Last month we got a exciting email from one of the SwapYourShop community members, Andrew Zarick. He and another brave soul, Jose Poyatos, found one another through the community and began plotting a swap between their two homes, Brooklyn and Valencia, Spain. We’re stoked that they took the leap and more importantly that they’re giving the public an insider look. Throughout their 7-week swap, they’ll be blogging on SwapYourShop, sharing the ins and outs of convincing their employers and landlords, working in a different time zone, making new friends abroad and much more. Be sure to check it out, it’s invaluable information for anyone who’s tempted to swap.

The second bit of news is that SwapYourShop made it into the the 2011 SXSW Interactive PanelPicker! Our proposed panel,”Bartering Life: The Trend of Online Exchange Services,” will cover the twist technology has taken on tradition barter and trade and the ways in which users are seeking to live, work and consume on the the cheap. You can read the full description here.

The SXSW PanelPicker looks to you, the public, to decide who presents at South-by and who doesn’t, so we need your help. Please, please vote for our panel here. You’ll have to create a SXSW account in order to vote, but it’s worth it. Thanks in advance!

The team at SXSWi 2010