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Ten years of mooching!
Ten years ago, BookMooch was born! Admittedly, due to eBooks, traditional books are no longer at their peak, but they're not gone yet! Here are some interesting stats, as of today: - Total books mooched in 10 years: 3,971,409
- Books currently on their way to moochers right now: 6,096
- People who have given books: 106,223
- Active members listing books to give: 14,217
- Book titles available for mooching: 198,318
When I started BookMooch in 2006, I knew that there would be a future decline in traditional books, but I wanted to do this project anyway. I wanted to do my part to see those books already printed remain in circulation, and have them find more readers.At this point, BookMooch's software is fairly "mature" and I only fiddle with it now and then. Mark runs the administration side of things. I run this server on a spare space next to my other projects. I'm currently living in Hong Kong, where I'm running my little espresso machine company Decent Espresso. 
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John Buckman
7 years ago
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Comments
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Congratulations from some of your fans in Oregon. We think BookMooch is wonderful.
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Thanks for keeping Bookmooch going for so long! I really love this site, and my only complaint would be that there aren't more people on here than there are. Everybody should know about this website! It's better than all the other book-swapping websites I've seen.
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been here since 2007... love the site still... THANK YOU!!! Now is there any way to deactivate accounts if someone has not visited in, say, 1500 days? That's like 4 years...
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Congrats on 10 years! I've been here for 9 years & I'm not going anywhere! Decline or not, nothing beats reading a real book! Thanks for all you do!
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Congratulations and thank you for creating this website! I've been here for only 6 months, and I'm always trying to spread the love to share books!
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Happy birthday, Bookmooch!
Thank you for all your work!
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I have been a member since 2006 and BookMooch meets my expectations as to giving away books and receiving books in return! It helped me complete my BA and work on my MA, as accessing academic books was difficult for me! You've done a great job and I hope it lives on with the help of its members and the community.
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Buon compleanno Bookmooch! ^^ and thank you very much John!
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I love bookmooch and have met some very nice moochers and received great books, thanks John for everything
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THANK YOU JOHN!
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I've been a member for more than eight years, and I still visit this site at least once every day. I get 90% of my books from BookMooch, and that's a lot of books!
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Ten years - it seems like only half-an-hour ago... Congratulations for recycling books for over a decade - how time flies when you're mooching and reading!
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Joined: 2006/08/14 (just had to look it up) Congratulations and thank you so much. Not only have I been able to get my hands on some really terrific books that I might not have otherwise come across, I've also found a way to clean out the books I no longer wanted in a way that pretty much guarantees they will be used and enjoyed. My old books didn't end up in the recycle bin and I didn't have to send them to a second hand store to face who knows what fate. Thanks again!
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I've also been a member since 08/14/2006. Congratulations, John, and thank you so very, very much for the ten years of books and their pleasures. ~MS
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Congratulations and thank you from Italy!!!
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Thank you!!
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I received and sent almost 1200 books in 8 years. A lot of them were simply wonderful. Congratulations and thank you.
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You're all very welcome, and it was very rewarding to me to see not only so many great comments, but also that mooching had really helped many of you. There was one comment that was a kind of question:
| | Now is there any way to deactivate accounts if someone has not visited in, say, 1500 days? That's like 4 years... |
Accounts are deactivated (put on vacation) when someone doesn't answer a mooch request. Otherwise, they might not be using the site, but willing to send books out. So... if you want to deactivate old accounts, just mooch a book from them. If they don't respond they'll be put on vacation.
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First, I would like to say thank you for this site: I've been a member for many years and hope to enjoy many more years here. However, I must respond to your statement about vacationing long inactive accounts. Vacationing accounts only works if the member actually has books in their inventory, but I have seen many that do not. Also, vacationing an account doesn't vacation the member's wishlist, which creates a false impression of a book's demand. I know there are many valid reasons for not deleting inactive accounts, but vacationing wishlists would be a great service to the members who are still active. Again, thank you for this wonderful site.
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10 years is great. There has been a decline in e-book sales in the US but not in other countries. In the UK real books have seen an uptick. Bookmooch has done a lot, but I cannot help wonder if some software improvements could not keep some more readers and increase to other countries. I cannot believe that there are only 6 people in Pakistan or other really low numbers that would use and benefit from bookmooch. Why does Italy have so many and country X so few for example? I wonder why there are not more. Numbers are not everything I mooched books today and would send too if people mooched mine, but in this case I think of all the connections not being built and books not being circulated. More people might make it more likely to get those on my wishlist (many which seem to be with Moochers in the USA who will Mooch from me but not send to me -a little unfair). There is always the worry that tomorrow we wake up and find the site has collapsed and that is it all points gone and no mooches for you no matter what your account says! So in short well done and keep on, but lets have some innovations in projects and interfaces to see if we can motivate more book circulation in the sharing economy without giving in to the exploitative one.
