BookMooch

BookMooch allows its users to exchange books using a points system. Members earn points by adding books to their inventories, sending books to other members, and providing feedback when they receive books. The points earned can then be used to “buy” books from other members. All books “cost” the same number of points, with a multiple-point surcharge for international mooches.[4] Point exchange takes place at the beginning of any transaction, allowing “currency” to circulate quickly. Members may opt to send books only within their own country, worldwide, or worldwide upon request.

There is no waiting period for a new member to begin to participate in BookMooch. Setting up an initial trading inventory will earn enough points to begin trading immediately. Forum members encourage new members by keeping an eye out for new inventories and posting links to them.

Member pages contain biographical information, conditions of trade, and links to their transaction histories. Widgets allows members to personalize their pages and listings. Links to Amazon sites in various countries allow members to enter books into the system quickly. A notification system e-mails members when a book on their Wishlist becomes available and directs them to the Mooch screen for that book.

Members may choose to donate points to a charity[5] such as Books for Prisons, public libraries, education and counselling services, children's and military book charities. Members may add to the charity list if they have a particular charity they want to support. The charities can then use their points to acquire books.

John Buckman continues to maintain and add features to the site and run it with the assistance of a small, international admin team who participate in the forums and resolve any issues. The Official BookMooch Blog[6] records his travels, new BM projects, ideas and solicits input and feedback. Members of the forum contribute help and advice, feature suggestions, book talk, chat and “special offers.”

Members are active in suggesting and contributing features to the system. Member-run, associated BookMooch activities include:

• The BookMooch Angel Network – In response to increases in postal rates which discourage some users from mailing abroad, a group of volunteer “angels” exist who will mooch books within their own country and send them on to members in other countries;
• The BookMooch Support Group is for members who commit to reading at least two of their stacked-up To Be Read piles during the month and post reviews to the Support Group's blog, The Smoke Lives.
• The BookMooch Journal Project – Journals/Notebooks posted by a member for Mooching. Each member who mooches contributes artwork or as directed by the originator and adds the book to their inventory to be Mooched.
• BookMooch Friends is a Yahoo social group for getting to know one another outside the trading environment
• BookMooch Barter – where members can swap things other than books
• BookMooch Lottery – an occasional activity where members pool points. Half the pool goes to a random selection of members; half to charity.

Under discussion is a member-run Bank of BookMooch where members who are short of points can borrow and repay them later. Members also write documentation and help features and maintain the BookMooch Wiki.

The site has an API allowing developers to create their web applications.

Transparency of behaviour is a key component of BookMooch. Recipients of books assign feedback to each transaction and a history for each member is open to view. A balanced ratio of mooching to giving must be maintained by each member to continue to receive books. Both the forums and the feedback/e-mail systems generally allow users to resolve any differences amicably.

BookMooch is a for-profit corporation wholly owned by Buckman, but it does not charge membership or use fees. Revenue is generated from users' voluntary fiscal contributions and from commissions when users purchase a book from Amazon.com through referral by the site. As of December 2006, for approximately every 30 books mooched, one book is purchased from Amazon.[7]

• Book swapping

• Official website
• BookMooch Blog