)

I lead a collective that is seeking to be a good steward of these resources.

Ergo... I say this to say... I am persistent and eager... especially when I find useful resources for my context. I am not desperate or needy when it comes to books. I have no reason to bypass any system... We have plenty to share and trade with in a good and fair way.

20rainbowgirl28
Feb. 23, 2011, 4:30 pm

Were you putting religious tracts or anything in with your shipments? I know some people don't like that, though IMO the punishment should be a quick warning, not a multi-month ban.

21jdthloue
Feb. 23, 2011, 4:36 pm

>#! Maybe you could set up a Book Swap within the organization of which you are a part??

I'm not saying this to be snotty or b***tchy...but the admins on BM are volunteers and don't take kindly to bombardment of emails

I am on BM and PaperbackSwap, as well..i don't know anything about you on PBS..

my advice: cool your jets on BM....your account will be sorted..eventually...if you can't wait...see my note above...many organizations set up their own Book Swaps..in house...just a thought...please don't start another rant regarding my thought.

22theapparatus
Bearbeitet: Feb. 23, 2011, 8:22 pm

jdthloue, please review the thread that you posted in. The poster realizes that they were being annoying with the emails and laid off for a period of time which appears to have been 2 months. I did ask for conformation about that from the poster but he or she didn;t respond to that point. (edit: I don;t consider waiting a week between emails to be a bombardment.)

Gotta admit that I'm having second thoughts though with what I wrote up there in #12. One of the problems with Web 2.0 sites, including Librarything, is that the staff, owners, admin, etc. seem to have a very short sited view of how they operate and interact with their clients. They feel that they can do no wrong and if you don't like it, well they're right and you;re wrong. ODP is like this if you;re familiar with the index. If you submit a site, they actually have in writing that they will not contact you for any reason and if you ask about a submission, they get very nasty over it. WordPress/Automattic is the same way. I had a problem a few weeks ago on one of the Library trade magazine sites, emailed asking for assistance and got a very nasty email back saying that they didn't help visitors to their site.

I have a feeling that they're seeing you as just an annoyance. I think if you do any more following up, even if you do wait months, they'll just ToS you. They're not going to see it from your point of view.

Having said that, if I found religious material in something that you sent me, I would have complained too. Or at least never asked for anything from you again. I don't see anything in their terms though that restricts such items:

http://bookmooch.com/about/terms

I;m Roman Catholic and live in the south. I get enough folks telling me that I;m going to burn in hell down here.

23rainbowgirl28
Feb. 23, 2011, 10:35 pm

Here's a crazy idea... maybe if the people who are representing bookmooch actually did their job, they wouldn't have to deal with a "bombardment" of emails in the first place.

Oh they're volunteers? Well, is the site short-staffed? Maybe John should recruit enough volunteers to keep on top of the support queue.

24Jaw1LA
Feb. 24, 2011, 12:57 am

I like real dialogue... so if I send a note with a book it is not one of those "tracts" that have nothing to do with the book I am sending. Rather it is an opinion point or counterpoint related to the actual material I have sent out. I have gotten positive feedback from some for this...

I really like the idea of Bookcrossing.com but I found their system too cumbersome to manage well. But it allows a book to accumulate a history of readers and related ideas in dialogue... at least in theory. (I have minor challenges with dyslexia... so that makes bookcrossing.com hard for me to negotiate.)

Eventually I will join some of the conversations going on about Books... That's why I joined Librarything...

Swaping is a good idea... so basic... it is like learning how to share... bookmooch.com has something good going on. I would not be concerned about my status there... if I did not find it a generally positive experience.

I use Jaw1LA or Jawpoetry when ever I can. So you can find me at Swap.com, PBS, & Youtube under Jaw1LA.

25RidgewayGirl
Feb. 24, 2011, 7:49 am

Yeah, any sort of religious or political comments, no matter how kindly meant, will often alienate the very people you are trying to "have a conversation with". Unless you don't really care how people react, it might be kinder to not enclose any notes that might be seen as having a political or a religious message.

26Jaw1LA
Feb. 24, 2011, 10:00 pm

response noted and ... that is why Bookcrossing.com and Librarything.com is appealing to me... so the adventure begins...

27Heather19
Feb. 25, 2011, 12:40 am

I used to get religious tracts with some of the mooches I recieved (this was long ago), and I always felt a little off-put 'cause I have a very serious disconnect with God and always feel put on the spot by that kind of thing. I handed them over to my stepdad, tho, who is very religious. It wasn't until later that I learned, from an admin, that those kind of inclusions aren't welcome on BM in the first place.
(this is just a 2cents, I never got any books/tracts/etc from you personally)

28Jaw1LA
Feb. 25, 2011, 4:45 am

I wonder if we have become a culture that has lost the art of meaningful dialogue. We are so bombarded with impersonal messages... that we respond with indifference or annoyance when someone really does reach out to communicate. I am not talking about people sending impersonal literature disconnected with a book of interest. But rather thoughtful personal notes...

Neil Postman's book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" shows how intolerant we have become of true public dialogue.

Imagine a culture where one could enclose a note in an envelope. Mark it with ... if you would like to hear another persons personal opinion on x then feel free to open... otherwise discard.

Are we not allowed to talk to each other...

And what is with religious folks always handing out pamphlets and tracks... do they not have ownership over their own thoughts and words... If you are going to share... take full ownership and responsibility.

It seemed fair to me to assume if you order something... that it implies some level of interest in a topic.

I guess I am interested in not just sharing my thoughts but the possibility of dialogue... I can accept that others think differently than I do.

Maybe there could be some kind of symbol that would indicate... Open for dialogue on topics of books ordered.

In the long run... I will follow rules for the good of all... but I will also dream of building a swap site that really does encourage "sharing"... if you send out a book and it has become yours... it is nice to be able to feel good about who you are sharing it with... not just a name and address... but a living breathing person.