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I'very been a member from the beginning, and one of your biggest fans. My apartment is filled with Bookmooch books! Thanks for everything!
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I've been a member since 2008, and while other bookswapping sites have come and gone or changed their rules (I'm looking at you, Paperbackswap!), my beloved Bookmooch has stayed strong! I have discovered so many awesome books through this site, and I love knowing that I can make someone's day by sending them a book they've been looking for! Thank you, John, for keeping this going! :)
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I've been a member since January '07. I don't like to hear about the decline of traditional books because I don't do e-books (no computer at home or other device). Lots of people like used books and they also go to the library book sales (a good place to pick up a lot of books that you can later trade here!). I've gotten lots of good books here so congratulations.
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i love this place. I wish i could find more books on my wish list. As long as this is around so will I. Thanks so much for having this available to everyone.
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Congratulations Mr. John!
I prefer paper books and i think Bookmooch is a wonderful project.
Thank you Mr. John!
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Happy Birthday BookMooch!
It's such a great site, and a great idea for getting books into the right reader's hands. Nothing will replace the serendipity of coming across a wonderful book you didn't know existed.
Thanks John!
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John, you are wonderful. I cannot thank you enough for Bookmooch. Been a member for some time now, and am finally able to satisfy my book craving. I do read a lot, and have met some great people. Many with reading entrusts like mine. Nothing beats holding a book. Thank You.
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Thanks so much so setting this up. It means I can afford to read as much as I like and not always have to worry about getting a book back in time. Happy birthday bookmooch
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Congratulations! And thank you. I still love my bookmooch. Buying newly discovered series gets pretty expensive, especially in E-books. All the best to you in the future.
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I love physical books much more than e-books! Love my bookmooch, but it seems not as many participate. Which is not good since I love to read. Plus it's harder for me to get points now that we don't get a tenth of a point for acknowledging receipt! I miss that still! Thanks for what you have done! ~~Laura
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Congratulations. I still love giving and mooching but I NEVER do e-books. Have to have the physical book in my hand.
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congratulations ! i still love giving and mooching but i never do e-books !
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Bravo, John! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this! I love knowing that my books are going to an appreciative audience, and it encourages me not to keep books unnecessarily. --Ellen
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I have been part of the bookmooch community for 7 years I think? I have become an avid reader in the past 15 years and I was really excited when a friend passed me your bookmooch.com business card. I still get books from a reader service but I have mooched many of them and received many others from moochers.
Thank you for providing me with stories that I would not have been able to get my hands on.
blessings,
Phyl
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I was very happy and overwhelmed when I discovered that a website like this exists, allowing book exchange all over the world. At first, I discovered certain websites that were only available for US citizens. This idea of circulating books for free was some kind of a revelation. I am very grateful to you and could not express with words what does this mean. I joined BookMooch in 2009, and am the only person from Macedonia with the longest presence on the site. I immediately shared this wonderful place with all my friends, acquaintances, everybody I know. Many of them found rare books, comics, other literature. I did to. As someone above, in the comments said, some hard to find books, or out of print, or older imprints, are found here. Some books, from my wishlist, even today are not available, but I found one that I have been waiting for years, and it came this year. At the moment, one book that I sent is travelling to Israel. I absolutely love BookMooch, even though the "traffic" is not so frequent these days. I think the peak of my mooching was the year 2010 (and maybe 2011) when I sent and received the highest number of books. I noticed that the intensity slightly fell down in recent years. All of my friends somehow lost interest in BookMooch, only I remained loyal. This is the best online place for book exchange. Several years ago, my country had more than a dozen active members, now there are only two, the other possibly inactive. I constantly check the situation in the region of southeast Europe, who is new, who has left, the inventories etc. In many different countries. In some countries, there are thousands of members. They couldn't be counted. I also wish to thank the BM angels, that have helped me receive one or two books. This system works great and even today I recommend it to some new folks. I am very happy to be part of this wonderful idea, something that I consider to be very special. Thank you very much once again for making it possible. Happy birthday to BookMooch, I hope it will continue in this pace. Thanks to all the people that sent books to me, that mooched from me, I keep all the envelopes, as some reminder that this is true, that this really exists. With a few people have remained in contact, I keep a friends list as well.
