Is BorrowMe dead?

The website’s still up, I can still log in, but I haven’t heard anything from it in a very long while. The last entry in their beta blog is from August! Have they flopped? Been acquired?

That would be the only way for them to survive, I think. Getting bought by MySpace, Facebook or some other big social network. Building a big network on your own these days isn’t so easy anymore, and they could have their idea implemented as another feature in an already-existing social site.

Now did the fact that it was such a purpose-focused network help it not grow? There are some pretty large network built around specific interests, like photos, video, even comic books. Why not stuff-sharing?

Borrowing from strangers

Reading my feeds this morning, I learned through Library Stuff about BorrowMe, a great idea I really hope takes off.

Imagine something like an eBay where, instead of selling and buying, people could lend, borrow or give things away.

Books, videos, tools, appliances, electronics or any other type of stuff people buy, use once and never again, could be put to be shared and would, besides bringing people together, reduce a lot of wasteful buying.

I don’t know the details of the system, but with a good reputation system, rules for lending and getting back (like in libraries) and search based on location, there’s some real potential there.

They’re not out yet, but I hope to hear more from them. I’d be very much willing to localize their site for Brazilian users.

If their only idea was to make booksharing easier, it would already be a great thing, especially in a country where books are still too expensive for most to buy. I’m sure the books themselves would be also much happier to be passed around instead of bought, read once and put to collect dust in a shelf.