on October 30 2010 Kirsty R said:

Hi, I’d like to put some fliers around my area, but would like to double sided A5 ones to cut down on paper/cost. I’ve tried to turn the A4 one into A5, but it appears that I’m far too inept. Any chance you could produce one? Thanks, Kirsty

on September 14 2010 erika said:

So far i am loving it, met few very nice people localy and if i may kindly sugest to felow streetbankers not to analize everything to much, just relax and get in contact if you are interested in any of the offers or have something to offer!!! My experience is nothing else but briliant and i will do my best to get yet more people to join in!
Regards to all
Erika

on September 9 2010 Felix said:

I think Streetbank is a great idea but I have my doubts about the seriousness of some of the members. For example, when I look at the list of people, the first two are named penus and dildo! I dread to think what they are offering. Is there a way to report people who are misusing the site?

on September 8 2010 Sam, Nic, Tess, Alice & Rachel said:

Thanks everyone for your helpful and insightful feedback thus far.

We are planning to address many of the helpful points you have raised (adding your own photo items, making item descriptions more prominent when adding items, feedback mechanisms, improved FAQs, searching, and more). Once implemented, we will ask for your rigorous feedback again to see how we did!

Thanks again, and keep Streetbank happening in your area, and the stories coming!

Sam, Ryan and Nic.

on September 6 2010 Shannon said:

Hi Ben

Following on from your comment Ben if Streetbank stuck to lending things and maybe skills sharing
they would not be compared to Freecycle all the time but as they are also doing
what Freecycle does it dosent make Strreetbank unique,it just seems that
they are trying to be a jack of all trades.
Freecycle are the market leader in reuse so i would prefer Streetbank to
be different and stick to what they do best not just also copy the Freecycle model but
claim to be expanding on it.
some of the same

on September 2 2010 Ben said:

I see various people are already mentioning Freecycle (and the same applies to Freegle — many Freecycle groups split away and changed their name due to differences with the US group running Freecycle). When I saw the email from a friend recommending SB, I immediately thought “It’s another Freecycle/Freegle”, so it could be worth (a) Making clear in the FAQ what the differences are (e.g. both FC/FG and SB give things away, but only SB focuses on lending things/skills); (b) Searching for synergies, e.g. by posting on Freecycle/Freegle groups and so on.

on September 1 2010 nicola said:

It’s such a good idea! I have been able to give away a nearly new mattress as well as receive a fridge BUT I do agree with other comments that people must/should delete items that have gone or are ‘out of date’.
Some of the requests have dates but it’s not always very clear whether they have been successful or not.
Thank you for bringing Streetbank to W12! Nicola

on August 31 2010 Silvia said:

Hello! I think that you should make the “Further description” field compulsory as, in most cases, it is not very clear what’s being offered.

on August 29 2010 Rosie Weaver said:

Hi I just joined, but find only one other person close by. Really would appreciate the area being extended to include more people onto this wonderful concept. Thanks.

on August 24 2010 Fiona Taylor said:

It would be good to be able to provide an actual photograph of the item offered, if appropriate, rather than only being able to use the pictures provided on the site. Also it would be helpful if people deleted items that are no longer available. Fantastic site – like a gigantic swap shop really!

on August 18 2010 carolina bosmann said:

hello, i just signed in, but i live in the netherlands. is that possible? succes, carla.

on August 11 2010 Alicia Weston said:

actually, it would be really good if we had some feedback from YOU GUYS on our comments!! I see there’s a whole load of comments here but it’s all one way – so some idea from you if you’re working on something, think it’s a good idea, no way it would work or whatever would be nice…

on August 11 2010 Alicia Weston said:

I think it would be a good idea to have a basic feedback mechanism as no-one wants to lend something large and expensive (example: request to borrow a stereo), to someone who’s a total stranger… if I knew that they had borrowed and returned 20 other things, then maybe I would…

on July 26 2010 Laura said:

It’s a shame that you can’t write a little bit more…. particularly when it’s in the help offered, so within a mile of me there is “knitting”… but I don’t know whether that’s someone who will knit stuff for you, a knitting club or tutor etc… also because it’s not your own picture you put up there, perhaps somewhere to give a little description of what you’re offering ;)

on June 29 2010 Sara Nathan said:

When you see a list of 36 people within a mile, the ones really close are at the top. Does that mean all the rest are in strict distance order from your address – all the way through from nearest to farthest? I can’t see any other rationale for the order.

