Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a great night and don’t eat too much candy – ok, eat lots of candy! I found a couple Halloween links and few random things for you to check out this week. Enjoy!

• HALLOWEEN: Didn’t buy a pumpkin to carve this year? Try out this online pumpkin carving simulator!
• HALLOWEEN: I don’t know if these are truly used by kids or just funny, but here are Candy Codes used by kids on Halloween </u> to indicate what type of candy each house gives out.
• HALLOWEEN: A recipe for vampire cookies that leak “blood.” Creepy!
• HALLOWEEN: Martha recipe for lollipop cookies. They are so cute and seem quick and easy to make – last minute Halloween party idea!
• One of my favorite zines of all time, CROQ Zine , has a blog and I didn’t know about it until today! CROQ Zine & the blog feature hip crafting and indie businesses.
• This next one should probably have its very own post, but I wanted to put it out there asap: Book for Soldiers. Since all of us swappers love sending packages, why not send one to a soldier serving our country overseas? Books for Soldiers organizes the process. You simply sign up and then they approve your application and send you the name and address of a soldier who requested the service. According to the site, soldiers sometimes have a lot of downtime and would love to receive books, cds, or dvds to pass the time and remind them of home. You can also send relief supplies (goodies and what not) and penpal letters (a thank you letter would be appreciated, I’m sure). What a great way to send a little love to our brave military men and women!

Swap-bot was originally created to give bloggers a tool to help them host successful swaps with their users. Even though many swaps are hosted on Swap-bot every month, there are still lots of bloggers hosting independent swaps on their sites. How does a potential swapper find out about all of these independent swaps? Check out the SwapDex! The SwapDex is an index of current swaps going on all over the internet. (If you participate in any of the independent swaps and notice the hosts are overwhelmed with the organizational part of swapping, definitely spread the word about Swap-bot! We always want more dedicated swappers to join the ‘bot!) SwapDex is run by Jenna Z, a friend of Swap-bot and a dedicated blogger. Check out her personal blog, CorgiPants, where she shares her everyday craftiness and cute photos of her pups. She also has a great index of Tutorials and even some giveaways. Fun!

*\*If you would like to see your blog or website reviewed on Swap-bot, please email your link to rachel [at] swap-bot.com. We plan to feature a couple sites a week and we love sites that are related to crafting, swapping, art, and fun!**

CraftStylish.com is a crafting resource site where you can discover new things, connect with other crafters, and share your crafty creations. From the site:

It’s the destination for fabulous inspiration and expert instruction on the latest trends, projects, ideas, and materials. Whatever craft you love—knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, embroidery, jewelrymaking, and more—you’ll find the best information and community at CraftStylish.com.

CraftStylish is run by Taunton Press , publisher of such magazines as Fine Cooking, Fine Gardening, and Threads. You can create your own CraftyStylish profile, share photos of your craft creations, and read or contribute content to the site’s wide selection of crafting info and tutorials. You can sign up for a CraftStylish eNewsletter or subscribe to one, or more, of the topical RSS feeds.

Recently, Diane Gilleland, of CraftyPod fame and now a CraftSylish contributor, interviewed me for a CraftySylish article on Swap-bot. She chose some beautiful swap photos for the piece and I think she made Swap-bot look like a fun place. Thank you, Diane!

If you go check out CraftStylish , be sure to look me up! I am racheljohnson over there, too.

This week we are featuring a swap which could lead to a life-long friendship: the “In Pursuit of the Perfect Pen Pal” swap hosted by quietlyquirky . If you are a lover of letters, or an avid writer who is looking for a penpal, this swap is for you! For the swap you will have five partners, to whom you will send each a letter describing what you are looking for in a penpal. The high number of partners provides a better chance of finding a great penpal match.

From the swap description:

Do you love having pen pals, but have been frustrated with the frequency or quality of the letters you’ve received in the past? Or perhaps you really would like to establish a true postal friendship with someone you jive with, but you haven’t quite been able to find that special person yet. Or maybe you’d just like to have a loyal swap partner who shares your love of a certain craft. Well, here’s where I hope this swap will assist you in finding the “perfect” pen pal!

