Here's the current version of the FAQ (with markup). Eventually we'll have a translated version too for the French side.
What is the Jack of all trades Universe?
JoatU is the easiest way to find community. Free events, lots of opportunities to help others, and a marketplace for goods and services that encourages bartering.
What is an individual offer?
JoatU encourages it's members to list their talents and goods to sell, trade, rent, lend or give away. For example, I'll grow you a tomato plant, tutor you, lend you a power-tool for an equitable exchange. This one-on-one exchange is also known as an individual offer. There is second type of exchange named a community offer.
What is a community offer?
A community offer is an offer made by a user or a request made by a community organization. For example, one might offer to plant a community vegetable garden or teach a publicly accessible class. These offers made for the benefit of the community are 100% free to attend and/or benefit from. The person making the offer is paid in Community Action Points which are generated by the community and the JoatU website collaboratively.
What is a Community Action Point?
Community Action Points or 'Caps' are credit points that are given out when a user completes a community offer (e.g. Painting a community organization). Caps exist to promote benevolent acts within your community. Users with credits can trade them to other members of the JoatU community in exchange for services or products.
How are Caps created?
The Jack of all trades Universe is a credit-based system. There is no debt, only credit.
CAPS are created in two separate ways:
A community organization needs a room painted and a user decides to respond to the request. The user paints the room and when the organization confirms that the request has been fulfilled, a predetermined amount of caps will be placed into the user's account.
A user may fill out a community offer form. The user details the offering which is then verified by moderators. After the completion of the offer verified by the moderators (or a trusted user), the predetermined amount of CAPS will be placed into the user's account.
How are the amount of CAPS determined?
In the Alpha version of JoatU, 20 CAPS are generated per hour of service to the community. In the near future, we will be surveying the community allowing everyone to express their views on the needs of their community and to help determine the different hourly rates in Community Action Points given to volunteer workers. An average of the results will determine the different categorical values. Categories may include broad subjects such as 'education', 'health', or 'environment' where users are given a certain amount of points to distribute among the different categories.
Are there other ways to earn caps?
Yes. If someone has already earned caps, you can choose to accept them as a part of a bartered transaction.
Caps hold no resemblance to Bitcoin. The Cap is not cryptographic coin. It is a simple in-game currency that Joatu itself generates. Caps resemble the gold generated in World of Warcraft more than Bitcoin.
Why do we need Caps?
In JoatU, we want to encourage people to involve themselves in their local communities. We believe this is a good way to do it. JoatU is an online marketplace that benefits your community the more you use it. The caps are tradable and are used both to facilitate online transactions and to fund community-oriented projects -- community gardening, free education, initiatives for a cleaner and safer community – the sky’s the limit.
Why should I want to be a part of JoatU?
The transactions you perform on JoatU could be the same ones that you’d be making already. In your everyday life, you would lend a friend a book, or help a family member paint their porch, or hire a singing teacher to give you lessons. JoatU helps bring the entire community together to perform these exchanges more easily, all while creating resources for community projects. The more involved in JoatU you become, the more of a resource you become to your neighborhood, and the more you should feel great about your contribution to the community!
Why should I use caps in my exchanges?
Look at caps like your Air Miles. They aren't good for everything, but you earn points and get rewarded with certain goods and services in return. With JoatU, these points go towards the betterment of your community (instead of towards buying a toaster). JoatU puts the focus on community-building and creating a sustainable economy that is fair and governed directly by the people who use it.
Do I need to use caps in my exchanges?
It is not mandatory to use caps in your exchanges. However, when using caps, the whole community benefits. A given transaction can be bartered through a combination of caps, goods, services, and old-fashioned money.
Are there other benefits to using caps besides helping the community?
Absolutely! The way the system will be grown to encourage fairer pricing when compared to other means of exchange. You also help improve your own community, and get to participate in free community projects of your choosing. As the community grows, so will the benefits for using caps.
Will businesses accept caps as a currency?
As JoatU develops, local business integration will be critical (and we are already working on ideas on how to get them involved), but in the initial phases there will not be any immediate business integration.
Why would businesses accept JoatU?
Local businesses depend on the support of their neighborhood. This is a way to integrate themselves, prove their value, and gain marketshare all at the same time. Their agreement to accept the social credit in exchange for their goods and services supports others’ community efforts to clean up parks, volunteer at non-profits, plant gardens, offer free classes, etc. This is also a highly effective way for businesses to market themselves as their audience will be incredibly local.
Technical Questions:
How do you prevent fraud?
