Really? Because it’s our birthday too! Yay, Zwaggle! It’s been a wonderful, exciting year and we’ve made some amazing friends out there. Thanks for your support. Zwaggle has grown by leaps and bounds, much like the first year of a newborn baby. With over 7000 registered families in all 50 states and approaching 1800 completed trades, the Zwaggle love has been spread far and wide. I know that I, myself, have really benefited from my trades. (Although, maybe not the one that almost got me arrested. But certainly every other one!)
And the best birthday parties are the all inclusive ones. Even better, the parties that gift the guests - now, those are ROCKIN’ good times. (I never seem to be invited to THOSE parties…) Except this time. And why celebrate just one day when you can celebrate all month? Every Sunday during the month of August, Zwaggle will post premium prizes - a Bugaboo stroller, a Wii, American Girl dolls, and the coveted Webkinz. Even better, throughout the week there will be all kinds of cool new items posted on the site - so visit early and visit often!
The icing on the cake (oooh, I love icing…) is that the Zoints collected from this party gifts will be donated to local Head Start chapters all across the country. AND sellers will earn Double Zoints during the month of August and be entered to win a special 1,000 point shopping spree - the list goes on and on. With presents like these, the Zwaggle birthday party is a sweet deal for all involved - much like icing. (Apparently, I have a one track mind when it comes to sweets today…)
Come early, come often, and help us celebrate our birthday in style. Gifts for everyone!
In addition to the amazing feedback we received from all the attendees at the conference about Zwaggle and the Zwaggle Recycling Room. There’s also been a bunch of great posts out there talking about Zwaggle as well. Check out just a few of them:
There are so many more, but that’s just a sampling.
Even more exciting was this note from Jill the director of Create Now, the charity we sent a bunch of the swag to.
“Thanks so much, Adam, Zwaggle and BlogHer for sending us these wonderful items. The troubled kids that Create Now! serves will love them, especially since most of them have so little in their lives. It will mean a lot for them to know that people like you and the bloggers at the conference who donated their goodies really care.
The items you sent to us will have several uses: (1) After all of our arts mentoring workshops, such as a music class or an art project, we give all of the kids gift bags with goodies inside, including candy, Certificates of Completion, CDs and other things. These items will be perfect for that; (2) We sometimes sponsor Talent Shows for the kids and these make fun prizes; (3) Some of our youth are parents themselves and they occasionally bring their children to our office. The Circus DVD will be entertaining and they will enjoy the magnets.”
I won’t lie. This all feels great.
Thanks everyone!
BlogHer ‘08 was a rockin’ success from seemingly every angle. Particularly exciting was that the Zwaggle Recycling Room did an amazing job of collecting the unwanted swag that conference attendees were given and passing it on to those who did want it. Some of the swag was barely seen - I think we collected a handful of “50 free print” cards from Snapfish. Some of the swag was a bit less popular - anyone need a florescent light bulb recycling kit? When all was said and done, by our best guestimate we recycled more than 1,000 pounds of swag, either by repurposing items to other bloggers who wanted it, sending the unwanted gifts back to the vendors, donating items to Create Now or out and out recycling. Go, Team Zwaggle!
The best part of the conference was passing on the message of Zwaggle to the public. Time and again, bloggers asked me, “What is Zwaggle, anyway?” When I started to explain, the furrowed brows cleared and the light of comprehension dawned in their eyes. “OH, wow,” one said. “What an awesome idea!” It is, indeed. Passing your unused gear to those who need it - it’s the old fashioned hand me down system, with an Internet twist (and a whole lot of other really cool features and benefits). I really think after this weekend, more people “get it” than ever before, and I’m psyched to see how explosive this whole community is going to become. Zwaggle has gotten some great press on this, as we approach the first year anniversary of the company.
Freecycle, look out! You’ve got NOTHING on Zwaggle!