Send each of your partners a letter; it can be typed or handwritten, whichever you prefer and use most often. Introduce yourself thoroughly, and then write about what you are looking for in a pen pal. The key here is to be clear and descriptive… For example: If you don’t want to be pen pals with someone who only writes once every 6 months, say that. If you’re looking for someone who loves to read and discuss books, say that.

Some ideas of things to include in your letter:

frequency – will you write once a week, once a month, etc.

style – do you prefer handwritten letters, typed, or both

swap – would you rather just exchange letters, or would you like to do an occasional swap

beliefs – if you’d like to share beliefs/politics/etc. with your pal, or if those do not matter to you in a friend

age – if you’d rather write to someone close to your own age, say so, or state an age range

lifestyle – moms looking for other moms, dog lovers looking for other dog lovers, health nuts looking for other health nuts, etc.

hobbies/crafts – if you’d like to have a pal who shares your love of a specific hobby or craft

rather-nots – whatever you’d “rather not” have

The swap is open to USA residents with a 4.5 rating, or higher. New users with a full profile are allowed. The swap is only open for sign up through October 31st, so act quickly if you would like to join. Your letters must be sent by November 21st, 2008. Make sure to read the full swap description before signing up. Happy swapping!

*\** We plan to feature a new, unique, public swap each week here on the Swap-bot blog. If you would like to have your swap featured, or have a suggestion for a weekly featured swap, please let me know at rachel [at] swap-bot.com. The swaps must have some sort of creative aspect (not just purchasing items), they must be public, and the coordinator must be in good standing on Swap-bot. The more unique and creative, the better! ***

The forums are a great place to chat with friends, ask questions, and learn about Swap-bot, but in the past arguments and disruptive content have made the forums unpleasant for many users. We have now posted some new, straightforward Forum Rules for all of us to follow. They are very similar to rules enforced on other major internet discussion boards and forums. Swap-bot Admins (Rachel & Travis) will be taking a stricter stance on the rules and a more active role in closing threads and restricting forum access for problem users. We stand by our commitment to free speech and non-censorship, while also working to provide a safe and fun discussion environment. A shorter version of the new rules is below, but please read the entire Forum Rules page asap!

Forum Rules of Conduct

Violations of the following rules may result in a temporary or indefinite forum ban. Extreme violations may result in a partial or full account suspension. Forum bans and account suspensions can happen with or without warning and are at the discretion of Swap-bot Admins.

• Hate-speak and disruptive or hostile comments are not allowed.
• Threats of violence (against yourself or others) and personal attacks are not allowed.
• Using the forums as a way to Spam other members or advertise unrelated goods or services is not allowed.
• Posting another person’s address or contact information (including email address) is not allowed.
• Making repetitive or disruptive posts and repetitively “bumping” threads is not allowed.
• The use of false or duplicate accounts (also called “sock puppets”) in the Swap-bot Forums for the purpose of disruption or to avoid detection is not allowed.
• Posting copyrighted content without the permission of the copyright owner is not allowed. This includes posting private messages or email content without the author’s consent.
• Maliciously and/or falsely posting a user in the Questionable Swapper category is not allowed.

Forum posts containing the following types of content may be closed by Swap-bot Admins:

• Interpersonal disputes or arguments unrelated to Swap-bot
• Vulgar, obscene, or pornographic text or images
• Repetitive or hostile arguments
• Offensive or disruptive content that upsets other users
• Any type of comment making fun of Crusher, the Swap-bot mascot!

Despite our best efforts to make these rules as specific as possible, there are still many gray areas. Our goal is NOT to be the etiquette or profanity police. Swap-bot is an adult site and therefore an appropriate level of adult content and language is fine. All enforcement and interpretation of the forum rules will be done by the Swap-bot Admins at their discretion.

The new rules are not retroactive. We are not going to sift through old posts looking for rule-breakers. Also, because these are new policies, we have removed the previous forum restrictions placed on users. Everyone gets a clean slate. However, new forum bans will be permanent, so do NOT break the rules.

