Campaign:CommunityCouch

This page was copied from the OpenCouchSurfing.org wiki

Definition

A CommunityCouch is an alternative functionality on the CouchSurfing website which allows for community-level membership profiles for certain groups of people (or communities).

The Problem

As it stands now, CouchSurfing profiles generally are individualistic endeavors. It provides individuals (and occasionally groups of 2-4 people) with a space to use in order to engage in what the website has to offer – namely surfing couches and networking between couch surfers. However, the system as it currently stands is restrictive in that it lacks a functionality specifically designed for groups of people and communities. This is especially important in communities that would benefit from or prefer a more communal way of interacting (this may include but is not limited to communities that are non-western, rural, poorer, and/or non-white which are all under-represented in the CouchSurfing community. In sum, the problem as it stands it to make CouchSurfing an experience that is more ‘usable’ to under-represented groups and cultures.

Suggested Solution: CommunityCouch

CommunityCouch Profile

This community couch profile would represent groups of people in communities who would want to join and make better use of CS. Some entries on the profile (that are not present on current individual profiles) should include:

• Type of CommunityCouch. This field would explain what type of community couch this is. It could be roommates in an apartment, a group of people in a local neighborhood, a rural village, etc.

• Contact information for the community’s representative who is there to enable communication between potential surfers and the community as a whole. This representative could either be a member of the community or, in cases where the community does not have access to the internet, could be someone outside of the community but connected to, respected and trusted by the people in the community. Contact information ‘fields’ should include:
  • Representative’s Name
  • Rep’s association with the community
  • Rep’s Email and phone number (seen only by admin)
  • Rep’s address (for admin)
  • Language spoken by the Rep.
  • Most importantly, there should be a clear separation between the information about the community and the Representative’s contact information.
  • If the Representative already has his own profile on CS, this should somehow be clear on the CommunityCouch profile.

• Community Location would be the general location of the CommunityCouch. It may or may not be a different location than the Rep’s. Most importantly, it should not be the ‘exact’ location so as to prevent people from just showing up.

• There should be a section in which details the language(s) spoken by members of the community.

• Photos section

• Other fields should include:
  • Information about the community (history, culture and other general information about the community).
  • Community’s details
  • Cultural sensitivities
  • Community’s philosophy
  • Things to do in the community (volunteering, working, fun, sights, etc)
  • Teach, learn, share.

• “Couch Information” section should be entirely different from the on for individual surfers. This should include fields such as:
  • Couch Available (with a dropdown menu with a range of dates)
  • Type of surfers allowed
  • Preferred gender
  • Couch details
  • Rules of the Couch and how to act in the community
  • Meals included? (some communities would provide meals for free or for a cost)
  • Requested length of stay (min stay and max stay)
  • Is there a required contribution?
    • If so, what type of contribution? (Financial, volunteer work, gift, etc)
      • If the contribution is financial, what is the requested ‘donation’ amount?
      • If a gift is requested, there should be an explanation of how gift-giving may work in the cultural context of the community.
      • If the contribution is volunteering/working, then what type of work is it?
    • Where will the contribution go? (Will it go towards a nonprofit organization that works within the community, to a community / local government fund for a specific project, etc).
    • It should also be made clear that Surfers are not ‘paying’ any individual for a couch. The couch is still free. The payment is more a donation to the community to allow them to host the individual and pay for their food if necessary. Therefore, no one should be making a profit out of this but the community (especially a poor one) should not suffer any strain that comes with hosting a surfer.

Searching for a CommunityCouch

• The couch search function on CS would need to be revised so as to create a separate “Community CouchSearch”.
• CommunityCouches should be searchable by “Type of Couch”, location, etc.

Can individuals within the community have profiles?

• Individuals who are a part of the community that has a community couch should be able to somehow be connected to the couch.
• This should be allowed if approved by the CommunityCouch Representative.

Selection of Representative of CommunityCouch

• Despite the constraint on CommunityCouches access to internet in the developing countries, nevertheless there should be proportion of Individual members of CommunityCouch (calculated from the size of the community) represented who would validate/confirm their representative.

Administration of 'Representative Responsibility'

• There should be a two representatives for each community to make sure that when one representative is not available, the back-up representative could assume administrative responsibilities such as online communication with potential CouchSurfers.
• A CommunityCouch surfing request (CCSR) should be forwarded automatically to all registered members of the community so that they have their say in the matter.

Friends of CommunityCouch

• Individuals who have surfed at a CommunityCouch can become friends with the community if approved by the CommunityCouch Rep.
• CommunityCouches should be able to network and become friends with other CommunityCouches.

Designations

• There should be a new designation created that differentiates individuals vouching for individuals and Communities vouching for individuals. This way, Representatives can know that individuals have had experience with surfing CommunityCouches and that they will be sensitive to the community.
• Communities should be able to get verified.