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Yay! Here's to 10 years more!:) I've been a member for about 8 years now, and although changes in local postage prices and package sizes introduced a few years back put a serious cramp on my sending books, I'm still here and will be as long as there's BookMooch. I'm still amazed by all the wonderful books I've got through BookMooch and the people here.
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I love love love Book Mooch, thank you so much for starting this site and keeping it up and running!
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I, like everyone commenting before me, LOVE Book Mooch and congratulate you on 10 years.
A previous comment notes that it is unfair when one chooses to ship internationally to those who do not reciprocate. I would like to offer that I look at it this way: I am lucky enough to be able to afford to send internationally but many people cannot. Book Mooch is great for people of all incomes and we are all equal in our love of books. I just paid $22.00 to ship to Japan (I think that should be worth more than 3 points by the way...LOL). That hurt a little, BUT I hope it went to someone who just doesn't have access to the books they love or can't afford to buy them. It is more practical for many on a budget to get a book for free than to mail a book internationally. Be thankful you can.
It makes me happy that I might have helped someone out a little when I pay it forward sending a book with crazy international shipping costs and getting books for "free" makes me happier!
Thank you to all Book Mooch members!!
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I must say thank you. Bookmooch was a great find. it is hard to find the books that I love to read here in Jamaica and I must say that I wish I had known about it sooner. Still trying to get some of those books. As John stated ebook is the trend but I love the feel of the actual book in my hand.
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Great person! :-) Congrats for everything, and good luck!
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Love Bookmooch! Am grateful for for all the books that were delivered to my door and all the many people who participated to make it happen. Thanks, John, for making it possible. Elizabeth
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Many thanks to everybody past, present and future.
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My daughter introduced me to Book Mooch about 7 years ago. It is much better than Paperback Swap ever was. I have 90 inches times 10 shelves of paperback books in my possession. Most of them I wouldn't part with for love or money. My daughter sent me a Kindle for Mother's day and I do enjoy it; BUT there is so much more comfort in holding a real book in your hands. My books are in my bedroom and are such a pleasure to see first thing in the morning..........Thank you so much for this website.........Barby W of Idaho
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Dear John:
I can't thank you enough for the fun you've given me by creating this site. It helps me to keep down the clutter in my house, too, because it's so easy to release a book into the waiting hands of someone who is eager to read it! When I have a good haul at the thrift shop, I often look up the books on BookMooch to see which ones have the longest waitlists. Then, when I'm trying to decide what to read, I read those first. Although I am lucky that many of my friends are fellow book fiends, it's also a great treat to hop on the 'Mooch and see that we are in good company all around the world. You've done a wonderful deed.
Ellen
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I have been a fan and member for years, and love the site. I own a kindle and do buy ebooks, but I have years of books on paper that I really love to share. A few years ago I had to suspend sending outside the USA because I can't afford it any more. But sharing my books has always been important to me. I do wish that the USPS would bring back its old international book rate, which allowed me, as a kid, to send books to Nigeria for a penpal I had at a cost even a little girl could afford. One thing that troubled me today was that I wanted to give points to charities (I've done that regularly over the years because I tend to give away more books than I order) but found ALL the listed charities had lots of points already. Any new ones coming down the pipeline? I want my donations to mean something, and when I see these fold have several hundred (in some cases well above a thousand) I think they aren't really trying to get good books for their libraries or whatever project. I know I have put good books for children or young adults on my list periodically, and they tend to languish on the listing for a long time.
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I have been a fan and member for years, and love the site. I own a kindle and do buy ebooks, but I have years of books on paper that I really love to share. A few years ago I had to suspend sending outside the USA because I can't afford it any more. But sharing my books has always been important to me. I do wish that the USPS would bring back its old international book rate, which allowed me, as a kid, to send books to Nigeria for a penpal I had at a cost even a little girl could afford. One thing that troubled me today was that I wanted to give points to charities (I've done that regularly over the years because I tend to give away more books than I order) but found ALL the listed charities had lots of points already. Any new ones coming down the pipeline? I want my donations to mean something, and when I see these folks have several hundred (in some cases well above a thousand) I think they aren't really trying to get good books for their libraries or whatever project. I know I have put good books for children or young adults on my list periodically, and they tend to languish on the listing for a long time.
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John,
We do believe that your "angel mooch network" is not being taken care of again. We had problems with it a couple of years ago but it wasn't like it is today. it hasn't been looked at in over 600 days. Could you see if that can be fixed, thanks
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I'm Loving Bookmooch and hoping that there will be more publicity in 2017. Any plans to spread the word more soon?
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"You can get all the ebooks you want, read them and keep them somwhere safe, for that is the most important thing in the world, reading!" are you sure the most important thing in the world isn't stealing copyrighted material?
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