July 19, 2012
Crowdsourced Cosmetics

One of the most important precursors to the emergence of P2P networks that compete with traditional companies is the introduction of technology that moves production from the factory floor into the home. Naturalis does exactly that for cosmetics. Naturalis allows consumers to mix up their own cosmetics at home.

Launched in April, the Rowenta Naturalis device offers both hot and cold mixing cycles as well as a self-cleaning program. Using an “Helical Emulsion Technology,” the device creates stable emulsions from ingredients chosen by the user. Numerous “recipes” are available in an accompanying guide and on the product site for skin creams, milks, balms and other products. Then, after mixing is done, just water and a few drops of liquid soap need be added for the cleaning cycle to run. The video below demonstrates the Rowenta Naturalis in action at a “beauty soiree” in France:

The next step towards designing P2P activity: get the home cosmetic manufacturers talking and sharing with each other!

July 1, 2012
A List of P2P Businesses

For those of you needing examples of P2P business models, here is a nice long list:

Housing

Food

Personal Finance

  • Lending Club - An online financial community that brings together creditworthy borrowers and savvy investors so that both can benefit financially.
  • Zopa (UK) - Where people get together to lend and borrow money directly with each other, sidestepping the banks for a better deal.
  • Prosper - A peer-to-peer lending site that allows people to invest in each other in a way that is financially and socially rewarding.
  • SmartyPig - social savings bank that enables you to save for specific goals and engage friends and family to contribute.
  • How to Save Money by Sharing

Entrepreneurship / Work

Travel

  • CouchSurfing - An international network that connects travelers with free accommodations offered by locals in over 230 countries. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the local culture than to stay with an friendly local.
  • Airbnb - the leading a fee-based service that connects people who have space to share with travelers looking for lodging, all over the world. Also check out similar services iStopOverRoomorama, and Tripping. Save a ton of money and connect to the local scene through these peer to peer lodging sites.
  • How To Swap Cities - a guide on how to swap offices with someone from another city inspired by SwapYourShop.
  • Try out Vayable or Guidehop for tours and experiences created by independent locals for those seeking authentic experiences.

Land / Gardening

Transportation

Media (Books, Movies, Games, Music)

  • Swap.com - The leading online swap marketplace for books, movies, music and games.  Amazing selection. Update: now swapping everything.
  • BookMooch - Lets you swap books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.
  • Goozex - A trading platform for video games and movies.
  • Paperback Swap - Trade paperback books for free. Also DVDs and  CDs.

Clothing

Redistribution Sites (where unneeded stuff finds a loving home)

  • Freecycle - The original grassroots organization for giving and getting free stuff in your town.
  • Craigslist - This is the ultimate free classified site with categories for free stuff, shares, barters, sublets, garage sales, house swaps, tons of used stuff for sale, and more. New in town? You can set yourself up with a job, an apartment, furniture, and a date all from this site.
  • eBay - International online auction that allows you to buy from and sell to other individuals.
  • Try out Zaarly, a classified service optimized for smartphones.

Renting and sharing of general goods where you live

  • RentalicNeighborgoodsKeepioSnapGoods and Zilok (US & Europe) are leading peer to peer rental and sharing marketplaces.
  • Do you want to co-own something with friends or family? Jointli and Sharezen are the perfect tools to buy, use, and manage a shared asset like cars, boats, planes, tools, real estate, and more.

Campus

  • Chegg - Rent expensive textbooks on the cheap.
  • Better World Books - Save big on used textbooks.
  • CafeScribe - A new service that lets you download electronic copies of your textbook, add friends, and share your notes.
  • GradeGuru - A leading student notesharing and social network.
  • Free Technology Academy - free college classes on open source technology and standards.
  • Open Courseware - free college course materials offered by scores of top universities from around the world. Also check out MIT’s free classes.

Other Guides:

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