29theapparatus
Bearbeitet: Feb. 25, 2011, 7:42 am

You know if they're this bad, maybe we should ask Tim and crew to remove the links from Librarything....

edit: Not being supportive of that idea. Just throwing it out there. There seems to be plenty of booksharing sites listed already afterall.

30rxtheresa
Feb. 25, 2011, 9:12 am

>28 Jaw1LA: I think of swapping sites more as business transactions. You cannot have dialogue with everyone you encounter in life. I personally prefer to choose who I have dialogue with, family, friends, neighbors and work mates. I have become friendly with a few people either through book sales or swaps mostly because we already knew we had something in common, places we live or lived or even our dogs.

So my point is, I don't think society has become callous to dialogue, just selective because of information overload and even trust and security issues.

Having discussions in forum or on facebook is a nice thing, during business transactions not always.

31infiniteletters
Feb. 25, 2011, 9:13 am

29: Um, no. These are 2 isolated cases of problems with Tech Support.

Admittedly, _severe_ problems, but nonetheless isolated.

32theapparatus
Feb. 25, 2011, 9:33 am

Google'ing shows that it's more than 2.

And again, I was just throwing the idea out. Not saying that it should be done.

33Belladonna1975
Feb. 25, 2011, 11:10 am

I have enjoyed receiving notes in books that I have mooched that had a bit of feedback about what the person before me thought about the book itself. It was like receiving my own personal little book review in advance. (providing there are no spoilers, of course!) :)

34Heather19
Bearbeitet: Feb. 25, 2011, 5:49 pm

Notes about the book itself, or a nice little "Hope you enjoy, feel free to email me!" or whatever, is great, imo. It's the people who assume (you know what they say about assuming!) that because I mooch a certain book, I must be interested in a philosophical/serious/deep lecture or conversation about the topic. What happened to just reading for fun, or curiousity? If I mooch a religious book it does not mean I want to hear all about the Bible or the different ways God can save me. It means I'm interested in reading that book. That's it. Period.

Also take into account the fact that I mooch books for my mom and my friends, so some of these books may not be anything I'm interested in anyways.

edit: I also agree with msg 30. Many BookMoochers *do* treat BM as business... And rightfully so, since you are playing (with points) to buy a product. Not everyone welcomes personal conversations with business transactions.

35jdthloue
Feb. 26, 2011, 4:09 pm

Yo! #1..and beyond

I have been on Book Mooch for...a few years...and have received some "very interesting" religious inclusions...with my books.

My religious opinion is pretty much "set in stone" so a little tract sent with a book would not bother me...

....but it would bother other people

maybe.,....put something in your Status....that you would like to include "extras" with your books...give your Moochers the option "do not include extras"

I'll catch hell for this...

36Lman
Feb. 26, 2011, 7:38 pm

>35 jdthloue:
That is an excellent idea - in my humble opinion - and the most judicious, dare I say enlightened, answer to what can be, for some, a vexing issue.
I would much prefer the choice... as long as the option chosen is accommodated.

...and if you catch hell for that suggestion, you will have me for company! :)

37Jaw1LA
Feb. 26, 2011, 7:52 pm

This could function like "No solicitation" signs posted at businesses and homes. I like the idea as well.

38jdthloue
Feb. 26, 2011, 8:18 pm

>36 Lman: Thank you "Lman" for your support

I think that our Status page...on BM...is our Power...our ability to post personal likes/dislikes...it's our step...until the Abuse Button (shivers until that)...it is our POWER to specify our Inventory and our Condition Notes (of which I am obsessive).....

I'm outta here for now

39AnnieMod
Feb. 26, 2011, 8:30 pm

If someone sends me any unsolicited religious or political materials with a mooch (especially from someone I am getting a book from for the first time), they are facing a negative feedback and a report to the admins. I do not care what people believe in - it's their business - as long as they are not trying to shove their beliefs in my face. Good thing it never happened so far.

40bertilak
Feb. 27, 2011, 5:23 pm

> 39 AnnieMod: I quite agree. Proselytizers mostly do not understand how they appear to their victims. Anybody who wants to bombard strangers with tracts should first read In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch to get some perspective.

Anybody who thinks it makes sense to send unsolicited tracts should consider this: how would you like to get a book which came with a pro-abortion or pro-gay-marriage pamphlet?

41Heather19
Feb. 27, 2011, 6:44 pm

40: Ooohhh that's a good way to put it. No one would want unsolicited tracts about *those* things.

42varielle
Feb. 27, 2011, 7:22 pm

Have they stopped awarding a tenth of a point when you acknowledge receiving a book. I thought maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but I received and acknowledged a number of books this month and didn't get that .1. I don't have a transaction of that type showing up since Jan. 27. Anyone else have this problem?

43Gendy
Feb. 27, 2011, 8:28 pm

The 0.1 for receiving books did stop. It was a few weeks ago I think...

44Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 27, 2011, 8:35 pm

I have gotten and read materials about all sorts of things and ideas that I do not necessarily agree with...

Some people are more open to dialogue on any given topic and some people are more closed...

So... for us the extroverted and perpetually curious...

We would like the social exchange possibilities... and the social networking possibilities to somehow be allowable on sites like Bookmooch.com while not burdening those who are simply not interested.

I am not supporting the blind propagandist of any sort who is not willing to really listen. Gay or Straight (?), Christian or Atheistic or Polytheistic, Liberal or Conservative or Other...

The truth is that we have some energy to listen to some things... and I want to find the connections to those people who would appreciate my efforts to reaching out...

Like #33

While avoiding the rest of the nay sayers.

That is why I link 35 & 37 Together...

And I am glad to read ... In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch... If we can struggle to answer Neil Postman's concerns expressed in his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" which shows how intolerant we have become of true public dialogue.

From a Systems perspective it is dysfunctional when a family or group oppresses members of the group by saying:

* Don't Think
* Don't Feel
* Don't Speak

Thanks for all the feedback...
John TW

45Heather19
Feb. 27, 2011, 8:45 pm

I really don't think it has much to do with being "intolerant" of public dialogue. It's very little about communications/dialogue at all, and more about personal morals/feelings and etiquette.

