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ZooFaroo Blog

Waking up in Maine.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Joshua

I just arrived in Maine a few days ago and I had forgotten what a great place this is. How lucky was I to be able to grow up here? We had so much at our fingertips: the ocean, the mountains, the lakes, and who could forget Freeport? Yes, Maine is a magical place. Now, as you may know, I live in Portland, Oregon which I could rave about for hours (and have!). The natural beauty aside, I think what makes both places so wonderful to me are the people. There is something so unifying about both states and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Oregon, to me, has always had such a strong community feel to it, where a city such as Portland can feel as warm and as welcoming as a small town. The same can be said for the state of Maine, the small town I grew up in (Camden) always felt like a big family. It was such a safe comforting place to be.
With such admiration for both locations, it only makes sense that the two ZooFaroo founders live in both locations respectively. One of our goals for ZooFaroo from the beginning was to capture what we love so much about our current homes. We wanted to create a warm, welcoming, easy to use, neighborhood/community forum for finding ways to help each other out. Giving something, whether it be a service or a good, and getting something in return, whether that be a good, service, or money. An equal exchange that benefits everyone. From there, connections are made, maybe it’s just in the form of a positive review, or maybe this is a person you’ll end up hiring again down the road, either way the ZooFaroo experience becomes much more than just an exchange, it becomes a builder of community, a builder of business through networking, and a great way to amplify productivity, privately and professionally.

The new ipad and my empty wallet.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Joshua

I don’t know if you’ve heard but apple just recently released a new version of the ipad. Apple is a computer company from California, USA. They sell a tablet called the ipad. It’s a pretty hot item right now. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then I’m not sure whether to envy you, or tell you to run don’t walk to your local apple store.

As far as I’m concerned, I have to say I’m completely sold. I just love the device and everything it can do. What I don’t like is the price. It starts at $400 and that is a lot of money for a non-necessity. The problem is, I really want one. Slapping it on my credit card is not a wise choice. I’m an adult (even if I don’t always act like one) so I feel I should try to make adult choices when potentially adding to my debt.

So, what can I do? I would love to buy a new ipad but have no money. What I do have is a lot more stuff than I actually need. When I look around my house I find at least ten perfectly good items I no longer use or want. If I just put these items on ZooFaroo I can have enough to buy a new ipad in no time at all. This is great, I get to have a new toy, I clean my house, and none of this costs me a dime! I love ZooFaroo.

Where is Everybody?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Joel

They’re in Portland! Portland Maine and Portland Oregon, that is, our two home states. If you’ve come to ZooFaroo and found your own home area empty of users, check out Maine or Portland Oregon for a look at how we’re getting started. All it takes is a few people in your neighborhood to get the ball rolling and the trades flowing. You can be the nucleus of a new ZooFaroo community near you – just leave a post on the site, spread the word to your friends and neighbors, and wait to see what sort of interesting offers you get in return. Start having fun with ZooFaroo and make it your own!

Simple by Design

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Joshua

When designing ZooFaroo we wanted to keep the site as low tech as possible while still maintaining presence of a brand. There are a lot of things one can do these days when building a website, and while a lot of those things are really cool they can unnecessarily complicate your site. A good rule of thumb is, ‘Just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.’ I’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard to reign it in. Things can get carried away quickly. But all we had to do was think about the users. High tech isn’t for everyone and since we wanted everyone to visit the site we approached it with simplicity and accessibility in mind. I hope we’ve succeeded. We want your ZooFaroo experience to be a breeze, and if it’s not we want to know about it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we’re nothing with our users. Keep in touch and we’ll keep listening and striving for the best user experience.

We’ve got great posts showing up

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Joel

We’re up and running and have great posts showing up daily. ZooFaroo is a community project and will keep getting better as our community grows, so spread the word! Share your posts on Facebook and Twitter. And check out these great offers, recently posted to ZooFaroo:

Recording Studio Session in Camden, Maine: www.zoofaroo.com/Maine/Maine/Offered/Miscellaneous-Services/11.html

Landscaping Services in Portland, Oregon: www.zoofaroo.com/Oregon/Portland/Offered/Landscape-Lawn-Garden/22.html

A Feature-length Screenplay in Los Angeles: www.zoofaroo.com/California/Los_Angeles/Offered/Writings/8.html

Video Marketing for your Business in Portland, Oregon: www.zoofaroo.com/Oregon/Portland/Offered/Photography/18.html

Yield and save the world…well, sort of.

