Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but would there be intrest in this? (I won't hold anyone back if they want to take charge!!)

if you think about book exchange (like Valentine or May Day Exchanges) we have kind of traditional Happiness Day Exchange which is 8th August.
Although that doesn’t have to be rule ...

:lol: I didn't know you guys did a Happiness exchange at all..Just trying to brainstorm here!!!

I say the more exchanges the merrier! Bring it on!

I would rather do a Happiness Day exchange than a Summer Solstice exchange.

I had thought that, prior to this year's May Day exchange, we'd tried to keep the exchanges from falling on holidays - for any religion. That's why it was Boxing Day and not Christmas or the Winter Solstice or Yule or whatever, and I think last year there was a Spring Fling that was May 2 opening day.

People are going to do exchanges whenever they want... but I preferred having them just off the holidays myself. That way we don't have to worry about what holidays we've hit and missed and who we're leaving out.

That's quite alright to have something generalized & not on a holiday..I think I would have been better off if someone told me about the Happiness exchange!!

So does that mean you're going to organize the Happiness Day Exchange? :wink:

I don't know do you want me to?

I'm assuming everyone would like me to do the happiness swap (look for a seperate thread), so those of you who wanted the solstice one, maybe we can consoldate or do a smaller swap?

Well, I'm a sucker for exchanges so bring it on!!!!

Doesn't matter if it is Summer Solistice, Happiness Day or National Tire Safety Week (well maybe not that last one), just sign me and let me know when!!!!

:lol: :blink: Ok, so I do need the names of the people who voted yes to PM me with your mailing prefrences.

(I'm going to assume everyone's wishlist will be the most updated *after* opening day for the May Day swap, right?)

Zzz, Pepper. I can handle organizing one or the other, I can't do both. I think you guys who want the Happiness one will be on your own. :shrug: So sorry!!

I guess I am confused
from the comments in this thread it sounded like there was going to be one summer exchanged and that it would be preferable to call it 'Happiness Day' (like we did last year) that to have it coincide with the solstice.

I didn't see anything saying that there should be two different exchanges, just that we should slightly modify the original suggestion.

Am I missing something? :unsure:

maybe we're both missing something? my pov was that some people would rather have both (although some people wanted one OR the other...)... does that help?

Personally I think more exchanges will evebtually give less participants in general. I love exchanges but with too many we’ll have 10-15 participants in each maximum and that’s not interesting anymore. My first exchange had almost 80 participants and that was AWESOME! Exciting, no way you could be able to figure out who is your partner etc.
With two summer exchanges I thing it would be bigger damage than benefit. I think interest will be diluted (in both) and we’ll lose that special spark.
Do we really need exchange every two month?
Of course the only think which counts is the interest, if people want to play it’s OK with me … anyhow these were my two cents.

Are these exchanges international or just for the American players? Being new here , can I also ask if we put in other goodies besides wishlist books?
I love getting these parcels together but have only participated in the BCUK ones so far.

hugs

teachie :waves:

The majority of the exchanges are International, which is why it is nice to have some time between them since Surface mail often takes quite some time and that is always a nice option for folks.