I personally would compare a tract or religious message included in a mooch as similar to those religious preachers who go door-to-door trying to preach about God's message, etc. It's intrusive, invasive, presumptuous, and simply not good etiquette. Religion, just like homosexuality and abortion (from msg 40), is a very personal matter. It seems rude, to me, to try to push a discussion on such a personal matter, when you've had no indication at all that the person won't find it offensive.

So I really don't think it's about being open to dialogue... I love debating controversial issues with my friends, for example. But an unsolicited lecture/preach is simply not thoughtful. Example, if I received a letter about God's words/laws with a mooched religious book, I wouldn't feel like it was opening the door for "dialogue". I would feel I was being preached at by someone who doesn't know me and assumes things about me with no basis.

So yes, something on your status/profile about wanting to communicate about these things with willing moochers would be helpful. But it's honestly not about people not wanting dialogue. It's the message that such an unsolicited thing actually conveys.

46Mareofthesea
Feb. 27, 2011, 9:37 pm

I will start by stating that I have not read all the posts in this discussion in detail.

However, I find that many people are very sensitive when it comes to certain subjects, religion, homosexuality, and abortion being some of the most sensitive subjects that can be encountered. What makes these subjects sensitive or not-sensitive is based upon personal experience and life choices. Some people have been raised within the Church, and may not have any sensitivity to religious dialogue; others, even those who have been raised within the Church, will be sensitive. It's an entirely personal thing.

What I find most interesting is that most people will encourage dialogue with others -but- the individual must seek out that dialogue to have the most open and welcoming receiving mind. When you surprise someone with an unwanted phamplet or letter or card they are much more likely to react in a closed-off, negative way.

Putting something in a status that says that you are open to that dialogue is a great start, however, BookMooch is primarily a book trading site. I do not go on BookMooch to search out meaningful dialogue, I go on BookMooch to find books. There are plenty of other places that I can go if I wish to discuss issues.

It is important to respect other peoples lives', and remember that just because they are mooching a book that is Christian, Hindu, Islamic, or Santa related, does not mean that that individual is interested in the subject or shares those beliefs. Many people are gathering books for others, and would not appreciate an additional message added. As well, for some people, that book may be the introduction they are looking for, not a booklet or card.

For many bookmoochers, it may not be that they do not wish to start a dialogue, they quite simply do not wish to be submitted to anything that they do not have prior knowledge of. I mooched a book, not dialogue.

47I-_-I
Feb. 27, 2011, 10:00 pm

If i may: sending someone an unsolicited tract or pamphlet: that's not a dialogue. It's a monologue.

48Jaw1LA
Feb. 27, 2011, 10:31 pm

"I Mooched a book, not a dialogue". is a contextual line worth remembering... Some are open to more... others may not be... I certainly do not want to create a greater sense of close mindedness in anyone.

For those who dislike unwanted messages. I wish we would push back on advertising... Much in the vein of the Magazine Adbusters.

I still think that silence is not the end point of this dialogue...

The assumptions about cultural fit of content is cultural...
There was a time where Town Criers distributed most public information and public debates were the norm. The printing press created the pamphleteer to much great effect.

Youtube is a very interesting venue... and I would recomend this reflection on that form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU

or in a broader sense "The Medium is the Massage": isbn 1584230703

Bartering is more than just a financial exchange. I maybe wrongly assumed a warmer atmosphere among those who would be trading books. A love of books at some level... and a love for the implications of that form. It is one of the least intrusive forms of communication. One chooses how much one engages with it...

Unlike a billboard which catches my eye while I am driving in Busy LA traffic.

The conversation matters... even the offense... Form, context, Content, and our lives together in a society...

I am both willing to work within the norms of Bookmooch.com and willing to test those norms meaningfully.

BY THE WAY... I HAVE NEVER SENT A PRE-PACKAGED TRACT UNRELATED TO THE BOOK ORDERED TO ANYONE. I HAVE SENT A BOOK REVIEW THAT I LIKED... ETC. & I have also had positive responses to what I have done that has encouraged me to consider the value of doing this in the future... (While wanting to respect those who would not want this.)

49Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 27, 2011, 11:54 pm

In response to # 47... How one communicates can indicate if someone is open to dialogue or not... see#48...

There is also an inner dialogue and a historical dialogue, and Multiple community dialogues...

Even Silence says something...

What we have here on this thread is not a monologue...
It is opinions about what the culture on BookMooch.com could be, should be, and may be...

The more subversive thing would be to write my thoughts and opinions inside the book itself... (by the way I do not like marked up books myself...) / But then it could escape the criticism of extra thoughts or notes... and would be tolerated but not chosen for...

Let's not cloud the voices of the authors that we read is my vote...

and by the way ... I like wondering conversations... ; )

50Lman
Bearbeitet: Feb. 28, 2011, 12:32 am

In answer to this whole thread - you began it with you are having issues with your BookMooch account - and it has now extended to you wishing to hold a dialogue with every moocher you interact with...which is probably why you are having difficulties with BookMooch...
Regardless of the dialogue and its content - the issue here is that you are attempting to use BookMooch beyond the use it was set up for - it is a book swapping site; nothing more, nothing less.

If you wish to add certain dialogues or commentary, then join a social forum - this is not an appropriate thread for that either; there ARE plenty of others on LibraryThing alone. There are forums you can start, or join, on BookMooch too - but when you send a book, that is all that was asked for, and that is all you should send. Full. Stop.

Befriending other moochers and starting up separate dialogues is totally between you and the other member; but it should not be part of the mooch process; it is extra and should be treated as such. If you don't like this then don't participate in swapping your books on BM; if you are not prepared to offer your book alone; then choose another site.

Do not expect sympathy or consideration if you are changing the basics and the simple rules of the book swapping site...regardless of what your underlying attempt is for. Full. Stop.

I personally have a very warm exchange with lots of members on the site - but when I send a mooch they only get what they asked for; the book!