If that’s so, would it be sensible to have an over-ride so that if you communicate with a couple of people much more frequently. they float to the top of your list?

on June 21 2010 eddy said:

As the Street Bank concept is mainly localised, I was wondering if there would be any interest in having comments posted on the different businesses that abound in the area. Ratings for say, retail shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, services, (plumbing, electricians, hairdressers, cleaners etc.) so that deserving unknowns may have their efforts/skills recognised and indeed the less deserving be made aware of their shortcomings. I would like to know of places I could go to locally that was commended by the neighbourhood that do the best ‘whatever’ and likewise relate my own local experiences, good or bad. Perhaps a good wat to improve standards and air praises or complaints.

on June 15 2010 Hilary Murdoch said:

Hi Sam and Ryan,
thanks for this website, great idea…
would be great if you could upload your own photo of items you want to give away.
also it’d be great to have a search function for the ‘requests etc’ bit…

hope it continues to go well,
Hilary

on June 12 2010 Sara Nathan said:

The Churchfield Community Association runs a stall at Acton market from time to time – and we have a summer party next week and a stall at Acton Carnival next month.

If you can get some flyers to me, I am more than happy to have them at these events – they can also go in our goody bag for new members if you like, the ActonW3 one already does.

on June 12 2010 Sam, Nic, Tess, Alice & Rachel said:

We’re still loving your feedback – thanks so much for it. On the most recent points made

1/ We have sorted out the blogs so that you can now write more than a hundred words before you get cut off. Sorry to those of you who were affected by this.
2/ We are working on a “downloadable” and “personalisable” flyer. It is quite a big project but should be ready soon.
3/ Some of you have raised the question “if I put something nice up how can I be sure the requester won’t just go and sell it on ebay?” The bad news is, you can’t. The good news is that we don’t think this happens very often. We and you are seeing that community is far from perfect! Some people don’t respond to a message or arrive a bit late to collect something. It does take effort. But it is absolutely worth it. In fact, there seems to be a virtuous circle of one good thing leading to another good thing. And as Sara N makes the point so powerfully below, indepedence and isolation is the alternative.

on June 10 2010 Sara Nathan said:

Even if they were (and I promise I am not going to resell the aerial, Eddy, it is much-needed) it would still be better than it going to the dump/landfill or whatever.

I think we should get over this fear of strangers – almost every stranger is not likely to do you harm – in fact you are in much more danger from your spouse. And if we all let more people into our lives, any danger would be even more diminished. Isolation is surely much more of a problem.

I rather enjoy the serendipity of meeting people through sites like these, or the neighbournet ones( ActonW3, ShepherdsBushW12 and the like), have been doing it for years and have never even had a frisoon of concern.

on June 7 2010 eddy said:

Love the whole concept but a thought. On describing this site to an acquaintance, he said “yes, my wife is really into this freecycle lark and I am fed up with a garage full of rubbish as she will collect any thing that is free and try to flog them on ebay.” How would one know that the reciepient of any item I may have to give away is reaching a neighbour in need and not a grasping chancer on the make from other’s kindness?

on June 3 2010 julie schofield said:

I would ditto the previous comments regarding a flyer to download, I would love to put one in the doors of all our neighbours firstly and have one to hand when talking to other people i meet! julie from shoreham

on May 29 2010 Holker said:

