Q about Ongoing swaps

[OrangeKnickers]

I don't think I understand ongoing swaps.  Can someone point me to an info page about them, or explain how they work?  I checked the FAQ, but didn't see anything.  I don't understand how to participate in one... the "ongoing" part is what's throwing me.  Thanks!

[jungrrl]

If they're ongoing is just means they start up again every month. All the rest of the information you'd need for them should be within the sign up threads themselves.

[meowari]

You aren't alone, OrangeKnickers. I have so much trouble understanding written instructions, it has always been really difficult for me to "get" ongoing swaps. I thought maybe if I just jumped in, it would help, so I found one that I think I got the gist of and I sent the organiser a PM last week explaining myself, but they haven't written back and signups end very soon, so now I feel even dumber and more confused... I think that was the beginning and end of me trying an ongoing swap  .

[Annchen]

Well... For something like the ongoing wish swap where the claims for a chain it goes like this:

Person A posts a list of wishes, Person B claims something from A and posts their own list, Person A very sneakily claims person B and posts their list again, Person C claims person A and posts their list... And so on.

In this case you can only claim from the last person posted, and there's usually a claim limit depending on if you're new to swaps or perhaps a friend of craftster.

The problem with this swap is that someone needs to start (and they don't claim anyone) and the last one posting for that month will not be claimed. Ideally you'd like the chain to go on forever, but a swap can't be unlimited like that. So the OWS solves this problem by making a new round of the swap every month and posting the last list of september as the first list for october.

Another way to solve it is to make sure the first person posting is also the last person posting for that month.

Other swaps like the ongoing pinterest swap is not like a chain, (you can chose from any list) and it's only called ongoing because it keeps coming back month after month It might be less confusing to start with?

[meowari]

Thank you, Annchen, for trying to explain, but I am one of those people who can read it (or any other type of instruction) a million times and still be just as confused as the first time. This is why I never go by patterns when I'm crocheting or knitting. I wish it was as easy as someone showing me how, like with knitting, because then I could pick it up right away...
I do think I'm finally starting to kind of get it (after years of reading and rereading the swap instructions and acting them out as scenes in my head), but it's still horribly confusing whenever I look at an ongoing swap for the first time. That's why I was so stoked to try this one out! I thought that I understood it!
Maybe after a day of moping I'll go check out the ongoing Pintrest swap to see if I can figure it out...

[meowari]

Ohmygosh! The organiser just PM'd me and I'm in! My first ongoing swap! I'm so scared, yet excited! I hope I don't mess up...

[Annchen]

You'll do fine!

[Onyxnox]

Thank you for asking - I have wondered bout them also and would have liked to have joined some too.

Am I right in presuming tht someone can't claim and post a list unless they are approved members of the swap?

[Annchen]

Yeah, that's right. You need approval before posting and claiming.

[jexxican]

I am still frightened of the other Ongoing swaps, but since I organize the Pinterest swap, I'd say that one is a good one to start with. The OPS is basically just post a little about yourself and your Pinterest link and then go look at everyone else's links and see what you want to make for who. It's pretty low stress because you can claim as many times as you want (with only 2 or 3 not rec'd by your claim-ees at a time) and you get to choose what you want to make. No chains, nothing scary at all really.