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Joshua

First, let me say that this is not a very practical idea, I know that going in and so should you.
I was walking Quinn(www.quinnthedog.com) in our neighborhood in North East Portland. As we were crossing the street I noticed that the intersecting road did not have a stop sign, instead it had a yield sign. We watched as cars slowed down (but did not stop) and passed right on through. I was reminded of an episode of Top Gear (the BBC version) where James May explained how breaking is one of the biggest energy wasters and stopping all together (and then going again) can use up quite a bit of fuel. If this is true, then the cars that only have to yield at intersections are theoretically saving more fuel than the cars that have to stop at intersections. Hmmm. Okay, so here comes the somewhat crazy idea…
What if cities all over the country reevaluated all of the stop sign locations and changed the ones eligible into yield signs? Wouldn’t an experiment like this, one on such a grand scale, truly make an impact on our fuel consumptions as a nation? Yeah, I know it’s kind of out there and not a very practical campaign, but maybe it’s this kind of thinking that will eventually land on the idea that isn’t too out there. Put a lot of those little ideas together and you’ve got some good things happening. My little idea was okay but not great, can you think of a great little idea?

Customer Service, it’s not that hard.

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Joshua

The other day my wife Julia commented on how nice everyone is at Rose City Vets, and how having an exchange with them makes her feel good. I had a similar experience at a restaurant recently, and it made the whole meal much more enjoyable. It’s a shame that positive customer experiences are rare enough to be refreshing.

The equation seems simple: It’s not difficult to be nice. We would all rather interact and do business with nice people. We’re going to talk about the mean people and then never go back.

So, if customer service is so important (at least to me and everyone I know) and seemingly not that difficult, then why aren’t more companies pouring their attention into it? There is a local grocery store chain here in Oregon called New Seasons, they pride themselves on their customer service to the point they even advertise it. I have never dealt with a more friendly or helpful establishment. It’s a joy going in there. New Seasons gets it and they’re thriving. So what’s so hard to figure out?

Joel and I are just two regular guys who want to make ZooFaroo successful. We know we can’t do that without you. We may have come up with the name, but it’s an empty shell without you all. If you ever have a question, comment, criticism, suggestion, or just want to shoot the breeze, drop us a line we’d love to hear from you.

Get Exposure with ZooFaroo

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Joel

Get Exposure with ZooFaroo
After completing my weekly grocery shopping yesterday, I paused on my way out of the store to peruse the community bulletin board. The board is a collage of coming events, items for sale, services offered. I would like to hire a weekly house cleaning service and found 3 flyers posted there by different cleaners, each with just a phone number to contact. If any one of them had posted on ZooFaroo they could have included a link to more info about their business – rates, reviews, pictures, even suggestions for trade. I probably would have looked them up on ZooFaroo right then and there using my smartphone. But instead I tore the little phone number tag off each of the fliers and put them all in my pocket to call later. When I got home I did the Sunday afternoon laundry, the tags still in the pocket of my laundered jeans, and that was the end of my search for a cleaner. Opportunity lost. Get your services posted in ZooFaroo!

How does ZooFaroo work?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Joshua

First, you register (don’t worry, it’s easy and free). During the process you will have the option of including links to your facebook page, twitter page, google plus page, linkedin page, and your own website.

ZooFaroo Register

These links will show up on your ZooFaroo User Page (viewable to the ZooFaroo community) along with your current posts and user reviews left for you by other users. PLEASE NOTE: Your email addres is never visible on the User Information Page. We value your privacy and will never sell your information to anyone.

ZooFaroo User Info

While the link information is optional we do encourage you to include at least one or two simply because it is a great way for ZooFaroo members to have a ‘soft introduction’ before an exchange takes place.

Once registered, you can post as many ‘offers’ and ‘needs’ as you’d like. Do you need a lawnmower? Post that as a ‘need’. Do you have a cottage to rent? Post that as an ‘offer’.

ZooFaroo Post

And don’t worry, you don’t have to post eveything at once. You can post one ‘offer’ today and two ‘needs’ next week, it all gets saved to your User Account.

ZooFaroo Posting Form

We understand that sometimes you will need something where time is of the essence, or you just really want what you want, like tickets to the show that weekend. If that’s the case just tick the ‘in addition to trades I am willing to pay money for what I need’ box

when filling out the post. No one wants you to miss the show this weekend!

ZooFaroo Willing to Pay Post

Once your posts are active, interested ZooFaroo users will be able to browse your ‘offers’ and ‘needs’ independently.

