WengsWorld - Connecting and Sharing More

How can we get those of us in the jigsaw puzzle community to give more and share more within the community?


I have been thinking about this for a while. Had some ideas but didn't have the push to do it............UNTIL NOW. All thanks to Dorothy........


I met Dorothy at the first competition I organised in July 2011. She came without a partner to take part, and I paired her with my brother-in-law who also didn't have a partner. Turns out that this constituted team was good enough to beat the other 4 teams, and they came in first  :)


I subsequently found that the Dorothy and I both worked in the same sector. Just today, again by coincidence, both of us happened to be on leave. She 'WhatsApped' me about my idea to donate puzzles to the Singapore Association for Mental Health. In the toing and froing, she also indicated that she was thinking of giving or sharing her puzzles within the community. When I understood her intention, I guess it provided me the push to try to get something new started. So here goes........


All of us have jigsaw puzzles that we like more. For these, we either frame up the completed puzzle, or we fix it up over and over again. What happens to the puzzles that we are not so fond of? For most of us, it goes into the cupboard or box, never to be seen for months or years.


Instead of keeping the puzzle and having it occupy space in the home (and we know how bulky some of the puzzle boxes can be, don't we), why don't we share it with other jigsaw puzzle lovers? Kind of like a Pay It Forward thing?


I can see several benefits to doing this:
(a) It ties in with the notion of not wasting things, of recycling and reusing stuff,
(b) It helps to create a value (and a culture) of giving and sharing,
(c) Other people may assign greater utility value to your puzzle compared to you (ie, they may like the puzzle more than you),
(d) You get to meet new people, maybe make a new friend,
(e) Someone else may offer a puzzle, which you may like and have not been able to get on your own.


So......let's try something new here. Here are some simple norms for our jigsaw puzzle community:


(A) No monetary transactions,


(B) For those of you who want to offer your jigsaw puzzle, do this

• post a picture of it
• provide your contact particulars
• indicate whether you wish to 'Lend' or 'Share'. If you want to lend, you expect the puzzle to be returned to you. If you want to share, you don't expect the puzzle to be returned.

(C) For those of you receiving the puzzle under the 'Lend' situation, return the puzzle to the giver after you are done with it.


(D) For those of you receiving the puzzle under the 'Share' situation, you can do either of 2 things

• fix it up, then pass it on to another person, or
• keep it if you want, but you should offer another comparable puzzle as 'replacement'.

(E) All transactions are between the giver and the potential receiver.


Do you think this will work?  :)