We think this explanation (and apology) applies only to members who receive SwapItGreen emails via a gmail account.  The problem has not been observed or reported for any other mail server.  However, if you have received an odd-looking message with the subject line “SwapItGreen Alerts” using a different email provider, please email our support staff using the link at the bottom of that message.

The Problem
Once a week, SwapItGreen sends email alerts to members who have actions on their trades that are awaiting their attention; for example, if an offer to buy has been accepted and is awaiting payment. If you have received one or more of these messages in a gmail account, what you see in the message may be confusing to you. The email message is generated automatically. There are 6 possible alerts. When the email is generated, only the alerts that apply to the recipient are filled in with specific formation. Those that do not apply to the recipient are hidden. With gmail, the hidden parts of the email message are exposed, so every recipient of a SwapItGreen Alert in gmail will see all 6 alerts. The alerts that do not apply have no specific information – just placeholders instead of numbers and links to SwapItGreen page where action may be taken.

The Fix
In a future release, SwapItGreen will generate a more generic alert message that will simply notify you that some action is awaiting attention in your account and provide a link to the home page. When you log in to your account, you will see your specific alerts and links displayed on your member version of the home page. Until then, we do appreciate your patience.

The SwapItGreen.com team

Mutual recognition is a good thing. We discovered that the KIWI online magazine ("Growing families the natural and organic way") has noticed us and recognized our purpose in their KIWI blog. So, of course, we took a look at their site. Every good turn deserves another, so we would like to applaud their practical and elegant approach to serving their mission: "...helping parents raise their children in the healthiest way possible. Our charge is to introduce families to the latest in natural and organic living—showing how to practice this lifestyle on an everyday basis."

Watch for our new category Education, with subcategories for School Supplies and Teaching Supplies.

We wish KIWI continuing success.

I'm guilty -- when I like what I buy through SwapItGreen, I've been giving an "Excellent" rating but not adding a comment back to the seller. I began to rethink that recently when I received some second-hand feedback on one of my trades. My buyer is a personal friend of my boss, who invited her to join SwapItGreen. (That's a good idea, too, by the way. Grow our community by inviting your friends to join, and gain a few bonus SwapItGreen dollars for yourself in the process.) Anyhow, my boss passed on an email from her friend that said:

I'm a cat collector myself, but at some point I decided I really prefer just a few almost-life-size ones that lounge or snooze (or sneer at me) on tables and bookcases -- cats with cat-attitude, you know -- so I had packed away my small cute ones. This one I decided to list on SwapItGreen because it really could be a treasure to someone -- a nice antique Goebel figurine of a kitten playing with a ball, and it made me feel so good to learn that my trade had found an appreciative home. That has inspired me (1) to hit my closets again, looking for goodies that I have "retired" at some time from one of my collections and (2) to remember that the folks I buy from might also like to know that their old treasures have a new life.

One of our avid swappers recommends visiting eHow.com -- a free knowledge-sharing site that offers lots of how-to articles and videos, including interesting articles on going green (for example, changing your home and your lifestyle to go green, how to safely get rid of things that are truly at the end of their lives, and being more environmentally friendly at work). Just search the site with "environmental health" or “going" and "green” or whatever specifically interests you in the search field. It’s a membership site (no cost to join), but the articles can be read even if you’re not a member. With the current state of the economy, folks who like SwapItGreen may also find eHow articles such as these helpful:

Then there’s fun stuff like:

If it sounds good to you, check it out!