Today we’re adding our seventh swap site.* The site is TitleTrader, and it’s a BIG addition. We can’t give site-by-site holdings statistics, but TitleTrader adds a lot. Finding a book to swap through LibraryThing is getting easier and easier. Check out these numbers:

• Of the top 1,000 works on LibraryThing, 92% have a least one copy available for swapping.
• Of the top 10,000 works, 73% have a least one copy available for swapping.

Here’s what the creator, Dan Abercrombie, has to say about making the TitleTrader and what sets it apart:

“The site was started in Sept of 2004. A few months earlier my sister came to me with the idea for a new website … She had a lot of books and a small house and thought it would be a good idea to get rid of them. I put it together in a few weeks and have been working on it since. Since then there have been a lot of entrants into the space, each with their own take on the idea. … From what I can tell, we’re the largest site that has not only books, but CDs, DVDs, VHS, etc.** It provides a nice flexibility being able to trade a CD for a DVD for example. We’re also one of the few sites that supports international trading, users can select which countries they will ship to. Our users also seem to like the ability to choose which item is sent to them and from whom, based on condition or rating.”

So give a warm welcome to TitleTrader, and to its members.

To the remaining sites that haven’t joined: What’s keeping you? Choice is good. Letting your users integrate their favorite websites is good. Aren’t you getting lonely in your walled gardens?

*Actually, we have eight in the system. I’m waiting on a technical tweak by number eight before I show the logo and blog about it. Does anyone know of any sites I’ve missed?
**You’ll notice that TitleTrader comes in fouth in the list. This is according to the original invitation, that gives book-only sites priority over non-book sites, and then sorts within those categories by Alexa rating.

PS: Minor technical note. The “Give yours” link for TitleTrader currently only works if you’re signed in. Dan tells me he can fix that.

Labels: 1