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By Root 244 0

Mesh. Take Carbonmade. In December 2005, Dave Gorum perceived a common need shared by many artists for an easy way to manage an online portfolio. After successfully coding a platform for himself and a few designer friends, Gorum soon invited the public to join Carbonmade. The site allows artists to showcase their artwork in online portfolios with the use of simple tools. It offers two flavors of membership: Meh. which is free, and Whoo!, which costs $12 per month. So how exactly is Carbonmade different? By mitigating the pain of manually updating a portfolio, it allows users to focus solely on displaying their art.

99%: Research arm of Behance, a company dedicated to bringing creative ideas to fruition.

http://www.the99percent.com

Art Rent & Lease: Artwork rentals and leases.

http://www.artrentandlease.com

Comic Dish: Connects cartoonists who want to reinterpret each other’s drawings.

http://www.comicdish.com/max/index.php

DeviantART: Online community of artists.

http://www.deviantart.com

Open Design: Open-source design firm that aims to close the creativity gap between product design and other fields (music, graphic design, animation, and photography).

http://www.ronen-kadushin.com/Open_Design.asp

Prop Art New York: Original modern art rentals for commercial or private space.

http://www.modernartforrent.com

Sketch Swap: Sketch swaps.

http://www.sketchswap.com

Spoonflower: Community of textile artists.

http://www.spoonflower.com

Trust Art: Social platform that commissions public artworks.

http://trustart.org

World Artist Exchange: Facilitates global travel and community among a network of artists.

http://www.worldartistexchange.ning.com

BOOKS AND WRITING

In this category, Mesh businesses aim to keep books circulating among readers by enabling social networks of literary enthusiasts to rent and swap books and exchange reading recommendations. Book-swap companies give bookworms an opportunity to replace their old titles for “new” ones by swapping with other members. Swaps are generally managed by a system where members earn and spend points while swapping, or a direct swap system where members arrange book-for-book swaps. Book- and writing-centered social networks enable members to engage in a variety of activities, including discussions about creative writing and dating services for book lovers.

BookMooch is a used-book exchange platform that operates on a point-based system. Members first earn a percentage of a point by listing a book they’re willing to swap. Additional points are earned by giving books away and can be spent by requesting a book from someone else. Driven by a frustration with the limited availability of certain books in multiple countries, BookMooch founder John Buckman devised a special point system for overseas book swaps. The company also gives members the option to donate their points to charities or children’s hospitals whose patients would enjoy a good read. Another perk of joining BookMooch: membership is free. Moochers are only responsible for shipping costs.

AuthorsDen: Online literary community of authors and readers.

http://www.authorsden.com

BookCrossing: Members register books with BookCrossing, leave them in public spaces, then track their journeys around the globe.

http://www.bookcrossing.com

BookHopper: Free book-sharing community.

http://www.bookhopper.co.uk

BookMooch: Point-based book-exchange system. Earn a point by giving someone a book, and spend it by requesting a book from someone else.

http://www.bookmooch.com

Chegg: Textbook rentals.

http://www.chegg.com

Goodreads: Social networking site where readers recommend books, compare what they’re reading, keep track of what they’ve read, and form book clubs.

http://www.goodreads.com

London Business Book Club: Monthly meetup to swap, give away, recommend, and talk about business books.

http://lbbc7.eventbrite.com

Penguin Dating: Dating service for book lovers.

http://penguin.match.com