Normally the only 'requirement' is one wishlist book, but for the most part folks often add extra goodies. One of the nice things about the Exchanges is that you get to know your partner a little better, by finding out what they like.


~~~~~~~

I have to side with the idea of fewer exchanges with more participants. Exchanges are great, but if they are done too often then you won't get as many participants. We have several that are pretty much regulars every year -- off hand I can think of

Valentines Day Exchange
May Day -- spring exchange
Happiness Day -- summer exchange
Boxing Day -- around Christmas


We have also had

Halloween Exchange
School Supply Exchange -- Fall

Others can help fill in the others that I can not think of right now.

Teachie, I think there is a tea swap going, but I don't think you can join once partners have been sent out and stuff. Yes, they're international. Generally, people would put in candy, snacks, other things you listed as a "Favorite" along with the wishlist book(s).

:erm: I didn't mean it would be less fun+more swaps= there were less people. As I stated before, I had no idea there was a Happiness swap (please remember the only swaps I've been in before was the V-day one and the May Day one), and it seems like some people want to have BOTH. 80 people? Sure, that would be great to have that many people in one swap. From what I've seen lately, there would be around 40 or less people involved. Maybe it takes more "advertising" on BC or somethin on our part, I don't know. If it really is a disturbance or I should just withdraw the offer, then I will.

The one you are organizing you silly :lol:
i.e. May Day/Spring Fling
we had Valentines too

No I don’t wanna force you to withdraw the offer if people wanna play :o
I’m just saying that I (and that applies on me ONLY) would prefer to not have secret exchange (swap is like YBS or FHS etc) for six month if that will be a BIG one. Yes there are 40 participants because we have exchange (different kinds lately) in my opinion too often. Exchange with 80 participants was after one empty period of 5-6 months and everyone were so happy for participating because they were missing the excitement of making parcels/sending/receiving/ and finally opening them simultaneously with others.
If we have exchange every two months we will miss the feeling of missing exchanges and happiness to the coming one.

Zoe I think that everyone is just offering their opinions. Ultimately there is no reason why you or anyone else can not set up any exchange that you would like to host. Folks are always eager for an exchange. I can't speak for zzz, but all I wanted to do was let you know about the exchanges that are pretty much done on a regular basis so that you could get an idea of what is usually going on when, so you could plan around it.

I personally enjoy bigger exchanges, simply because I love to read the opening threads and see what folks get and it is more fun when there are lots of folks opening. But smaller exchanges can be just as much fun.


ETA-- I edited to change swaps to exchanges, so as not to confuse the issue. LOL Sorry zzz. :P

:huh: swaps or secret exhanges???

ETA: Ok exhanges
Ditto what wss said

Well whatever you decide to call it, I would like to join in with the Summer solstice/Happiness day exchange and thanks so much for organising this.

huggles

teachie :hug:

Would it be better if I held this swap at the end of June/beginning of July, so all you people who want to do both this one and the Happiness Exchange in August have ample time in between? I'll change the name to something else, too.

Whoever voted "yes" and didn't leave their screen name, please PM me with your mailing prefs, and I will PM the ones who did.

:ditto:

I'm up for the Midsummer swap!!!!! :wub:

That was my impression... and that's what I would prefer.

I don't know if I'll participate in a summer exchange or not, but I'd be more likely to participate in a Happiness Day Exchange. It's later in the summer and gives me more time to catch up on mailings, etc.

I would DEFINITELY prefer that there only be one exchange this summer... in addition to the decreased participants in both exchanges, there's also the issue of duplicating gifts for people who are participating in both. You then have to contact the organizer of the other exchange and find out who your person's partner there is and cooridinate with them what you're getting plus if that person is participating in any exchange groups like BallySwappers or EuroExchange or Indecisives and has their month during the exchange shipping time or shortly after, that's somewhere ELSE you have to check... it gets complicated.

I just noticed this thread and might be interested in an earlier summer exchange. I've never participated in Happiness Day because August is the most impossible month of the year for me to do anything besides school-and-work related stuff.

This isn't a holiday I celebrate, either, but I think it would be cool to do something different this year! :flowers:

But Megi in August everything with Hapiness Day is over, except opening parcel :lol:

:waves: Megi, I've sent you a PM Via bookcrossing

:ditto2:


Plus if you are sending overseas, it's gettign a bit late to be able to send surface. If we were now organising the August Happiness Day (8/8) exchange, it would give time for packages to be sent by slow boat across the pond.

:waves: Hi Teachie - good to see you here.

A lot of people have put details in the Favourites thread (at the top of the Exchanges section) of other likes and dislikes, so other little extras are often thrown in with the books :D

(And if you prefer to send Uk / Euro only you can always request it when you sign up - it's not guaranteed but organisers will often try and accomodate posting preferences)

I have orignally planned this for July 10, if you guys really want me to push it back and *change* it to the Happiness day, I will. Otherwise, I'm officially withdrawing my offer for the Midsummer Exchange, because of this thread and how I feel awful about it. :sigh:

awww. I was looking forward to the Midsummer exchange. :hug:

AEZ :hug: Please don't feel awful about this thread. :kiss:

Well, after May 14 surface mail no longer exists, so that's rather a moot point anymore. :(

:sigh:

I'm sorry.

I think a lot of people would like it if you organized a Happiness Day exchange.

:pat:

I was looking forward to it, also! ((((AEZ))))

zzz ( In answer to this quote of yours: "But Megi in August everything with Hapiness Day is over, except opening parcel " ), I'm "booked-out" in August! Aug. 8 comes in our third week of school, so we have our huge order of newly-published YA books coming in to the library, our Scholastic Book Fair being planned, all our English teachers insisting on loaning me books they've read during the summer :rolleyes:, etc.

June and July are drought months for books, but I guess I can always read some of the 300+ on Mt. TBR.

well considering that people keep sending me Pms saying they want to join, I guess it is still on, but just under a different name.

:blink: Why on Earth would you feel awful?
You said yourself that you didn’t know about Happiness Exchange and that's why you offer to organize Summer one. We said there is (traditional) Happiness Exchange and some of us said it would have bad effect in general to have two exchanges in such a short time and explained why we think so. There's nothing personal here so that you should feel awful.

Yeah but we still have surface mail here :)

No need to feel awful - people are only giving personal opinions. Like you say, you have lots of people interested so why not go ahead. There have been other exchanges in the past that I haven't taken part in because of the timing and I'm sure others are the same.

There's nothing to say it always has to be the asme and if new people want to take exchange son board that's great :D