Announcing our first Swap-bot giveaway! We wanted to come up with a way to reward our awesome Swap-bot users and make the place a little more fun in the process. We decided to start by doing monthly giveaways of fun prizes. The first giveaway prize features a collection Making Memories holiday crafting supplies. Making Memories is basically a scrapbooking brand, but I love to use their embellishments for all sorts of crafts, like matchboxes, greeting cards, collages, etc. One winner of this giveaway will receive the following (brand-spanking-new) goodies:

• Fa La La Red Poinsettia Blossoms
• Green Cheeky Shimmer Alpha Stickers
• Fa La La Red Shimmer Alpha Stickers
• Fa La La Glitter Foam Stickers
• Fa La La Epoxy Holiday Shapes
• Fa La La Glitter Brad Pack
• Making Memories Glitter Paint Scrapbook Colors in Sea Foam and Cranberry

To enter the drawing for this giveaway simply comment on this blog post with your answer to the following question:

What new features would you like to see on Swap-bot?

Each person can only enter once. You must have a Swap-bot account in good standing (not suspended) with a valid mailing address to enter. You must include your Swap-bot username somewhere in your comment. Answers can be repeats, but we really want to know what you all want so reach for the stars! You must comment before Friday, October 31st (Halloween), to be entered in the drawing. The winner will be drawn out of a hat by a blindfolded Travis on Saturday, November 1st. Good luck!

freshly{blended} is a blog written by nicole lecht all about her creative inspirations. The blog’s near-daily posts feature a range of topics from fine art to printmaking to crafts to beautiful products. One of Nicole’s main areas of interest is paper products. She runs freshly blended press where she features her own handmade paper products, and she sells her creations on her freshly blended etsy shop . The freshly{blended} blog will introduce you to new artists and crafters while inspiring you with lovely images. The site also has an extensive list of links to other design-related blogs, sites, and resources. Check out freshly{blended} – You are sure to find something beautiful and interesting!

Originally we wanted Swap-bot to be as free as possible with members each being personally responsible for their behavior and swap reputation. However, lately we have been warming up to the idea of a swap limit for all swappers (not just new users). The tricky part is deciding how many active swaps each user should be limited to sign up for. Should the limit be based on a swapper’s experience (the number of swaps they have completed) and rating history? How many swaps do you think is a reasonable limit for established swappers? PLease answer this poll and add your comments. It would be most helpful to know how many swaps you believe is a fair limit.

Thanks for your help!

Weekly Featured Swaps are back!

This week we are featuring the Paper Postcard Quilt swap hosted by FloridaGirl . This swap is international with two partners assigned to each swapper. The sign up deadline is October 31st, and you must send by November 21st, 2008. This allows plenty of time to create beautiful paper quilts for your partners.

From the swap description:

The idea for this swap is for paper crafts as well as quilters to make a postcard quilt.You will make 2 postcards one for each of your partners. The postcards are:

Size is 4″ x 6″.

The foundation and patchwork have to be out of paper

You may add embellishments such as ribbon, buttons, beads – but there are to be no stickers.

Senders choice to give you more artistic freedom.

Put the card together so it will stay together.

Send each one in an envelope to be safe.

Send only ones you are proud of.

This swap is International and open to newbies that have completed 1 mail swap. No one with a rating less than 4.7 may participate.

Happy swapping!

*\** We plan to feature a new, unique, public swap each week here on the Swap-bot blog. If you would like to have your swap featured, or have a suggestion for a weekly featured swap, please let me know at rachel [at] swap-bot.com. The swaps must have some sort of creative aspect (not just purchasing items), they must be public, and the coordinator must be in good standing on Swap-bot. The more unique and creative, the better! ***

Two new and fairly major updates today:

(1) Rating limit on partially suspended users – Partially suspended users can no longer leave negative ratings. While suspended, the only rating option available for them to give their partners in their swaps is the “5” rating. We have had some trouble with suspended users leaving retaliatory and unfair ratings for their partners. This change prevents that from happening. However, if/when a user makes up their poor ratings and becomes un-suspended, all of the rating options become available once again. It is still up to each individual to determine whether to send to a suspended member based on whether you believe they will fix their poor ratings and become a good swapper again. It is a tricky situation, but this change will at least stop good swappers from being “hurt” by questionable swappers.

