This has come up elsewhere, but I thought I would create a thread for it in the Feedback/Ideas topic.
As a sitter, it’d be great to be able to message other sitters! I’ve thought about this for a long time, especially when I come across someone’s profile who I think, “Hey, that person sounds really cool and we have a lot in common, would be fun to connect!” But also, it would be so helpful to be able to message sitters privately to ask about a previous sit that they’ve done (if we’re applying to that sit). Even though feedback can be left, not all sitters feel comfortable doing so, especially if their experience wasn’t completely positive.
I imagine that owners might feel the same way about wanting to be able to message other owners, for the same reasons!
Great idea, although I doubt its viability through THS for a number of reasons.
I wrote in a post elsewhere yesterday that I wondered if there was a way to contact an owner with an advertised sit, in order to ask a question or check a fact, without actually applying. (There was a listing with a description & dates that didn’t match up, so I used “apply” to ask which was correct but I just got an automatic refusal & the sit remained advertised ).
I’ve noticed there is a forum post about linking social media accounts but haven’t got to reading it yet. That would offer a channel of communication of course but isn’t universally applicable. And then there’s this forum, when it goes live as I hope it will.
@alternativetravelers This would be a real bonus if it was possible on the THS site but I suspect it is a huge technical task to achieve. We would love to be able to just contact sitters about previous sits or locations or just general advice. Always great to connect isn’t it? I guess that is what this forum is all about.
I agree, definitely a bonus to be able to contact other sitters about their experience especially when in doubt about a sit or even an area
And I’m sure owners feel the same.
I’m seconding this request. I’ve often come across HO and listings that sound perfect bar the dates.
I’d love to reach out and say hello, make initial contact or ask a question.
An extra complication is the THS HO guarantee, where HO can get their money back if they have no applications in the first 2 weeks - I’m reluctant to apply just so that I can ask a question thereby stopping them from using that guarantee
There is a way and at least one sitter has discovered it: Instagram. While perusing sits I found one that looked interesting but noted there had been three previous sits but only one review. It was a nice review that mentioned something useful to know that had not been covered by the HO in the listing. The last line said, for more information to contact the sitter on Instagram and included the sitter’s Instagram username. It’s kind of ingenious, but it might also end up yielding more messages than one might want and then there would be no way to remove the Instagram contact info from the original review. This sitter also has a travel video blog so was probably hoping to boost viewership.
Update: I connected with that sitter on Instagram and got some very useful info. She intends to include her contact info in future feedback she posts because she feels she is doing a service for others.
I’ve emailed homeowners a few times who have listed sits that I’m not available for at that time but expressed an interest in future dates and I always heard back from them and they were very happy that I emailed them and showed an interest. I just clicked on “apply” and explained I wasn’t applying on those dates but had an interest in future dates and we ended up being invited to do future sits for a couple of homeowners.
Just wanted to add on to this thread as it’s the only one I can find about sitters being able to contact each other. Is there a way to make this possible?
I recently had a negative experience on a sit and the numerous other five star reviews saying how lovely and clean the place was makes me feel like I’m being gaslit. I’d love to contact a sitter to ask how a sit really was before going. Especially if that sitter didn’t leave a review at all. This would be a great alternative if we aren’t ever going to get a blind review system. Perhaps there could be an option sitters could select like “I’m ok being contacted by other sitters” that would include a message option on their profile for sitter accounts. As it stands, I can only message a sitter if I upgrade my account to a dual sitter/HO account.
I’m tagging @Angela_L since there hasn’t been any response about this from an admin.
Hi @CoolCatAunt I completely understand your rational and this subject has been discussed previously. One of the main reasons for not having this functionality is member’s privacy on both sides, not just sitter to sitter.
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