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From TechCrunch

Swapping sites are nothing new (see Dig N’ Swap), but in Japan we like to trade our junk via our mobile phones. That is what the Japanese social sharing service Sharemo is all about. The site’s ambitious idea is to contribute to overcoming Japan’s throwaway society.

This is how it works: Users can offer any item they don’t need anymore (DVDs, comics and clothes are especially popular) on Sharemo. If the item is useful to another member, it can be rented, used and then relisted. This procedure is repeated until one Sharemo user decides to keep the item. The system keeps track of all actions and allocates points to active members, which can be donated or redeemed to rent items.

Sharemo’s crucial point is the complete absence of money and the reliance on trust among the members. In Japan at least, the concept pans out as expected: Although the mobile site isn’’t actively being promoted yet, Sharemo it already racks up 400,000 page views monthly.

Sharemo is operated by Enigmo, a company setting itself apart from other Japanese web companies by an international mind-set. Their promotion networks rollmio and pressblog are successful outside Japan already, and Sharemo is set to follow suit in the mobile space. Will this concept work outside of Japan?

When I read all the comments below this story posting at TechCrunch, many of them say “this is great but it will never work in America” or “how does the site make money”. Valid points for a business model, no doubt, but they are missing something important. In the social context of Web 2.0, “social capital” can be very important. Sharing lots of items can gain you many points and therefore a lot of capital within the context of the site. The thing we know about Web 2.0 though is that “social capital” can transcend the site that spawns it. It can remain attached to your online persona… and that, my friends, is important.

Not to mention the sheer usefulness and purposefulness of the main goal of the site which I will repeat—The site’s ambitious idea is to contribute to overcoming Japan’s throwaway society. This is a forward thinking concept. I actually think that something like this could take off in the U.S. In “word of mouth” communities, a concept like this makes sense especially as we see ecological issues reaching the public mind-set.

The other thing that is unique about this site is that it has a mobile component that is key. Users can do all of their sharing thru a mobile web site. So initiating a “share” could happen wherever and whenever. Very useful indeed.

I launched the app from the QR code on their standard web site but had some difficulties. I probably do not have the right character set, etc.

The Design of their regular web site, is compelling in and of itself. I can appreciate that.