Post by High Priestess on Sept 21, 2015 4:51:55 GMT
Welcome to the Global Hosting Forum!!
Note that you can get to this forum from the following URL addresses:
www.globalhosting.freeforums.net
www.globalhostingforum.com
There are a few purposes of this forum. These have changed a bit over time, but here we go:
(1) Initially, this forum was created when the old, host-run "Host Community groups" which began in November 2013, on the Airbnb website were closed in May 2016, as Airbnb created its new "Community Center" which was not moderated or run by hosts, but by a third party contractor. Many of us left at that time to create offsite host groups. The goal at that time was to have a place to move a few of those groups.
It's become apparent that hosts actually prefer to use FaceBook groups rather than this forum, so over time, participation on this forum has decreased while that on many different host FaceBook groups has increased. We've set up a FaceBook group that is a parallel to this forum, which is more active than this forum, so feel free to join there and post there if you like. Find it here: www.facebook.com/groups/140542703035271/ or here: www.facebook.com/groups/HolisticHosting/
(2) As the "Forum" activity dwindled on this group and was transferred to the Facebook groups, this forum became more of a library of resources than a forum. I regularly post news and updates related to short term rentals and hosting here, on various boards, which allows information to be found in a more organized way than you will ever find anything on a Facebook group or really most any other type of host website or community.
(3) IN particular, I believe that the collection of news related to short term rental regulations, is the largest such collection in the world, having all of this in one place. If you're interested in helping with this archiving, let me know, as I have a lot on my plate and would appreciate help. You won't be able to contact me through this forum but can contact me through the blog site associated with this forum, at globalhostingblogs.com/
In terms of doing short term rental advocacy work, we'd like to equip hosts to have the tools and resources to be effective political advocates for their own interests in doing short term rentals, or hosting, in their cities, states, regions, nations. Effectiveness in our advocacy work requires both community building and sharing of resources on successful advocacy strategies, and tried and tested methods. It can be very helpful to share key advocacy strategies not only locally, but also nationally and globally. Additionally, as a support for those doing advocacy work for short term rentals across the nation and the world, I have worked to collate news and information about short term rental laws in many municipalities around the world. To my knowledge, this website I have created is the only place where one can go to find an organized collection of news and information about short term rental (STR) advocacy, STR laws/updates and/or STR controversies in places around the world.
(4) There was an early attempt to create an independent host community to advocate for hosts' interests (sort of like a host's union) by Peter Kwan, in the form of Home Sharers Organization. This didn't really take off beyond San Francisco and the East Bay, but it may develop more at some point. So there are boards on this forum for the SF and East bay branches of that organization. Historically for Home Sharers the point of organizing was for purposes of advocacy work, in organizing locally to advocate city governments for regulations favorable to short term rentals, as well as to build up a community of hosts in a given location by having social events and workshops. Airbnb is also working to help hosts do STR advocacy work, but it remains important for hosts to work and organize independently, since although many of Airbnb's interests are also those of hosts, our interests are not always aligned.
(5) We want to help STR hosts run their businesses in ways that do not cause problems for their neighbors or communities. Hence, much information is provided here (in an organized structure, as at at an online library) to help hosts be as professional, courteous, successful and confident in hosting as they can be. To be the best hosts they can be. When hosts do well, they are happy, guests are happy, host's neighbors are happy, host's communities are happy, all are happy. And this is a better landscape from which to expect STR regulations that are amenable to hosts, than when hosts do business in ways that make neighbors and their cities upset.
(6) Over time, both Airbnb and the "Host Community" have changed. The term "host" and "hosting" has been subject to "concept creep", such that now there are people calling themselves "hosts" who list rooms at Ramada Inn on Airbnb, there are people with 100 or 1000 listings who say they are "hosting", there are people with dozens of listings who have multiple employees, and who never actually meet their guests, who call themselves "hosts". At the same time, Airbnb has lost its original vision, and is actually developing policies that are mores suitable for and amenable to hotels, than to homeowners offering a room. So, I wrote globalhostingblogs.com/2019/03/01/holistic-and-authentic-hosting/ in order to call attention to the need for actual hosts to refocus and think about our values and ethics, and to advocate for what I call "holistic and authentic hosting."
Use of the forum -- many have expressed that they would prefer it to find all members contributing in one place on this forum so it's easier to find recent posts without clicking back and forth. It is important to keep in mind that this forum is intended to be used by several groups. FOr this reason, we cannot have just one place where everyone posts. There are separate boards for each group. In addition, in order to be useful as a place to find information, it is necessary to have some organizational structure on this forum. Hence, forum members will need to be patient, explore the forum, and use navigational skills in order to find things here.
Read the other sticky threads in this board to find out about:
Features of this forum: globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/199/features-forum-differences-airbnb-forums
How to register and set up your account on this forum: globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/77/set-account-forum-post-photos
DISCLAIMER/TERMS
Nothing represented here should be construed and understood as providing legal or any other kind of professional advice. Any person taking any action or making any decision based on information posted on this website do so at their own risk and no person posting any information on this website assumes any form of responsibility for the readers of this website.
