Information AboutCouchsurfing |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT COUCHSURFING | |
| hospitality services | |
| types of tourism | |
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Its members use the website to coordinate accommodation and other services, e.g. showing someone around. It has extensive profiles and uses a credit card verification system for names and addresses and a vouching system so people can judge better whether someone is trustworthy or not. There is also a group system where one can meet people with similar interests or in certain locations, and a live chat room. ORGANIZATION The mission statement is ''to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding.'' In 2003 the non-profit company ''CouchSurfing International, Inc.'' was created by Casey Fenton, who is the CEO and member of the board. The other three founders of CouchSurfing comprise the rest of the board. In 1999 Casey Fenton registered couchsurfing.com with the intention to create CouchSurfing. The website is designed by and registered to Casey Fenton Consulting. FUNCTIONING Membership in the organization is free and is obtained simply by registering on the website. The core activity of the organization is exchange of accommodation. Acting as a host, a member offers the possibility of accommodation at his leisure. As a guest, a traveller may find possible hosts and contact them through the website. No money is involved: guests and hosts do not pay each other. The duration of the stay, whether food is provided for free, for a fee or not at all, and all other conditions are agreed on beforehand to the convenience of both parties. After using the service, the host and guest may comment about each other. This provides a means to establish reputation, which is the main security measure. For full authentication, there is a three-step verification system which at one point asks users to provide their real identity verified by credit card. Volunteers within the club often arrange meetings or camps which are events that last several days that bring people together. CRITICISMS Few members of CouchSurfing regard the network as a dating site, a problem that the founder Casey acknowledges: "Based on what I've seen and heard, these people who come into CS and use it exclusively like a dating site are definitely harming the overall CS experience." However this is probably common to all hospitality sites (and in general to social sites where users can contact each other, for example Flickr.com). The good is that CouchSurfing is speaking openly about it and trying to find all together a solution to this behaviour that might possibly harm the sense of positive community. REFERENCES |
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