(2) Swaps now closed after six months – All swaps will now be “closed” six months after their send date. At this time the swap will no longer be editable by the coordinator and participants will no longer be able to view their partners’ address info or rate their partners. This change prevents users’ addresses from being on view indefinitely to their previous swap partners. It also ensures that swappers can put old swaps “behind them” and no longer have to worry about things like if they are going to get a bad rating from a partner they sent to but never heard from.

This is what the swap option box will look like in a closed swap:

This change works with our automatic account suspension system (see previous update info here and here) to provide a statute of limitations on poor swap performance. Six months after a swap, a swapper can no longer receive a new rating in order to remove a “1” from their account, but their “1” ratings are no longer used as a determining factor in the automatic account suspension at that time. Basically, once a swap is six months old it is closed and your rating (or non-rating) is set in stone. Of course, since this is a new (and abrupt) change, we can work with any coordinators who need any assistance or wiggle room.

A few words about partial and full suspensions: The computer handles all partial suspension that are based on users having four, or more, “1” ratings. Those suspension happen automatically, so it is important that we all rate honestly and promptly so that the computer can do its job effectively. Swap-bot Admins also partially suspend users for questionable performance or for being underage. Full suspension is only used for a small number of reasons (fraudulent or dangerous behavior, using an account to spam other users, invalid or questionable address, duplicate accounts, or offensive or hurtful behavior). Now that users are able to delete their accounts, full suspension only indicates a breach of our rules or policies. Having a certain number of “1” ratings does not necessarily mean that a user will be fully suspended. We rely heavily on our coordinators to determine who they allow in their swaps. Even if a swapper who has recevied a bunch of “1”s becomes unsuspended after six months, that does NOT mean that coordinators need to (or should) let them in swaps. Coordinators own their swaps. We are not able to reassign partners or remove participants after a coordinator has assigned partners. Please keep this is mind when choosing what swaps to join. A coordinator’s record and the swap’s wording can tell you a lot about how successful a swap is going to be. Also keep in mind that a low level of flaking is a risk we all take when swapping with others over the internet. Yep. Ok.

Thanks for listening. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

UPDATE 10/26/08: We have made some revisions to the site changes released last weekend. In response to user comments we have made the following adjustments:

Swap Closure: Swaps will still be closed six months after the mail deadline, but we have changed what it means to be closed. A closed swap can no longer be edited by the coordinator, and all participant address info is removed from view. However, you can still leave or change ratings. Ratings will always be able to be improved and you will always be able to view the Swap-bot username (and click to go to their profile page) of your previous partners.

Rating changes: Positive ratings now “lock in” after a two-week revision period. Two weeks after rating your partner you can no longer lower a rating. You can only give higher ratings after the two weeks. For example, if you give your partner a 5, you then have two weeks to change that rating if it was a mistake. After two weeks, the 5 is permanent. If you give your partner a 3, you then have two weeks to lower it to a 1 if needed, but you can raise it to a five at any time. If you give a 1 rating it can be changed to a higher rating at any time. However, you must be very careful when revising ratings to a higher level because they will immediately “lock in” if it has been longer than two weeks after you left their very first rating. The “I do not wish to rate at this time” option becomes unavailable two weeks after giving any numbered rating. Comments and hearts will always be revisable or removable, but changing either will NOT affect a rating’s time stamp and will NOT cause the rating to jump to the top of a person’s rating list.

This rating change requires that we are all more careful and deliberate about our ratings. Make sure that you are rating the correct person in each swap. Also, remember to always include the swap name and your username in each swap package so that you partners can easily rate you.

Travis will be releasing these new changes tonight. Important: All current ratings have been given the two week revision time period. If you believe you have rated anyone a 5 mistakenly, now is the time to revise it. Remember, all low rating can be revised to a higher rating at any time – only 5 ratings become totally permanent after the two-week period.

This rating change is confusing, but it should not affect most of us very often. It basically only prevents users from changing positive ratings in a revengeful manner. It ensures that we never have to worry about losing any of the positive ratings that we have earned.