ZooFaroo Posting Offer Lists

If users are interesteed in what you’re ‘offering’ or what you ‘need’ in they’ll ‘Reply to your Post’ with offers. In turn, as a registered user, you can feel free to browse other users ‘offers’ and ‘needs’ and reply as you like.

ZooFaroo Posting Need Lists

If you’re a business and you’d like to promote it, first make sure you fill out the optional info on the register page (facebook link, twitter link, link to your own website, etc) and then post an offer of what your company offers, e.g., pet care, house painting, cooking supplies, etc. If you’re not interested in bartering or trade offers simply tick the ‘only accept money offers box’

when you post.

ZooFaroo Business Post

Never thought I could love tea…until now. How Steven Smith Teamaker changed my life.

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Joshua

Let’s start off by stating that I am not a regular tea drinker. Do I like tea? Sure, I even drink it every now and again, but my main warm beverage of choice is coffee. Hands down it is coffee over tea every time.

Tea has never really blown my socks off. Until now.

A couple of months ago my brother Zachary (shameless plug: www.zincarchitecture.com) and his wife Nicole very generously gave my wife Julia (shameless plug: www.ThinkingOutDog.com) and I a gift certificate for a swanky restaurant here in Portland, OR. (I won’t mention the name…you’ll understand later)

Julia and I got all fancied up, which is saying a lot for me because I usually wear my cargo pants and hoodie to the office, to the grocery store, to the bank, to the ball, to the weddings, to the funerals, you get the idea. (Julia is classy all the time) This was a big night for us.

The restaurant atmosphere was very pleasant. That’s about as far as the positives go. The waitress we had was distracted and seemingly uninterested in our overall experience. The food was just okay. Not horrible, not amazing. The thing is, for the amount that was spent I wanted amazing. Oh well. (now you understand why I will not mention their name)

At the end of our meal Julia ordered a tea. I remember the waitress telling us their selection was from Steven Smith, a local tea maker. The name wrung a bell. It so happens I had just recently heard an interview with him on NPR. This guy was a rock star in the tea making world. His history includes: co-founding Stash Tea, and founder of Tazo Tea. Yeah, this guy is the man.

Julia’s tea arrived and as soon as she took a sip her eyes lit up. ”Oh my god, you HAVE to taste this tea.” What? Seriously? Tea? I imagined it was good but I also thought (forgive me Julia) that my wife was embellishing a bit. I took a sip. Nope she wasn’t. This tea was amazing. Flavors like I’ve never tasted in a tea before. I am not joking. Remember, I am not a tea guy so for me to react this way the tea had to be amazing. And it was. The blend we had that night was ‘Steven Smith White Petal Blend No. 72′. I suggest you run, don’t walk and go get this stuff.

After dinner we went to New Seasons and bought the No. 72. The price is not outrageous but it will be more than your major brands, but trust me, it’s worth every penny.

I love community, I love passion, and I love living locally. Steven Smith Teamaker is all of that. Just had his Peppermint Tea last night made with all Oregon grown peppermint leaves. I highly recommend it. www.smithtea.com

ZooFaroo and the ‘Soft’ Introduction

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Joshua

With many online classified/auction/retail sites the one thing I’ve always found difficult is not knowing exactly who I am dealing with. Yes, user reviews are great and ZooFaroo’s user reviews will be a valuable tool for getting the sense for how this person deals with others, but what about more? Here at ZooFaroo we really love the idea of community. When you register with our site you’re given the option of adding your Facebook page, Twitter page, Google Plus page, your LinkedIn page, your own website, and whether or not you’re a business. All of this is optional of course, but isn’t it a great way for someone to get to know you a little bit before contacting you? A ‘soft’ introduction if you will, just an extra bit of confidence to enhance the ZooFaroo community and cultivate positive and interesting exchanges. And who knows, you may even make new friends out of the process. Personalize Your ZooFaroo Experience

Make Zoofaroo your link to the Cooperative Economy

Posted on January 23, 2012 by ZooFaroo

“From the greatest hardships come the greatest opportunities”

Today the economic hardships that many Americans face have given rise to a general movement toward more cooperative, local, and smaller-scale ecomonies. The Occupy Wall Street movement and Bank Transfer Day (http://www.facebook.com/Nov.Fifth) exemplify this – people are looking for ways to conduct their business more personally and locally. ZooFaroo can help! www.ZooFaroo.com is a free service to the community that can put you in touch with people in your area who want to do business directly with you. ZooFaroo matches local offers and needs for goods and services, allowing neighbors to cooperate and exchange services within their local economies like never before.

