2. Overview
General
• History
• Organisation
• Statistics
Security Aspects
• Verification
• References
• Vouching
Own Experience
• Situation
• Progress
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3. General
• History
– First idea in 2000 by Casey Fenton
– Find a cheap way to stay in Iceland
– Public lauch in January 2004
– Slow growth first two years
– 2006: database loss and relaunch
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4. General
• Organisation
– Mission statement: „Participate in creating a
better world, one couch at a time“
– non-for-profit organisation situated in New
Hampshire
– Currently the largest hospitality exchange network
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5. General
• Acutal Statistics (27th of October 2009)
– More than 1.4Mio. Participants from
– 231 countries
– 30% of couches permanent available + 17% maybe
– Most of the surfers between 18 and 30 years
– http://www.couchsurfing.com/statistics.html
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7. Overview
General
• History
• Organisation
• Statistics
Security Aspects
• Verification
• References
• Vouching
Own Experience
• Situation
• Progress
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8. Security Aspects
• Verification:
Aim: confirm identity & physical location
How?:
Sending money(~20$) to couchsurfing.org by credit
card
Couchsurfing.org verifies your identity
=>is mentioned on your personal page
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9. Security Aspects
• References:
about host / by host
good indicator
can‘t be manipulated by the member
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10. Security Aspects
• „Vouching“:
A way to declare your trust in other members
• How it works:
Get vouched for 3 times
Now you can vouche yourself
Important: You must know each other in the real world!
• Significance:
Be serious!
Better than references
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11. Overview
General
• History
• Organisation
• Statistics
Security Aspects
• Verification
• References
• Vouching
Own Experience
• Situation
• Progress
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12. Own Experience
• Situation
– My sister came to Europe to backpack for the
summer.
– She planned to stay for 6 weeks
– She had budgeted €40,- per night
– Decided to give couch surfing a try…
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13. Own Experience
Ended up staying for 12 weeks!!
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14. Own Experience
• Situation
– After hearing how great her experience was I
decided to tag along in Italy
– It was crazy!!
– The guy was hosting about 19 people in his living
room.
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15. Own Experience
• Situation
– My girlfriend is an active member of the
community in Graz.
– They all know each other, and if someone can’t
host someone, he gives the person the handy
number of someone who can.
– They meet each week.
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16. That‘s it!
Thanks for your attention!
Start asking and Discussing!
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17. Discussion Topics
Would YOU do it??
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18. Discussion Topics
What are the dangers
involved?
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19. Discussion Topics
Leave a stranger in your
home??
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