Collaborative Consumption

Rachel Botsman. WHAT'S MINE IS YOURS. Rachel Botsman at HP Tech@Work 2011. The collaborative economy in your neighborhood: welcome to StreetBank. The idea that neighbors can share their resources efficiently is not new, however there are very few examples of successful initiatives to date. Many sharing schemes failed after only a few years. A successful example of such a model is StreetBank, a platform in England that is growing steadily. We took a moment to chat with Sam Stephens, StreetBank’s founder, about the reasons for the site’s growth. StreetBank is an online platform that allows neighbors to collectively share items they possess individually.

After having launched in April 2010, the site is growing steadily and is gaining several hundred new members every month. At the time of writing, StreetBank counts 19,000 members in total, mostly in the UK (80%), and has some small groups of members in other countries as well, especially in Washington State, Sydney and Iran. Its’ evident international appeal shows that the site can be used everywhere and by everybody.

Garage Days Building a community The fact is that Priming the Pump. What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption. Rachel Botsman: The currency of the new economy is trust. Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption.