Update Nov. 28, 2013: The send deadlines for all swaps that and around Christmas have been postponed to December 31.

These swaps usually come with a lot of questions. I will try to cover anything you may wonder about in the description. Please do read everything, or check the description if the information you're looking for is in it if you come up with questions later.

Now, the swap:

Essentially...

...you send out a journal that will be forwarded to at least 19 other swapper (who'll do an entry) before it gets returned to you.

Newcomers:

You will buy or make a pocket-sized journal that has at least 20 pages. It can be more than 20 pages but remember the shipping costs, so keep it as thin as possible. You must fill the first two pages of your own journal. Whether you take 1 page front and back, or just the front of 2 pages, or a spread, is up to you. You can (but don't have to) add some instructions for other swappers (do you want it front and back, or front and front or spreads?). You can also add a request for something. Or you can ask the swappers to number the pages as they go, and you can add a list or reserve a page where swappers can add their Swap Bot info after they've filled two pages, so you know who's had it when.

Write your name and address (and email address in case you move) on the front or the back, and a note asking to return the journal to this address when it's full.

If you've joined before:

You will forward the journal you got in the last swap to the partner you'll be assigned this swap. Make sure to have 2 pages filled. Unless the journal owner has added some instructions in the journal, stick to the set up of the journal owner. If the owner used 1 page front and back, use 1 page front and back. If the owner used the front of 2 pages, use the front of 2 pages. Make sure to add your swap name to your art, so people know the art is yours. (This is important for rating as well. Read on...)

Journaling Ideas

Google Images has plenty of journal art to drool over. But you may also write a short story, a poem, or whatever you may like. Let your creative juices flow, so to speak.

Ratings

I did not fill in a rating requirement because this is a group swap and almost all of the people in this group have participated in pocketsize journal/sketchbook swaps before. I noticed some of our members have received some bad ratings these last couple of days. That's why I will filter the participants list manually. If you are one of those to have received bad ratings, please resolve them because I may not allow you in the swap otherwise.

I ban at my discretion. I do not give people the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately the benefit of the doubt has proven to be mostly unrewarding.

Swap Frequency

I am increasing the frequency of these swaps. Originally there were 6 weeks in between the send deadline of one swap and the sign up deadline of the next. At this rate it could take quite some time before any journal gets properly filled. From now on I am going to try to decrease the intervals to 3 weeks. They may deviate a little here and there, because you never know what life may bring in the future, but this is my aim. Also, you'll now have 2 weeks (instead of 3) to fill your two pages and send the journal out. If you're worried about not being able to participate in the follow-up swap because you haven't received the journal (yet), please do read on.

You (may) have been flaked on

Unfortunately, mail can be slow. Sometimes exceptionally slow. That's why I will angel on the condition that it's been 5 weeks since the send deadline (depending on your situation, we'd have to talk about that). Yes, this means that you won't be able to participate in the next journal swap. Don't worry, they'll keep coming. You'll be able to participate in the one after that. You can also sign up anyway and send another journal of your own. If you sign up you must have something to send out.

Other conditions for me angeling this swap are:

• You have rated your partner a 1 (at least until the journal gets to you, if it does)

• I've spoken to you and have at least tried to speak to your swap partner

I host too many swaps to be able to check up on everyone, so please do contact me if you got flaked on.

Communicate & be available

If you're delayed for whatever reason, let your swap partner (and preferably me too) know. If you're going to be on vacation or in a place where you don't have internet access, let your swap partner and me know, or put it in your profile. Do check your email and/or your Swap Bot account for messages. If you suddenly seem to have fallen off the face of the earth, alarm bells start ringing.

How to rate your swap partner?

If you receive a journal from someone who didn't fill two pages, you rate a 3. I don't like setting rules for ratings but if you didn't fill two pages you did not meet the swap requirements. If swappers pass on journals without filling 2 pages, the journal will be longer in rotation than is necessary, and the owner will just be waiting for it longer. So make sure to add your Swap Bot info to your art, or if you receive a journal with a list, to add your info there!

If you don't receive anything at all, you rate a 1. Of course taking in consideration the time it may take for the journal to reach you.

Sizes?

Official pocket sizes are: 13x20cm or 5x8inch. They can be a little bigger but not much, and they can certainly be smaller.

Returning journals that aren't full

You can't return journals to owners before the journal is full. If you send it back, you will have no journal to forward to your swap partner. So don't send a journal back to its owner unless you've just filled the last two pages. Of course this does not cover exceptional circumstances.

Shipping Costs

if you go to the post office and find that it is costing $5+ to mail your journal, reconsider and make a lighter weight and thinner journal. High mailing costs put you at risk of it not getting sent along further and eventually making it back to you.

My Journal is Lost

The thing with these swaps is that you may not know where your journal is. Since each journal has at least 20 pages, which means at least 19 swap partners will have it, it's going to take some time before it gets returned to you. I suppose the best thing you can do is sit back, relax, and wait.

If for some reason you must get a hold of the person who has your journal because you're moving unexpectedly or something like that, I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do. At least not if you sent your journal out in the first 2 swaps, because I wasn't hosting those. From the 3rd swap on I may be able to help you out but I give no guarantees. Especially because the more swaps we do, the longer the chain gets. However if I do manage to help you out, I expect a reimbursement in the form of a picture of a sexy actor on my profile.

Swappers may not always join the next swap in line. They may have joined #3 but not #4, and join again at #5. Unfortunately there is nothing to do about that. However the large majority of swappers are still reliable people, so trust that the journal gets forwarded or get in touch with the swapper that has your journal (if you can trace him/her). If you sent your journal out a few swaps ago, you could ask the swap partner you had then and get in touch with his/her swap partner of the next swap, and so on, and follow the chain.

Of course there is always a possibility your journal just gets lost. This is the risk involved. To reduce the risk of disappointment, you may want to send out a journal that didn't cost a lot of money, or didn't cost a lot of materials/effort to make.

Email Alerts?

I will not contact you to let you know the next journal swap is up. You now know the frequency of these swaps, so check for these swaps around the times they're due. You will find them under the categories "Art", "Crafts", and "Journals".

Finally...

Have fun!