☻ The economy of s-miles ☻

as promised: a second post-Agile-France post...

Last week I had a crash course in economy!

For years the subject of economy passed me by,

but last Wednesday it hit me in the face! 

I was in Agile-France, where we were given 10 bill-size sheets of paper like this - 

That you give to anyone who said or did something you liked.

What a great and simple idea, isn't it !???

I mean, stop and think about it for a moment...

No, no, I mean - please stop NOW! and think about it for a moment...

.

.

OK, I'll do it differently...

<Timer-gadget></Timer-gadget>

* If I had the time I'd build and put a web timer-gadget here that will let you continue just after a pause...

I mean - It's not just a note you give to people who animated a session you like, but to anyone you want to give it to.

... And they can give it back to anyone else...

- My first urge was to ask for more, since I knew I am going to run out instantly (but I didn't ask, since I opted in...)

- My second urge was to keep it, so it will be well spent - only on people who REALLY deserve it. ain't that funny??

- Third: how do you get the economy rolling?? if everyone will act cheep that no one will act generously, so how do I win some so I can become more generous and distribute some?? and make others more generous as well?

- How would people behave if they would receive just one to begin with?

- How would they behave if they received a hundred?

- How would they feel in each case when they receive one from someone? (what's the value of a smile for them?)

Than I signed all my bills on the back...

I wanted to see if a bill I held ever gets back to me (and after how much time, and how many hands, etc.), and I wanted people to feel they are getting used-bills.

I started handing people the s-miles and explaining why I signed, so to spread the message that they are for re-distribution, etc.

One of the people I talked to said he keeps them and tries to get as much as possible, since he suspects you'll be able to buy a prize with them at the end of the conf.

So in return I imagined a conf. where if you leave with more s-miles that you received at the beginning - you have to clean the rooms before they let you leave.

Some people personalized them

Some drew continuous chain drawings on the back

Imagine we could trace the s-mile economy...

- Do people from Paris vs from Rennes behave as a closed team? 

- Are they given more outdoors or indoors?

- Are there hubs - people who give a lot and receive a lot, and get the economy moving?

Another thought - how about a parallel currency like this:
 or

What would it encourage?

See, we are so used to money that we think in price (when you get a gift, you automatically estimate how expensive it is, donc'ha?)

....

So when I got back to work, I proposed one of my teams a small game - to have Ullink S-Miles in the team.

(BTW - S-Mile is my lame translation of Sou-rire, 'Sou' being Money, 'Sourire' being smile...)

The first question the team asked is:

- So what if someone forges a s-mile

Hence I became the s-mile bank! I stamp them so they can't be forged (but this doesn't prevent me from forging some myself ;)

The second question - are we allowed to give some to other teams?

- So I made two kinds - some to circulate in the team (so money won't be diluted), and some that can be used externally...

So now I suddenly understand: inflation, deflation, exchange rates, forgery's effect on economy, how economy holds itself, the stock-exchange, how optimism effects economy effects optimism, etc.

And so it goes... 

Credit: where it is due