BY THE WAY... I HAVE NEVER SENT A PRE-PACKAGED TRACT UNRELATED TO THE BOOK ORDERED TO ANYONE. I HAVE SENT A BOOK REVIEW THAT I LIKED... ETC... the point here being "unrelated to the book".
My suggestion - don't send anything BUT the book...

Perhaps start this conversation in a more appropriate forum...
Others may disagree but your OP was that your account has been frozen and it is has been simply spelled out the possibilities of why.
If you wish to start a thread about how you would like to use BookMooch then well and good... but this thread was not started for that reason. Maybe on the actual BookMooch forum to include TPTB on BookMooch would be of more use, though no one minds threads started here on different topics? Then they can be ignored, or added to, if anyone so chooses...

If you wish to respect members on BM, and have no issues with your account, then simply don't send ANY unsolicited material. Your choice.

51Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 28, 2011, 12:18 am

I will pledge to be a "good" BookMoocher... and will ask before inflicting Dialogue...

I do understand context and Norms... and I may have unknowingly tested the boundries of the site. I am still waiting for the evaluation and communication that has been promised.

If I really need a site that works more in line with the norms I think they should be built around... I will have to pull together a community to build such a thing...

Yet does anyone else ever get curious about who the people are that are getting this book really is... what they think... or the person that sent it... what's going on in their worlds... or have you ever sent out a book that you wondered what might be going on in the mind of the reader... or even concerned about it... (I am not a person prone to book burning) ???

52Lman
Feb. 28, 2011, 12:55 am

Yet does anyone else ever get curious about who the people are that are getting this book really is... what they think... or the person that sent it... what's going on in their worlds

Of course we do; and guess what - we even find out!
But we do NOT start it off by sending unsolicited material - we make a friendship in the normal way; by slowly building a rapport, by getting to know each other; and by respecting each other by agreeing to the simple contract initially sought.

53Jaw1LA
Feb. 28, 2011, 1:12 am

But we do NOT start it off by...

The Voice of the Norm Keepers has spoken...

By the way... I think now I should launch into something overtly religious, political, or conflictual... (Just Joking)...

I have a number of good friendships that have started outside of your norm box... I like making friends... and am not clueless... but I do not want to be blindly self-limiting...

I am listening and if I have offended anyone in a way that has hurt them... I do ask for their pardon... and if what I have said raised the ghosts of someone or some action that has hurt you... I ask for the grace of pardon...

May Bookmooch.com happiness be granted to all who desire it and may the greater good grow in that community.

54rainbowgirl28
Feb. 28, 2011, 4:01 am

If I got a tract about something I was uninterested in or that offended me, I would just throw it out. I've received plenty of business cards for peoples businesses, or promos for upcoming books or whatever. I just toss them. I don't see the point in getting offended and it never would have even occurred to me to contact abuse.

Is there anything actually published in the bookmooch rules that prohibit this? Was the OP ever given a warning or indication that this was even the problem with his account?

55Heather19
Bearbeitet: Feb. 28, 2011, 4:11 am

54: I have no idea if the OP was told outright what the problem was. But personally, I think the "Bookmooch rules" are very lacking. There *is* no official rules-page on the site itself, you have to dig in the wiki to find it. Even in the wiki, I couldn't find anything specifically about this, but like I said, you have to dig, and it might just be hidden somewhere.

However, admins have said, when asked, that those types of things aren't allowed. That was some time ago, but I don't think it's changed.

56MyriadBooks
Feb. 28, 2011, 6:29 am

>45 Heather19:: Heather19

That's a very thoughtful point, Heather.

57Bcteagirl
Feb. 28, 2011, 12:11 pm

54: I think we are thinking along the same lines. I really can't be bothered to be offended by a piece of paper. (Even if I managed to garner one that was the opposite of several of my highly held/contested beliefs).

58Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Feb. 28, 2011, 8:15 pm

I have really enjoyed the discussion that has come out of this posting... I look forward to even more dialogues with depth on other topics...

Here is another simple reason why I initially would send repeated email to BookMooch.com tech.

I just signed on... and this is what I get:

"You can't use that feature yet

Before you can use that feature, we need you to confirm your email address. A confirmation email will be sent to you in the next 24 hours, once an administrator has reviewed your account.

If you do not receive a confirmation message, it may be that your email address has a spam filter which is rejecting the message. You might want to try using a different email address at BookMooch or checking your spam filter.

You can email tech support if you need help.

EMAIL SUPPORT >
____________________________________________________

SO initially I would email support each time I logged in... as this message directed me to do so...

Once I got a message from the Tech team to stop... Then I would email at what I thought were thoughtful intervals... of 1 a week...

Wow... I am truly sorry if I caused anyone any frustration here on the tech side... I just was really clueless of how this impacted your work.

I point this out hoping that the message could be amended to say something like... and then wait for 2 weeks (and some kind of explanation of what happens if you don't).

NOW I AM HOPING FOR MY REVIEW TO GO FORWARD 14 DAYS AFTER THE LAST COMMUNICATION WITH BOOKMOOCH.COM WHICH WAS 2/22/11. They sent me a note saying that this would happen as long as I did not write them again....

So posts here are a form of public therapy in part...
From extreme bookmooch.com withdrawl...

Hoping by Mid-March if all goes well to be back in bookmooching happiness.

59rainbowgirl28
Feb. 28, 2011, 11:41 pm

I think that if BookMooch is going to have rules that could result in someone's account being put on hold, it needs to be clearly IN WRITING in the terms of service of the site.

Extra materials in books not OK? That's fine... put it in the TOS... emailing tech support more than once a week not OK... needs to be in writing!!!!

60Heather19
Feb. 28, 2011, 11:48 pm

It's the same thing with other rules, like not being allowed to reject a mooch because the moocher doesn't send worldwide. A *lot* of the rules are simply *nowhere* on the site, only on the wiki. That's a huge problem, I think.