I agree with the below comment. I think it’s best to meet in a public place or to have someone with you if they come to pick up something from your house

on May 28 2010 Claire Willis said:

My main concern is safety and whether it is safe to go into someone else’s home or invite someone into yours.

on May 25 2010 Holker said:

Can I ask what you are meant to do when you have given away the object in question – as I want to signal that its gone – I have deleted the two objects. Is that right?

on May 25 2010 Amy Church said:

I think a downloadable flyer – to put in coffee shops/post office windows etc. – is a great idea.

on May 21 2010 Holker said:

One idea – if you were to attach to this site a flier explaaining about Streetbank I would be happy to print it off and give one each to my neighbours to spread the word. Especially if it was written in a way that said a neighbour would like to recommend

on May 20 2010 Holker said:

I have been reading the comments about widening out the reach of the site – but I think there is something particularly new about keeping it truly local. This is really relevant in urban areas – where there is a high density of ‘neighbours’. Maybe in rura

on May 19 2010 Holker said:

From a personal safety point of view – what are the guidelines for meeting someone to get soemthing – or inviting someone to your home?
Maybe I havent found the guidelines yet – sorry

on May 16 2010 Betty Friend said:

Congratulations!This site is so easy to us for a novice, like me. I haven’t yet got the hang of Freecycle, it seems a lot more complicated.

on May 13 2010 Sam, Nic, Tess, Alice & Rachel said:

Thanks so much for so many great thoughts. A few themes seem to be emerging here:

1/ A lot of you have said that you would like to browse what is on offer by neighbours that live beyond a mile away. It would be an easy change for us to make and you wo

on May 12 2010 Solitude Skye said:

only see what is in my area.A general London swap site would work better
for me.I would prefer to concentrate on swapping as Freecycle
http://www.uk.freecycle.org/ already leads the field in reuse

on May 12 2010 Solitude Skye said:

Hi
Great idea ,Well done for setting this us
Can i ask why you can only borrow things in your immediate area.
I would like to borrow and lend things further a field.
I would also like to be able to browse what is available in other areas but
i can o

on May 10 2010 Dan Blackburn said:

Fantastic idea. Well done, guys. A further possible idea for you: feel free to ignore, but I would love to hear your thoughts. Could you extend the idea to include travel? It would require the site being a lot more time-sensitive I guess, although no more

on May 5 2010 Kavin said:

Good Idea this Streetbank thing-we waste so much while where the good come from-they are all poor because we throw and waste so much.We in the waste are “spoiled” rotten.I think the range should be upto 5 miles because lot of people have cars and can pick

on May 1 2010 Kelly Henderson said:

You need to organise the Requests area a bit better — a bit like how the Things area is organised and categorised. Otherwise it’s a great site!

on May 1 2010 Sara Nathan said:

How about some sort of forum like the neighbournet sites do?

on April 29 2010 Caroline Thomson said:

A lot of talk about Streetbank amongst my neighbours. And my first item was snapped up very quickly I’m delighted to say!
What we’d really like is to be able to have replies to “things”/requests come straight to our email inbox rather than be stored on

on April 26 2010 Sara Nathan said:

Is there a mapping function so you could see if there are people in your street or nearby?

on April 26 2010 Caroline Castle said:

Hi I wondered if we put up a message on the web papers like ‘membership@shepherdsbushw12.com’ and chiswisk w4 etc also one for ….hammersmithW6 and fulhamSW6… spread the word like this too??

on April 25 2010 James Hughes said:

I’ve been raving about streetbank lots recently. One suggestion – can we see people a little further afield than 1 mile perhaps?

on April 25 2010 Pria said:

What a wonderfully-lovely community-spirited resource!

on April 24 2010 Elisabeth said:

The Streetbank website is great, I am sure in the olden days neighbours help each other, I think we should involve more people, spreading the knowledge of this site, maybe putting a note in the local papers, magazines, local schools, local gims, radio etc