get smarter: barter!

I am lucky enough to work for a rather unique innovation company. One of the many perks is that once a week we have a 5 minute angel come to our desk and give us a 5 minute back massage. This is undoubtedly and perhaps tragically the best 5 minutes of my week. Ironically I usually spend the last 90 seconds of my massage plotting ways to extend it by a minute or two.In a desperate attempt to increase my massage time I asked Kylie (the angel in question) what she would be willing to trade for a good half hour massage. Jokingly she replied a baby-sitter would be priceless for the following evening. As it turns out I love kids and was free as a bird for the next night. The deal was struck, a win-win situation all round!This got me thinking about what else I may have to offer, and what I can get for it. And so we have the beginnings of a barter economy. With the ever increasing networks we build online we have more direct access to more people than ever before. This means that our personal contact list has expanded almost exponentially when you begin to include our 2nd and 3rd degree connections. I believe that the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” still rings true today. If individuals can start to harness the power of multiple connections perhaps we really could cut out the middle man?
Online swap and barter sites have quickly seen this gap in the market and have adjusted to it by giving users more control. You can now swap anything for anything and can also negotiate and barter to clinch the deal. So if you need your tax return filled in but would rather watch paint dry than do it yourself, you could offer to swap your baking abilities and maybe even throw in a book collection you have been meaning to give away. The possibilities are as varied as your tastes, interests and skills.
Is this the beginning of a cash free society? Well, maybe not, but it could just free you up to do things a little bit differently…and maybe a little bit better.