61BookTradingLady
Mrz. 3, 2011, 9:05 pm

My account has the same problem about verifying e-mail. (see my previous posts). I also e-mailed them several times and finally got someone to respond but instead of helping me, they just said I e-mailed too many times and to not e-mail any more and to wait for help. Well, now it has been a few months and I have not heard anything else. They seem to be like e-bay where if one person complains or if you have one problem then they think you are a fraud and a scumbag and they write you off.

62rainbowgirl28
Mrz. 4, 2011, 4:09 am

That just seems like such a terrible policy for customer support at ANY company to take...

63theapparatus
Mrz. 4, 2011, 9:31 am

Lots of them do now a days. Either that or completely ignore emails.

64Jaw1LA
Mrz. 6, 2011, 10:40 am

It is a strange comfort not to be alone in this...

I will let you know if my case gets resolved... and I would like to know if you get resolution....

Best to you... BookTradingLady...

John TW

65rainbowgirl28
Mrz. 6, 2011, 1:09 pm

John, still no word from Bookmooch?

66Jaw1LA
Mrz. 12, 2011, 3:07 pm

The last message I got from BookMooch.com tech team was Feb. 22nd asking me to edit a post that I had posted. I have not heard anything from them since then and am still patiently waiting.

67rainbowgirl28
Mrz. 12, 2011, 10:58 pm

Soooo ridiculous... and you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. They tell you if you email again they will drag their feet on purpose, yet they clearly don't seem to be doing anything to remedy the problem...

68Jaw1LA
Mrz. 17, 2011, 1:19 am

Got a message from their tech team... and wrote a letter seeking reconciliation...

Happy to have some communication going on...

Looking forward to sharing Just books appropriately after my account is reviewed.

Thanks for allowing me to share the journey thus far with you all.

Hope when all is said and done that some guidelines are written up to prevent others from going through what I have experienced.

Having this space here to process has both been informative and helpful to me... Thanks again!!!

69rainbowgirl28
Mrz. 17, 2011, 11:42 am

Glad they are finally communicating! When it is all said and done, will you let us know more about what the issues were?

70Jaw1LA
Mrz. 17, 2011, 3:53 pm

Reconciliation may mean that we allow us meaning both myself and bookmooch.com save face. I am eager to see if we can really get this broken cycle behind us... and if it meaningful to try to work for mutual growth so that it does not happen again... for them or for people like me.

So Mum is the word unless they give me permission to post on this site my apology letter. That would make sense if they could also produce something that was in kind and spirit of what I would share.

Their whole website is about sharing books and that is great!!! If that keeps happening in the bigger picture of the world ... the greater good is achieved.

I do feel like your typical black brother that somehow crossed a line that he did not know was there... and I did cross it... but how was I to know as a cultural outsider... I missed all the sign posts and when I read them I certainly did not understand them.

I work cross-culturally so I can not help but see this through that perspective. Currently I am reading Cornel West's book "Living and Loving Outloud". It is the way of many black folks to press their private lives into the public sphere. I have to work double hard with my natural tendencies when working among my Korean brothers and sisters for example... they don't put the funk of their lives out there in the same way. I know this at some level... but when I relax... I can easily just be my living and loving outloud (but gentle) self.

to complete the African-American story circle thing (way of speaking)

"Reconciliation may mean that we allow us meaning both myself and bookmooch.com to save face. I am eager to see if we can really get this broken cycle behind us...

Their whole website is about sharing books and that is great!!! If that keeps happening in the bigger picture of the world ... the greater good is achieved."

And if I can share books in their mix... I will get to share a little more in that greater good.

71Jaw1LA
Mrz. 20, 2011, 5:43 pm

The length of time that each step takes really tests one's patience. Am I on another 2 week wait to respond to my response. There it is... I think that the months involved in this journey has just been hard...

Thankfully I have had a very good experience with Paperbackswap.com and Swap.com ... there it goes...

72Jaw1LA
Mrz. 22, 2011, 3:05 am

Sent an amended apology letter to bookmooch.com . I really hope that all of this can be worked out for the good of all. I am really glad I did not have to wait for 2 weeks to get an initial reply to my first letter. I am not the best writer and this kind of communication is challenging under any circumstances.

I am hoping that if it is useful that I can with their permission post it here as well. and so it goes...

73Jaw1LA
Mrz. 22, 2011, 9:45 pm

Emotions are an interesting reality. After getting over feeling defensive about what I "did" to cause this trouble in the first place... I just have the feeling of being sick to my stomach. So much of my life has been about bringing people together and seeing that they somehow are reconciled to each other, to themselves, (and if interested to God)... Now I feel like somehow I spit in someones face or worse... this leaves me with a deep sick feeling... if that is how what I did was taken... (and I believe in receptor oriented communication... I know some aspects of communication theory).

I want to believe in a world more durable, more generous, and more capable of even meaningful conflict. A world with less fear... more freedom... and more hope...

I am caught between the historical emotions of "Nigger shut Up" & every insult as an African American I have had to endure just for being black. That is... I empathize with the fact that I may have hurt unknowingly someone as deeply as I have been hurt by very real misunderstandings... and some measure of ignorance.

I will trade on bookmooch.com because I believe that bartering is a better form of exchange. But I will not seek to know or be known there at any level. I will be just another customer... and that is all...

I feel that I have been able to be myself in other contexts and either I really did somethings outrageous that I can not remember or I hurt some people by some smaller acts that were already hurting. I will be much more cautious about all of my communications on the net... and seek to share where such activities seem to be embraced.

I hope it is safe for me to share what I am feeling about this process here...

and again... this is a service that I would like to use...
Blocked because I left some people in pain and I did not even realize that I could hurt others by actions that I never saw as hurtful... At least in the worlds I have lived in until now...

74Jaw1LA
Mrz. 26, 2011, 10:05 pm

Communication continues with bookmooch.com . My apology has been extended to the offended parties. I am much happier with the rate of communication and the concrete steps that I have been given to try to resolve things.

I have never been blind sided by something like this before. In the end I hope we all come out wiser for it.

75Belladonna1975
Mrz. 26, 2011, 10:28 pm

Thanks for the updates, John. I hope you get this resolved soon.

