Swap Glossary

For those who don't know what swapping is, let me assure you that it's nothing sordid or shameful. Wikipedia defines it as the increasingly prevalent informal bartering system in which participants in Internet communities trade items of comparable value on a trust basis.

Swapping primarily involves stationery in Shannon's case. She has a vast collection of stickers, paper and pens from all around the world.

Here are a few other terms floating around this trendy past time:

FB - This term stands for "Friendship Booklet" and is the primary currency of swappers around the world. An fb is started by binding a small booklet either by stapling or some other means and placing a creation date and a "for" address (its "home") to be returned to once the fb is complete.

The fb is then sent via mail to a pen pal or swapping participant. This new person then fills in their own address, often indicating whether new swap partners or pen pals are welcome to write them, and then inserts the FB into an envelope for a new recipient. This process continues until the last page of the booklet has been filled, at which point that person is given the duty of returning to FB to its original intended owner.

It is considered bad manners to send a completed FB to anyone other than the final intended owner since the booklet will contain no new addresses. Similarly, holding an fb for a long period of time is taboo because it slows its travel. Sometimes fbs are motionless for many years after which time the addresses contained within are more likely to be out of date.

Slam - Slams are a form of mail questionnaire in which each person places their address on a "sign in" page(s). A question is written on each page, and each entrant answers it. Slams are considered full if either their sign in page(s) is full, or one or more of the question pages are full. There are different types of slams, from the small short slams to the 'sign if' slams where participants sign on a page if the comment written is relevant to them. An example question might be, "sign if you like pineapple on pizza."

Deco - Decos are booklets like fbs, the difference being that each entrant takes a whole page and decorates it before adding their address. They are often themed, meaning participants decorate their pages based on the established theme (fairies or animals, for example). Decos can range in quality from somehwat sloppy, hurried versions to elaborate works of art depending on how creative the participants are. Again, once the last page has been decorated, the deco is sent "home".

special thanks to Melesque