Gift Economy Moving Ahead!

Open gifts everyday! Image by opensourceway via Flickr

As you may have noticed the blog posts have not been as regular as I would like but that is about to change. In association with Double Foot Productions and kjwriteleft.com (my other sites) I am working to integrate these sites together. If you have seen the Double Foot Productions site you would know I offer assistance and advice (as a gift!) to any worthwhile individual or organisation. This is my experimental business model incorporating a 'gift economy' with standard commerce. 

I hope to see this work outas it will mean more posts on this site as well as related features on my other websites. Heading towards Christmas I will be having some continuing discussions on "Gifts" in general and the general problems presented when gifts become purely about money and influence. Along with these discussions I will bring up some new points on people and places that are 'gift giving' everyday, even if they don't know it! I hope to highlight some work of great people who would otherwise never get a mention, so if you have a worthwhile idea, organisation or website then please let me know and you may get a huge amount of free publicity (gifted of course!) 

As always I wish all of you the best and look forward to building this blog with all of you and any guest bloggers are always welcome if you have a relevant topic.  

-KJ Halliday Editor of Gift Economy Australia

Giftflow.org Lets you Give and Receive

Image via Wikipedia

I had an interesting email sent to me the other week from one of the creators of giftflow.org which acts a lot like twitter but as an electronic perpetual Christmas tree! I wanted to write about this site earlier but have just added my own first available "gifts" for the site. While this is a very new site it looks promising and as with all ventures like this it needs support before it becomes successful. 

Testing the site was great as the interface was familiar and simple. I am waiting to see if I get any responses though: if you want to see my gifts then go here:

Check out my gift: Limited web design services and advice for good causes

http://www.giftflow.org/gift/182

OR

Photography prints for charity purposes (i.e auctions)
http://www.giftflow.org/gift/181

Hopefully some of you will give the site a go and if you have any talents or needs then you may just find something. Thanks for visiting "The Gift Economy"

Is Helping a 'Gift'?

Image via Wikipedia

When you consider definitions of words and even actions and interactions of people comparing 'help' and a 'gift' are shown to be a study into the dynamics of power. If you give a gift it would be something out of kindness but could also be a way of showing your wealth and perhaps intimidating the recipient. I am not saying this is always the case but someone who receives help from another or an organisation already admits a 'weakness' of a kind as they are the ones in need of assistance. People should (I hope) seek help when they need it but this is not the kind of power dynamic I am speaking about. The person who receives help will immediately in their mind think less of themselves, as if they have failed. This puts them in the weaker position but with help disguised as a 'gift' this blow to the self-esteem is muted somewhat by good social discourse.

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.  If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.  ~Emily Post

So in short answer to this post, yes, helping can be a gift. A longer answer depends on the intention of the gift and the empathy of the gift giver or the person offering assistance. Even today I was asked for directions to a post office, I gave the directions, quick thank you and off he went. Now, was I helping or are directions the 'gift' that has been given. I am of the opinion it is just helping and basic manners. Others may see it as an effort to go out of the way and that it is a gift. I would still disagree, but hey, we're all entitled to opinions. I am starting to sound a bit 'new age' but I am not really aiming this experiment and blog into anything of a belief. Perhaps the belief behind it is:

James 2:17   Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 

Biblical or not it is sound advice for anyone.  With this in mind I should post later on the link between gift economies and religion. I hope you have enjoyed this discussion and I hope to have more for all of you soon.

-KJ

First Step - The Art of Receiving Gifts

The age old question of "should I get the chicken or the pumpkin?" Image via Wikipedia

When thinking about a gift economy you must also consider the impact it has on gift recipients. The feelings that someone gets when they receive a gift are also positive. Everyone feels happy when they receive a gift except for young children that might have expected something better or different. So not only does the one giving a gift feel good about giving but the receiver feels good not only to receive the gift but to also know that someone is thinking about them. This also (undeniably) result in that person wanting to reciprocate. This is why many 'gift economies' turn into a gift exchange which is like bartering without any money involved. Essentially you would 'out-give' the other person. 

Personally I like giving gifts but am not as used to receiving them but there are individual differences especially with age. When you are younger gifts are exciting and usually mean toys. As you get older gifts can become more meaningful especially between long time friends or family. As we get to know each other we get to understand what other people enjoy and thus our art of giving improves and our art of receiving becomes ever more appreciative. As I continue to discuss this in my blog, I hope you can also check out Double Foot Productions page detailing a 'gift' for writers, artists and non-profit organisations. It is all still developing and thanks for any enquiries. 

-KJ

Ideas Don't Change the World. People Do!

A Gift Giving ceremony. Image via Wikipedia

After starting this experiment I thought about the ideas that have changed the world for good and for evil. That is why I am happy this is not a new idea as 'gift economies' operate in our everyday interactions. Although just putting ideas out there seems to change very little. Marx and Engels put forth ideas and that mushroomed into Communist Russia. These types of upheavals will be unlikely to occur because of this blog! Although little things to make the world of difference. That is why (while having this idea) I had been setting up my new websites and thinking about what I could do with spare time and resources if the business was successful. So here you have it, I am giving away assistance with website design and probably more to demonstrate a gift economy.

Welcome to "The Gift Economy" An Experiment

Image via Wikipedia

A brief outline:

After starting an online business I realised that I could use what I know to help other people. It is a very basic principle where I am aiming to improve altruism or the skill of giving. I have available on my website Double Foot Productions a section called the Gift Economy which offers writers, artists and not for profit organisations free website design and promotion. While this sounds strange to have the focus of the business on non-paying customers it is the foundation of paying customers that will make this work. I have also started this blog with intentions of helping to spread this idea to other individuals and businesses.