76tmommy4
Mrz. 26, 2011, 11:42 pm

John I have read all of the above posts, and I do not feel what I believe you did should have caused your Bookmooch account to be suspended, so I wanted to lend you a bit of moral support.

I too have found myself in a situation where I offended someone without knowing it and was blindsided by the fall out. It does make you sick to your stomach to realize you have hurt or offended someone without realizing it. Your message 73 indicates you will be more cautious in the future. I want you to remember that what ever you did was unintentional and as in my case, the person you offended is probably very thin skinned.

Several of the later posts here indicate any extra material if found offensive would have just been thrown out, this I believe should be the norm, and if that is not possible. The offended party should have contacted you directly asking you not to include any further additional information with the books they mooch. I personally am offended by those who always seem to have to have others fight their battles for them, reporting abuse without trying to even address the problem with you, is unacceptable. Furthermore Bookmooch suspending your account without contacting your or giving you a warning which clearly describes the behavior they find to be a problem is even more unacceptable. If either the offended party or bookmooch had actually contacted you, you may have actually had what you were looking for a meaningful dialogue.

I personally do not use either Paperbackswap or Bookmooch as an arena to create friendships or have discussions, and have only just begun participating in the forums her, but it is my opinion that if these sites want book swapping to be purely a business transaction, they should not enable discussion forums or the ability to "friend" someone else on the site. It seems to me that the sites want it both ways, they want to be a business, but they also want to tap into the popular social networking arena. If they want to be part of the social networking arena then they need to modify their approach and even allow the individual moochers the ability to block someone they may find offensive. And it most certainly should not take months to resolve a problem like this, even if the tech people are volunteers. For any business that is the worst customer relations I have ever heard of.

I also disagree with one of the posts above that this is not the forum for your discussion. This is a problem with bookmooch and I believe your posts clearly articulate your problems, which are as follows: Extremely Poor Customer service, Lack of written rules for the site, and a perception that the site encouraged the development of soical interaction between moochers.

Hang in there and please keep us updated on your status.

77Jaw1LA
Mrz. 28, 2011, 2:26 pm

I want to thank everyone that has weighed into this discussion. I value all of the input. Having this space has helped me both express my feeling and thoughts... While affirming the good in the website Bookmooch.com. I will keep posting updates as progress in this continues.

There is a larger reflection on How difficult it is to build something based heavily on volunteers. It is amazing when any organization dependent on a lot of volunteers gets any good done in the world. Some of the good that has touched my life deeply, and the lives of others I love deeply, have been rooted in the work of generous people giving freely of their time and energy. When good is done in the world through volunteers, love, and good will... we need to keep in view the gift that this is... all trade sites depend on this generous impulse to give and to love... or in the end they would not work. This is why this conversation matters to me and I believe to others out there.

I hope in the end what can happen will go beyond blame... to some kind of mutual transformation. I have already been changed by this process... The hard part is that I will be much more cautious how I give, what I give, and to whom I offer what I value most. Still the first rule in medicine is to seek to do no harm. I think that can carry over to many other areas of life as well.

78Jaw1LA
Mrz. 30, 2011, 3:16 pm

Someone contacted me wanting to voice their conflicts with Bookmooch.com. Their situation seemed similar to mine. Their analysis of why was quite different. I wonder if Bookmooch.com could get people to become voluntary subscribers to their service... I did not get to see exactly how their donation system works before getting locked out myself.

I just know that I was considering donating to their good work... and I imagine that they are over worked and under staffed.

If anyone has worked in a volunteer heavy environment were the needs are constant. You need enough paid staff to maintain moral and focus. My belief right now is that the staff of bookmooch.com is over worked and under paid for what they do...

That is my most generous interpretation.
People are creative and amazing beings... fun yet very challenging to work with... the twists and turns of serving people almost always leads down paths that are challenging and unexpected. I work with people day in an day out. Patience is a key virtue for that kind of work.

79Jaw1LA
Mrz. 30, 2011, 3:39 pm

I thought I should post this as an expression of my positive experience bookmooch.com before the troubles occurred... that have also been discussed in this Thread.

Name: jaw1la (USA: CA) (on vacation)
Userid: jaw1la
Bio: http://bookmooch.com/jaw1la

Inventory: 0
Points: 40.4
Mooched/given: 20/41
Pending mooch/give: 1/1
Mooch ratio: 0.38:1

Wishlist: 0
Saved-for-later: 0
Feedback: +41
Charitable gifts: 1
Friends: 2
Cancelled requests: 1
Rejected requests: 3

80Heather19
Mrz. 30, 2011, 9:16 pm

78: I'm wondering if you got the "dark side of BookMooch" email? I got that one, apparently someone having problems with their account being on hold decided to email everyone they'd mooched with. (or hey, maybe you got a completely different email...)

81GlendaHam
Mrz. 31, 2011, 12:08 am

I received it too, Heather... in fact I got a second copy the next day... so I must have had two separate transactions with that person.

82rainbowgirl28
Mrz. 31, 2011, 3:52 am

Aww man, I never got the email. I feel like I am missing out on some good drama! :)

83Jaw1LA
Mrz. 31, 2011, 11:55 pm

I never had a transaction from said person that I remember... and I am not a big fan of gossip. It is fair to say that there is enough of a buz that seems to imply that BookMooch.com has some challenges to grow through.

I am part of an org. that has grown significantly in size and scope. I know some of the challenges that comes from size...

I am very impressed how Paperbackswap.com has a personal coach assigned to each new member. I have had every question that has come up for me answered by their systems of support. I want to believe that bookmooch.com desires to solve whatever problems they might have...

Even if it is caused by creatives like myself that would naturally live outside of their social expectations.

Mutual transformation is the best hope for conflict... everyone grows and everyone wins...

I hope that Personal Coaches might become a reality on Bookmooch.com one day... I am sure it would saves them a world of grief... and saves them from a flood of unwanted messages... and paperbackswap.com has a system that I am sure could be copied to some degree... Culture coaches that help navigate the human factor... that will show up...