The cooperative economic movement is growing near you – join in on www.ZooFaroo.com

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’re almost there!

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Joshua

Having Joel come out west for a business trip was ultra productive! We got so much done and came up with some super cool new features for the site. Man, oh man, let me tell you, it’s been a long haul and a heck of a lot of work but we see the light at the end of the tunnel and the site is going to be fantastic. Hang in there, we’re almost done and we can’t wait for you to check it out.

Multiple ‘Offers’? Multiple ‘Needs’? How does this work?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Joshua

When Joel and I were designing ZooFaroo we knew we wanted the user to be able to create a posting that displayed what they were offering and what they were needing. That’s great, but what if someone has multiple goods or services that they want to offer? Do we want our users to have to go through the whole posting process over and over again in one sitting? No way, that sounds terrible. Not to mention, what if the user has two things to ‘offer’ and only one thing they ‘need’? Then what? Well, we think we’ve come up with a pretty cool system. With ZooFaroo, the user has an account, and stored in that account are all of their ‘offers’ and all of their ‘needs’. Each ‘offer’ and each ‘need’ lives on their own; so you can edit and delete them as you wish, while at the same time all posts work harmoniously with the each other when being viewed by the public. For instance, if a user has two ‘offers’ and one ‘need’ in their account when someone visits one of the ‘offers’ they’ll also see at the bottom of the screen what that user needs. Go to the other ‘offer’ and again you’ll see what that user needs. It’s a fluid and dynamic way of pairing the ‘offers’ and ‘needs’ without having the pair them to each other in a more restrictive way. So really, instead of thinking of them as individual posts we think of them as posts associated with your account, some may be ‘offers’ and some may be ‘needs’. It’s completely up to you as the user how many of each you’d like to add. And when you’re ready, they’ll work together to give you a successful ZooFaroo experience.

Your business and ZooFaroo, not just bartering around!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Joshua

ZooFaroo is an amazing community for bartering, trading, and buying, that’s true, but it’s also so much more! Did you know that if you’re a small business you can utilize ZooFaroo to help promote your company? By getting your name out there and connecting with the bartering/trading/buying community you’ll be networking without even trying! But that’s not all, the more connections you make through ZooFaroo the more your ratings will grow. The higher your positive ratings go, the more people will seek your business out. That’s karma in action!

Signing up for ZooFaroo is easy and best of all it’s free! Why not get your business’ name out there?

Zoofaroo.com adds “wildcard” feature

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Joel

We’ve got less than a month to go until Zoofaroo.com goes live – exciting times here at the office. Among our last minute additions to the site is a “wildcard” feature, which will allow users to view all ‘offer’ postings or all ‘need’ postings in one area. I’m looking forward to seeing just how creative our users can get, and I can’t wait to use this feature myself. As a garage sale/flea market addict and collector of just about anything unique, this will be a great way to clear out a little more space in my garage. And of course look for just the right I-don’t-know-what that I never knew I needed!

Welcome to ZooFaroo – the online barter community!

Posted on December 3, 2011 by ZooFaroo

Joel and Josh
Joel’s LinkedIn Page
Joshua’s LinkedIn Page

Joel and Josh grew up together in mid-coast Maine, where their friendship began at age fourteen.  With the perfect formula of creativity, brainpower, compatibility, and drive and determination they knew a joint project was on the horizon.  Ever since then, they’ve been waiting for that one main ingredient: a great idea.

Cut to many years later, Joel is a veterinarian running low cost animal clinics in Southern Maine.  Josh is living in Portland, Oregon working as a web designer and developer.

A phone call from Joel.  He has an idea.  ’What about a site that allows people to trade their goods and services?’

The great idea we’ve been looking for.

We brainstorm. We develop. We fine tune.

What if we create a symbiotic environment that brings people together, where everyone wins?  A place where it doesn’t matter if you have a lot of money, stuff, or skills, you’ll find a way to benefit while benefitting others.  Everyone has something to offer and everyone has something they need.

A few months later ZooFaroo is born, a place where anyone can come to browse posts, post their own, leave a review, or promote themselves, where all are free to showcase skills or offer up that old refrigerator, or send a shout out that a bathroom needs tiling.  It’s a community of equality, balance, and fair trade.  It’s fun, functional, and productive.  It’s ZooFaroo.

www.zoofaroo.com

be social. trade local.