We prevent fraud by building an open-source infrastructure made and protected by the open-source community. Security features will be integral to JoatU.
If a user does not fulfill their end of the exchange, they will receive a negative review and could be refused CAPS. Depending on the severity of the case, further action may be taken against them. The rules of the community will ultimately be determined by the community and may be different in different parts of the world. JoatU will also use an escrow system, protecting the purchaser and allowing him or her the time to confirm that the service had been provided before payment.
How does one-on-one trading work?
One-on-one trading is simple. Simply, you perform a search for the service or product you are seeking out. Find the person you may like to exchange with and send them a message. Discuss a possible trade with CAPS, direct barter or some other exchange.After a few messages, you can propose a contract (built into the messaging system) and then negotiate. Once confirmed, the time and date are set and the CAPS are held in escrow. After the trading has occurred, the buyer must confirm and leave a review to allow the CAPS to flow into the other person’s account.
How is this different than other bartering systems?
Here are some notable differences as compared to other bartering/alt-currency systems: There are no basic membership fees. There is no initial amount of caps given to users. The users using JoatU can use it like they might use craigslist, by selling things for money. The site is meant to open up trade and barter for everything and anything. People have the choice as to whether or not to use the caps in their transactions. Community offers are designed more openly and can be proposed to the community by individuals. The community decides on the value of community offers through a direct democratic process. You can lend things for caps. The community functions based on distance, so it pushes for hyper-localization. It also uses GPS mapping for search results to allow you to really get to know what your neighbors can offer.
Will you be able to trade with Bitcoin, Dogecoin or other alt-currencies?
Of course! You can trade in stamps or bottle caps if someone is willing to accept them! JoatU is a free market exchange.
How do we keep our members safe?
Just like with couchsurfing.org, the references are an integral part of the trust we hope to create within our community. JoatU will have moderators (paid for their contributions in caps) who will respond to reports of abuse.
How do references work?
Positive references will accumulate as experience points (XP) for users, allowing them to gain higher levels to demonstrating their dedication to the JoatUniverse.
Will the site remain free?
Yes. JoatU relies heavily on the community, and will not charge fees for basic membership. We may integrate premium memberships that will have a cost associated with them.
Glossary
Direct Democracy In representative democracy we elect people to make decisions on our behalf. In direct democracy, we take those decisions upon ourselves. I.E. The community decides what is best for their sustainability and growth.
Here's the current version of the FAQ (with markup). Eventually we'll have a translated version too for the French side.
What is the Jack of all trades Universe?
JoatU is the easiest way to find community. Free events, lots of opportunities to help others, and a marketplace for goods and services that encourages bartering.
What is an individual offer?
JoatU encourages it's members to list their talents and goods to sell, trade, rent, lend or give away. For example, I'll grow you a tomato plant, tutor you, lend you a power-tool for an equitable exchange. This one-on-one exchange is also known as an individual offer. There is second type of exchange named a community offer.
What is a community offer?
A community offer is an offer made by a user or a request made by a community organization. For example, one might offer to plant a community vegetable garden or teach a publicly accessible class. These offers made for the benefit of the community are 100% free to attend and/or benefit from. The person making the offer is paid in Community Action Points which are generated by the community and the JoatU website collaboratively.
What is a Community Action Point?
Community Action Points or 'Caps' are credit points that are given out when a user completes a community offer (e.g. Painting a community organization). Caps exist to promote benevolent acts within your community. Users with credits can trade them to other members of the JoatU community in exchange for services or products.
How are Caps created?
The Jack of all trades Universe is a credit-based system. There is no debt, only credit.
CAPS are created in two separate ways:
How are the amount of CAPS determined?
In the Alpha version of JoatU, 20 CAPS are generated per hour of service to the community. In the near future, we will be surveying the community allowing everyone to express their views on the needs of their community and to help determine the different hourly rates in Community Action Points given to volunteer workers. An average of the results will determine the different categorical values. Categories may include broad subjects such as 'education', 'health', or 'environment' where users are given a certain amount of points to distribute among the different categories.
Are there other ways to earn caps?
Yes. If someone has already earned caps, you can choose to accept them as a part of a bartered transaction.
Will the creation of more Caps lead to inflation?
Not likely, no. Here is a full explanation why increased monetary creation does not lead to inflation.
Are Caps anything Like Bitcoin?
Caps hold no resemblance to Bitcoin. The Cap is not cryptographic coin. It is a simple in-game currency that Joatu itself generates. Caps resemble the gold generated in World of Warcraft more than Bitcoin.