By registering and using this site users agree to the forum rules for conduct on the site. globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/41/forum-rules
Note that you can get to this forum from the following URL addresses:
www.globalhosting.freeforums.net
www.globalhostingforum.com
There are a few purposes of this forum. These have changed a bit over time, but here we go:
(1) Initially, this forum was created when the old, host-run "Host Community groups" which began in November 2013, on the Airbnb website were closed in May 2016, as Airbnb created its new "Community Center" which was not moderated or run by hosts, but by a third party contractor. Many of us left at that time to create offsite host groups. The goal at that time was to have a place to move a few of those groups.
It's become apparent that hosts actually prefer to use FaceBook groups rather than this forum, so over time, participation on this forum has decreased while that on many different host FaceBook groups has increased. We've set up a FaceBook group that is a parallel to this forum, which is more active than this forum, so feel free to join there and post there if you like. Find it here: www.facebook.com/groups/140542703035271/ or here: www.facebook.com/groups/HolisticHosting/
(2) As the "Forum" activity dwindled on this group and was transferred to the Facebook groups, this forum became more of a library of resources than a forum. I regularly post news and updates related to short term rentals and hosting here, on various boards, which allows information to be found in a more organized way than you will ever find anything on a Facebook group or really most any other type of host website or community.
(3) IN particular, I believe that the collection of news related to short term rental regulations, is the largest such collection in the world, having all of this in one place. If you're interested in helping with this archiving, let me know, as I have a lot on my plate and would appreciate help. You won't be able to contact me through this forum but can contact me through the blog site associated with this forum, at globalhostingblogs.com/
In terms of doing short term rental advocacy work, we'd like to equip hosts to have the tools and resources to be effective political advocates for their own interests in doing short term rentals, or hosting, in their cities, states, regions, nations. Effectiveness in our advocacy work requires both community building and sharing of resources on successful advocacy strategies, and tried and tested methods. It can be very helpful to share key advocacy strategies not only locally, but also nationally and globally. Additionally, as a support for those doing advocacy work for short term rentals across the nation and the world, I have worked to collate news and information about short term rental laws in many municipalities around the world. To my knowledge, this website I have created is the only place where one can go to find an organized collection of news and information about short term rental (STR) advocacy, STR laws/updates and/or STR controversies in places around the world.
(4) There was an early attempt to create an independent host community to advocate for hosts' interests (sort of like a host's union) by Peter Kwan, in the form of Home Sharers Organization. This didn't really take off beyond San Francisco and the East Bay, but it may develop more at some point. So there are boards on this forum for the SF and East bay branches of that organization. Historically for Home Sharers the point of organizing was for purposes of advocacy work, in organizing locally to advocate city governments for regulations favorable to short term rentals, as well as to build up a community of hosts in a given location by having social events and workshops. Airbnb is also working to help hosts do STR advocacy work, but it remains important for hosts to work and organize independently, since although many of Airbnb's interests are also those of hosts, our interests are not always aligned.
(5) We want to help STR hosts run their businesses in ways that do not cause problems for their neighbors or communities. Hence, much information is provided here (in an organized structure, as at at an online library) to help hosts be as professional, courteous, successful and confident in hosting as they can be. To be the best hosts they can be. When hosts do well, they are happy, guests are happy, host's neighbors are happy, host's communities are happy, all are happy. And this is a better landscape from which to expect STR regulations that are amenable to hosts, than when hosts do business in ways that make neighbors and their cities upset.
(6) Over time, both Airbnb and the "Host Community" have changed. The term "host" and "hosting" has been subject to "concept creep", such that now there are people calling themselves "hosts" who list rooms at Ramada Inn on Airbnb, there are people with 100 or 1000 listings who say they are "hosting", there are people with dozens of listings who have multiple employees, and who never actually meet their guests, who call themselves "hosts". At the same time, Airbnb has lost its original vision, and is actually developing policies that are mores suitable for and amenable to hotels, than to homeowners offering a room. So, I wrote globalhostingblogs.com/2019/03/01/holistic-and-authentic-hosting/ in order to call attention to the need for actual hosts to refocus and think about our values and ethics, and to advocate for what I call "holistic and authentic hosting."
To quote from the Buddha, in the Metta Sutta,
"May all beings be happy."
"May all beings be happy."
Use of the forum -- many have expressed that they would prefer it to find all members contributing in one place on this forum so it's easier to find recent posts without clicking back and forth. It is important to keep in mind that this forum is intended to be used by several groups. FOr this reason, we cannot have just one place where everyone posts. There are separate boards for each group. In addition, in order to be useful as a place to find information, it is necessary to have some organizational structure on this forum. Hence, forum members will need to be patient, explore the forum, and use navigational skills in order to find things here.
Read the other sticky threads in this board to find out about:
Features of this forum: globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/199/features-forum-differences-airbnb-forums
How to register and set up your account on this forum: globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/77/set-account-forum-post-photos
Happy Hosting! 
And happy posting!
And happy posting! DISCLAIMER/TERMS
Nothing represented here should be construed and understood as providing legal or any other kind of professional advice. Any person taking any action or making any decision based on information posted on this website do so at their own risk and no person posting any information on this website assumes any form of responsibility for the readers of this website.
By registering and using this site users agree to the forum rules for conduct on the site. globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/41/forum-rules