We scour the internet to find the most interesting news on the collaborative consumption front. Here are our picks for the week:
Relax rules for Airbnb and other ‘sharing economy’ firms, says report
Stuart Dredge, The Guardian
The Unlocking the Sharing Economy review was commissioned in late September by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The report report makes more than 30 recommendations on the sharing economy sector, which includes businesses based on people sharing assets, resources, time and/or skills, from renting out spare rooms and sharing car rides to peer-to-peer finance.
How to make a fortune without ‘doing’ anything: The Uber, Airbnb story
Jeffrey Pfeffer, Fortune
Cast in the new age rhetoric of the so-called sharing economy, many firms make money by not being responsible for much of anything.
Why Swapping Is The New Rideshare
Daniela Walker, Collectively
In recent years we have witnessed a growth in fashion-related swaps that are tapping into peoples’ desire for the new by offering them something old. Technology is aiding trust needed between strangers to enter a swapping situation and it also makes transactions easier. Swap Platforms have popped up such as Stores such as Score!Swap, Give+Take Swap Boutique, Yerdle and TuShare.
The Sharing Economy’s Next Horizon: Health Care
Mark Slaughter, Recode
Two things are currently happening in health care that position the industry for sharing. Changes to how and how much providers are paid for delivering care are driving provider strategies focused on consolidation and economies of scale; and technology (the cloud) has advanced itself to the end of making sharing not only possible, but seamless.
Startup lets people rent out their cameras, TVs, drones
Benny Evangelista, SF Chronicle
San Francisco’s Lumoid aspires to be the Airbnb of personal electronics: Customers offer their own gear — from digital cameras to drones — to rent to strangers for a fraction of their retail cost.