Why do we need Caps?
In JoatU, we want to encourage people to involve themselves in their local communities. We believe this is a good way to do it. JoatU is an online marketplace that benefits your community the more you use it. The caps are tradable and are used both to facilitate online transactions and to fund community-oriented projects -- community gardening, free education, initiatives for a cleaner and safer community – the sky’s the limit.
Why should I want to be a part of JoatU?
The transactions you perform on JoatU could be the same ones that you’d be making already. In your everyday life, you would lend a friend a book, or help a family member paint their porch, or hire a singing teacher to give you lessons. JoatU helps bring the entire community together to perform these exchanges more easily, all while creating resources for community projects. The more involved in JoatU you become, the more of a resource you become to your neighborhood, and the more you should feel great about your contribution to the community!
Why should I use caps in my exchanges?
Look at caps like your Air Miles. They aren't good for everything, but you earn points and get rewarded with certain goods and services in return. With JoatU, these points go towards the betterment of your community (instead of towards buying a toaster). JoatU puts the focus on community-building and creating a sustainable economy that is fair and governed directly by the people who use it.
Do I need to use caps in my exchanges?
It is not mandatory to use caps in your exchanges. However, when using caps, the whole community benefits. A given transaction can be bartered through a combination of caps, goods, services, and old-fashioned money.
Are there other benefits to using caps besides helping the community?
Absolutely! The way the system will be grown to encourage fairer pricing when compared to other means of exchange. You also help improve your own community, and get to participate in free community projects of your choosing. As the community grows, so will the benefits for using caps.
Will businesses accept caps as a currency?
As JoatU develops, local business integration will be critical (and we are already working on ideas on how to get them involved), but in the initial phases there will not be any immediate business integration.
Why would businesses accept JoatU?
Local businesses depend on the support of their neighborhood. This is a way to integrate themselves, prove their value, and gain marketshare all at the same time. Their agreement to accept the social credit in exchange for their goods and services supports others’ community efforts to clean up parks, volunteer at non-profits, plant gardens, offer free classes, etc. This is also a highly effective way for businesses to market themselves as their audience will be incredibly local.
Technical Questions:
How do you prevent fraud?
We prevent fraud by building an open-source infrastructure made and protected by the open-source community. Security features will be integral to JoatU.
If a user does not fulfill their end of the exchange, they will receive a negative review and could be refused CAPS. Depending on the severity of the case, further action may be taken against them. The rules of the community will ultimately be determined by the community and may be different in different parts of the world. JoatU will also use an escrow system, protecting the purchaser and allowing him or her the time to confirm that the service had been provided before payment.
How does one-on-one trading work?
One-on-one trading is simple. Simply, you perform a search for the service or product you are seeking out. Find the person you may like to exchange with and send them a message. Discuss a possible trade with CAPS, direct barter or some other exchange.After a few messages, you can propose a contract (built into the messaging system) and then negotiate. Once confirmed, the time and date are set and the CAPS are held in escrow. After the trading has occurred, the buyer must confirm and leave a review to allow the CAPS to flow into the other person’s account.
How is this different than other bartering systems?
Here are some notable differences as compared to other bartering/alt-currency systems: There are no basic membership fees. There is no initial amount of caps given to users. The users using JoatU can use it like they might use craigslist, by selling things for money. The site is meant to open up trade and barter for everything and anything. People have the choice as to whether or not to use the caps in their transactions. Community offers are designed more openly and can be proposed to the community by individuals. The community decides on the value of community offers through a direct democratic process. You can lend things for caps. The community functions based on distance, so it pushes for hyper-localization. It also uses GPS mapping for search results to allow you to really get to know what your neighbors can offer.
Will you be able to trade with Bitcoin, Dogecoin or other alt-currencies?
Of course! You can trade in stamps or bottle caps if someone is willing to accept them! JoatU is a free market exchange.
How do we keep our members safe?
Just like with couchsurfing.org, the references are an integral part of the trust we hope to create within our community. JoatU will have moderators (paid for their contributions in caps) who will respond to reports of abuse.
How do references work?
Positive references will accumulate as experience points (XP) for users, allowing them to gain higher levels to demonstrating their dedication to the JoatUniverse.
Will the site remain free?
Yes. JoatU relies heavily on the community, and will not charge fees for basic membership. We may integrate premium memberships that will have a cost associated with them.
Glossary
Direct Democracy In representative democracy we elect people to make decisions on our behalf. In direct democracy, we take those decisions upon ourselves. I.E. The community decides what is best for their sustainability and growth.