84Jaw1LA
Apr. 5, 2011, 12:37 am

Got a notice saying that I would be given a short amount of time to access my account. I missed the window it seems. I am still locked out of my account... and It is usually days between each communication with Bookmooch.com.

and so it goes...

85Jaw1LA
Apr. 7, 2011, 2:28 am

Never got to connect with my account...

and I have been working at this for a very long time.

Started this thread in February and had been shut out for some time before then.

Having great fun with other sites...
Just sad that those are not global in scope.

And so it goes...

86Felagund
Apr. 7, 2011, 9:18 am

> Got a notice saying that I would be given a short amount of time to access my account.

In order to do something specific? Why was there a limited time window?

87Jaw1LA
Apr. 7, 2011, 1:49 pm

Is there some complaint about something you had posted... are they giving you an opportunity to correct something... It seems to be some sort of "Trial Period".

Are you also locked out of your account?
How long has this been true?

This does for better or worse show they have some kind of consistent pattern. What it means is the question.

88Felagund
Apr. 7, 2011, 3:03 pm

>87 Jaw1LA:
No, my account is fine, never had any problem so far. I was just surprised by your message #85! If I understand correctly, you're saying that the BM crew would open up your account for a short time only, which sounds really strange to me. What would be the use? What if you don't give or receive any book during that time? What does it tell them about your behavior regarding BM and its rules? Nothing that I can see.

Now if what you mean is that they are giving you a probation period, it's a different story - one I can understand better. Then there is the problem that they might be slooooooooooow about unlocking your account.

89Jaw1LA
Bearbeitet: Apr. 8, 2011, 10:34 pm

I wonder if my account has a tech problem in addition to whatever else is going on... In any case... I can not get back to the business of trading books there. Nor can I recommend them to the network of post-high school young people that I work with...

My follow up is on their behalf as well.

So far I have had the best book trading experiences with Paperbackswap.com. I am going to give the book recycling collective I am part of my over all report on April 18th.

I have a series of post card -- that are religious in nature -- that occasionally I have used to write a simple thanks or note on... never thought about putting this kind of note in certain books (especially if the book requested was religious)... but it seem according to bookmooch.com ... that I offended some people.

I have written a note of apology that I can't make public. Nor can I know what particular actions were offensive to get a handle on this whole thing... and learn from it...

So I have promised to use their book trading site only for trading and nothing else.

I have also changed... not wanting to have anythin like this occur elsewhere in my life...

I share my thoughts and beliefs on sites where that seems to be the norm excepted and book trading is now just that...

I have never offended someone, that I know of... without seeking to truly here their side of things... and I have no outstanding grievances besides this event in my whole life. This is why this bothers me so much.

In addition to this... I feel misunderstood and stereotyped way out of character from who I am... but this is the nature of real miss-communication and misunderstandings.

90atimco
Apr. 9, 2011, 8:47 am

While I agree BM shouldn't be used to send religious literature, I think it's a pity people get so up in arms and offended about it. Apparently it infringes on their rights to toss a piece of paper they don't want into the garbage.

91RidgewayGirl
Apr. 9, 2011, 10:15 am

OTOH, I collect books for a group that gives them to public schools. I recently found a very thin pamphlet stuck inside one book that was clearly aimed at children about going to hell, etc. Had I mooched this for my children, I would have been very angry to have them find it. And this charity would lose its ability to get books to kids through the educational system had a parent found it instead of me and complained.

In matters of religion and politics, I do think that its important that we openly discuss things and seek to understand other people's point of view. But this is best done face to face. A religious tract in a book tells me that the sender is too cowardly to openly speak to people, but wants to feel righteous all the same. It's less that people take offense too easily, than that an internet trading site is simply not the appropriate place for such discourse.

92Jaw1LA
Apr. 9, 2011, 2:30 pm

"an internet trading site is simply not the appropriate place for such discourse." I have taken this and other comments to heart and will be careful with form and content on all the trading sites and marketplace sites that I use.

I could access my account today. I have asked their permission to post the apology letter I sent to them... here.

I really appreciate, as a strong extrovert the conversation that has been made possible on this thread.

93tiffanyxx
Okt. 20, 2013, 4:20 pm

this happened to me a few days ago when i finally did get ahold of the support team they said that my account was under investigation no further explanation no nothing; i do not encourage anyone to go to bookmooch unless they want to get ripped off

94IreneF
Okt. 23, 2013, 2:48 am

>93 tiffanyxx:
What, exactly, happened to you? Did the support team put anything on your bio page?

95Jaw1LA
Jan. 8, 2014, 2:58 am

Yes... and I was not allowed to alter it... but the sad part is that they stereotyped me into a religious person with no feeling for people whose opinions are different from my own. Contrary to this... During the early 90's... I was screened and passed the test for being a pre and post test counselor for HIV. I lost my share of friends in that season of suffering. While my views might be more in line with C. Everet Coop... it is earthy on the ground and real... and not any of this pre-judgement non-sense that we have on both the right and the left.

My current work requires that I work for peoples journey in recovering themselves from difficult circumstances. Most people need encouragement. I still wonder what the real first complaint was actually from. Maybe a post card I forgot to remove before I shipped it out (I write my own poetry post cards and sometimes use them as book markers... or was it a book review that I found interesting... I tend to stick those in books as well.)

After some good years of trading... and over 100 points earned for shipping books out...

I am on the outs again. This time for ordering a book I had previously requested... before hearing back from them that they were willing to send it. It was a hot pick. Something I was eager to have to share in my context. Anything art or comic book related has some real use to me in either encouraging the arts or getting young people to read... and more...

This time if I am let back on to the system I will keep a set amount of points... 20 is a good number. I have lost confidence in their system. If a forgetful miss click can have these kind of results.

One of the greatest needs in my community is Spanish / English dictionaries.

Thank YOU IreneF for asking.

Jaw1LA

96Jaw1LA
Jan. 12, 2014, 7:15 pm

While I wait for BookMooch to consider my account. I want to actively explore any and every additional site that is out there involved in trading books. Also are there sites involved in trading comic books that you would recommend.

