Internet brings return to local barter scheme

Aug 2 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

A NEW website is hoping to recreate the community spirit of days gone by for the digital age.

Swapaskill has just been launched in Liverpool and allows people to register their skills and talents for nothing, and to search for local people who have skills they are interested in.

The kind of skills being bartered range from landscape gardening and web design to music lessons, but people can register any talent or service which they think others could require.

It works by allowing people who live in the same area to exchange skills as favours, similar to methods of economic exchange before cash became common.

Members upload details of their skills and qualifications, thereby creating a profile which pops up whenever users type in a search for the skill they require.

The idea for the Swapaskill website came from Nicole Wehden, whose grandparents were from Liverpool. She took her inspiration from the Lancashire community where she grew up.

She said: “Back in the 1960s, I lived in a small community where people used to use their skills and hobbies to do favours for each other as a natural part of community life.

“As a result, everyone was better off than they would otherwise have been, in terms of what we gave each other, and also in terms of the personal satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference to someone else’s life.

“The aim of Swapaskill is to bring back the benefits of community spirit to cities like Liverpool with the added benefits the internet can bring.”

Since its launch earlier this year, the website has registered nearly 250 users in London, offering everything from dog therapy to marketing.

A small number of users have already registered in Merseyside, offering services such as gardening in exchange for banjo tuition.

Ms Wehden said: “It has really taken off since its launch, with lots of members around the country.

“However, we are specifically having a Liverpool launch to raise awareness of the service.

“The whole idea is that services should be exchanged freely, as there is as much pleasure to be got out of the giving as there is out of the receiving.”

Ms Wehden has ambitions to make the service international, as many skills, such as web design, proof reading, and legal advice, can be exchanged across the world.

“Although it is a local service, it can be replicated internationally as there are some skills which can be swapped across the globe,” she said.

To register your skills and search the site, go to www.swapaskill.com

alanweston