====== The knowledge dimension of offers and requests ======

At present this is just an idea for a paper. If you would like collaborate as a co-author in writing it, please let me know!

My initial ideas are along these lines …
  * survey the general approaches to offers / requests  or needs / wants matching, for example
    * second hand markets generally
    * specialist areas such as used cars, antiques (and their own problems)
    * charity shops in the UK and their limitations
    * second-hand web site markets, with and without payments
    * other non-traditional markets, such as local food
  * note the similarities and differences between markets for things and markets for people (recruitment, dating, etc.)
  * document how knowledge intensive all these markets are, with detailed examples from some of the above sectors
    * giving evidence to the effect that most of them are not suitable for the average person
    * document how ineffective they are when offered simply as a general platform for any user
  * propose a viable and effective future approach
    * specialising across a local community for different kinds of physical things
    * integrating with local currencies
    * how this could potentially radically improve 
      * reuse, 
      * recycling, 
      * avoidance of waste, 
      * circular economics
    * look at the economic and social implications
    * how to set up and maintain such a system, including the aspect of training and education
    * how this integrates with community knowledge commons and information systems
  * look again at what differences between this and people “markets”, pointing to [[t:RegenCHOICE]]
  * consider whether or not this approach could be applied to local trades and services
  * propose first practical steps to take
  * suggest how this approach can be naturally integrated with ecovillages