Welcome to the Blind Exchange.
In a nutshell, here's how the exchange works. A list of participants is collected (Art's changes), then arrange them in random order and send each person the name of the person after them on the list (with the last one
getting the first name). Each person is expected to send one photography "product" to the person whose name they receive. Their intended recipient could be located anywhere from the same city to the other side of the world, so be prepared to send your photography on a long, one-way trip. As participants receive the work of their fellow members, they are encouraged to post thanks, critiques, comments, and discussion to this thread.
The Blind Exchange will run in three month cycles:
- Month 1: members volunteer to participate.
- Month 2: products are made and sent.
- Month 3: rest.
Each member who participates in the blind exchange should agree to the following participant expectations:
- Participants will be asked to send one analog photography product by the last day of month 2 to a user whose name, userid and mailing address they will receive on APUG as a private message.
- "analog photography product" could include a minilab print from a slide or negative, a polaroid print, a handmade proof or custom print, a contact sheet , slide or alt process print. I'd also like to open up the possibilities to negatives, if someone wants to give up a negative for the exchange, it will give them a chance to do things like share the effects of different film/developer combinations or exposure approaches on the negative.
- Each participant must supply a name and mailing address at which they can receive their product. Additionally, each participant agrees that their own name, userid and mailing address may be released to other APUG members in the exchange.
- Each participant acknowledges by joining that they might draw a name and address of an exchangee that is on the other side of the world, and they should be prepared to send their product that far.
- All products will be sent on a one-way trip. The actual negatives, prints or transparencies will become the property of the recipients, although the rights to the image will remain the property of the original photographer.
- If a participant commits to send a photo product out and for some reason , isn't able to send it out by the last day of month 2 in a cycle, they'll have to sit out a cycle while they attempt to resolve the issue(s) that prevented them from following through on their commitment.
- If a participant doesn't receive their print by day 15 of month 3 in a cycle, they should PM the moderator, who will verify that the sender isn't able to send the product in a reasonable period of time, then if they aren't, drop their sender from eligibility for the next cycle and ask for volunteers to send a print to the member who didn't get a product.
Additionally, I think these are reasonable expectations of the moderator:
- The moderator should randomize the list of participants, and ensure that a PM is sent to each participant by the 7th day of month 2 with the name, userid and mailing address of their intended recipient.
- The moderator shall make a reasonable effort to provide as much circulation as possible within the list, and to ensure that once someone draws a given name, they won't draw the same name again for at least three cycles.