Currently My # 1 trade site by far is PaperBackSwap.com.

What Sites do you use?

97Jaw1LA
Jan. 12, 2014, 7:29 pm

Here are the sites that have a link on Library thing:

PaperBackSwap

Swap.com

Bookmooch

Bimbambim

BoekenRuilen

Bookins

BooksfreeSwap


Bookswapper.de

Readers United

ReadItSwapIt

swapclub.co.nz

SwapThing

Title Trader

WhatsOnMyBookshelf?

Any comments on any of these sites is welcome and appreciated...

I am trying to lead our small collective towards leveraging books for the greater good of our neighborhoods: https://www.facebook.com/LAIC.BookCollective/info

Any Advice is welcome.

ps. We have a desperate need for Spanish / English Dictionaries. Especially Ones with pictures that empower new language learners to learn English.

98IreneF
Bearbeitet: Jan. 27, 2014, 4:45 pm

Does anyone know why the books I posted on Saturday evening didn't show up on the "browse recent" page on Sunday? I thought there was a 24 hour delay, but I didn't see any of them during the appropriate time window.

They are in my inventory, and I've gotten some requests, but I wanted people who watch the recent books to see them.

ETA: One of them just showed up.

99carod
Jan. 28, 2014, 12:55 am

Irene, I think there is a delay for wishlisted books.

100Jaw1LA
Feb. 3, 2014, 12:16 am

While my account is on hold I still get notices of books on my wishlist showing up on the net. Really frustrating because I have built up the credits... but can not use my account. GRRRR... Many things about bookmooch mystifies me. I may start posting here books that show up from my wish list that I could have ordered just for a sense of venting... April 7th seems like a long ways away.

101Jaw1LA
Feb. 20, 2014, 2:03 pm

This is a rant. just voicing frustration with what I see as a broken system.

I need to voice that waiting like this feel abusive. I work with books and am seeking to be a good steward of books as a cultural resource. Bookmooch.com may have its reasons... but it is very bad relational policy to essentially say to someone...

Do Not Communicate with us or sign into your account until after April 7th.

3 symptoms of a "Dysfunctional Family or system"... will tell you...

*Do Not Feel
*Do Not Think
*Do Not Say

I spent good time and money ... sent out precious books and accumulated points that were supposed to be able to leverage value for my community of need in Los Angeles.

The getting a wishlist email really ticks me off...

And I have to say to myself ...

Let it go...

Time... Time will tell ... and hopefully the investment was all worth it.

How to be patient when one's trust has been shot??? hmmm...

102silverbooks
Feb. 25, 2014, 9:20 pm

John - with all due respect, this is getting boring. Let it go. If you sent me any religious thing I didn;t ask for I would report abuse. It is as simple as that. I haven't had a book from my wishlist in months and I'm not happy about that but I'm not frequently posting about it.

103atimco
Feb. 26, 2014, 12:04 pm

Just wanted to say I have never had a single problem with the BM staff and they have been very timely in their responses to me the one or two times I had to report another user. I know they aren't perfect, but I find it a stretch to believe the kind of injustices claimed here. Let's change the subject please.

104silverbooks
Feb. 26, 2014, 6:10 pm

I second the motion, wise woman.

105Jaw1LA
Apr. 17, 2014, 7:58 pm

April 7th has come and gone... still waiting... and I have not had any trouble with any other site on the internet...

Will see what happens.

106alicemeg
Apr. 18, 2014, 12:12 pm

I have not been getting notification emails from bookmooch. I used to get an automatic email when someone accepted or mailed a book I had requested. Now I get nothing. It's not a huge problem, but I really appreciated having an estimate of when the book would be sent. Is everybody else still getting these? Is there some way to turn notifications on and off?

107WildMaggie
Apr. 18, 2014, 1:15 pm

106. I've been getting them. No change for me. I don't know if you can turn the notifications on and off but sounds like a good idea to check that.

108IreneF
Apr. 18, 2014, 6:27 pm

John--perhaps you should e-mail them.

109carod
Bearbeitet: Apr. 21, 2014, 11:58 am

There is some talk on the forum about others also experiencing this problem. On a listserv I subscribe to the admin said that there is a whole list of email providers who have changed the way they are accepting emails (don't remember the technical terms). The listserv emails are not accepted anymore, although the digest is. Yahoo was one of them, but gmail was not. You could check the TOS of your email provider to see if they have recently change and/or email customer support to ask and/or try opening a gmail account.

The list of email providers the admin of the list serv said have changed to a DMARC check and reject system (and I don't know if that is the problem Bookmooch emails are having, but what are the odds since so many are having this issue now):

yahoo.com
hotmail.com
sbcglobal.net
prodigy.net
live.com
ymail.com
msn.com
rogers.com
bissells.net
auble.net
comcast.net
email.msn.com
yahoo.co.uk
yahoo.com.hk
netvision.net.il
hotmail.co.za
frontier.com
yahoo.com.au

110alicemeg
Apr. 25, 2014, 11:18 am

The emails started coming again. I was definitely not getting them for about 10 days. I suppose the issue is resolved ...

111Jaw1LA
Apr. 29, 2014, 2:01 am

I have sent a short email to them... and still am waiting.

112carod
Mai 11, 2014, 9:55 pm

John has just posted that he has addressed the email issue. Hope it works!

113Jaw1LA
Mai 27, 2014, 9:10 pm

Still Waiting for a reply about bookmooch. In the meantime using some other sites with no problem.

Hmm...
John TW

114Jaw1LA
Jun. 16, 2014, 1:53 am

I AM WORN OUT AND DONE... NEVER TO RETURN TO BOOK MOOCH ... AND VERY HAPPY WITH PAPERBACKSWAP.COM. THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING. I personally will point those in my network to paperbackswap.com. My last hope is to donate my points to a charity ... if they contact me.

Peace out.

115Jaw1LA
Jun. 16, 2014, 2:11 am

How does one close a thread? I am ready to close this and go on...