Revisting an archived THS Forum thread.
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/would-it-help-to-see-forum-members-nationalities/228
THS Forum profiles include an optional geography field. In posts, this information could be graphically suffixed to THS Forum username. For example gotyourback 
. This information may help to provide context to comments, as cultures and norms vary greatly internationally. For some members, it may prioritize motivation to provide voluntary assistance.
Just jumping in to remind people there is a vote feature top left. I think people forget about it.
What is the point? THS takes absolutely no notice
Yes we had a vote on the 5 application limit. That soon disappeared.
Wait… There’s not a five application limit anymore? I haven’t posted the need for a house sit lately, Is it really true?
The vote button and result disappeared, not the five application limit!
@Oztravels I hadn’t forgotten about the vote feature - I didn’t even know about it until now! Thanks for pointing it out.
Hi @GotYourBack
This is a really cool suggestion! Let me have a think, and have a chat with the team, and I’ll get back to you.
With regards to the “vote” feature in the top left corner, while we don’t “officially” use it to track interest in a subject, Forum members are welcome to use it to show interest in a particular suggestion.
That being said, it’s easier to share feedback and advocate for you with the wider team, if we have qualitative feedback rather than quantative feedback; that is, it’s cool to get an idea of how many people like an idea, but what helps us more is descriptive feedback wherever possible!
We do understand though, that there might be some lurkers that don’t want to post but who would like to show an interest!
Jenny
@Jenny, there seem multiple possible, positive uses of a geographic identifier.
Here’s a few thoughts in regards the cultural aspect. By stating the geographic identity of the Forum poster then their comments may have higher value to reader.
For context, we’ve completed ~75 housesits in ~20 countries in North America and Europe.
1/ Pets. We observe huge variances in relationship mindset between human(s) and pet(s) in different countries. While there are likely multiple factors, geography seems to be a significant aspect. For example, multiple countries in Southern Europe have widespread stray populations of dogs or cats. In our experience, many pet parents in those geographies have a relatively loose relationship with their pets - some do not even use the term ‘pet’. This compares starkly to some countries, perhaps North America, where pets are sometimes (not always) treated as precious furbabies. No judgement intended, but different culture.
2/ Properties. We observe substantial variances in average property profile in different countries. On average, and there are always exceptions, then properties in North America have been materially larger in square footage than in Schengen area. Some properties, e.g. North America, often have amenities that would be rare in Schengen area (e.g. hottubs, cinema rooms, snooker/pool rooms, all sorts). In contrast, Schengen area properties offer other attributes not available in North America. This may impact housesitter applicant request to arrive day before sit, or leave day after sit (e.g. enough bedrooms?). No right or wrong, but different averages.
3/ Transit. We observe differing default public transportation across countries. North America loves their cars. Europe loves transit. We find that many (not all) housesits in Europe, unlike North America, could be completed without use of vehicle. Different public policies. May impact both applications but also context in Forum.
4/ Norms. Quite a few THS Forum threads ask about pet parent and housesit norms. We find that they vary based on geography. If a housesitter is applying to a listing in a popular Schengen sunshine destination then expectations/norms are probably different to applications to rural locations with bountiful listings (e.g. US, UK). This also impacts pet parents - some pet parents have listings with geographic locations that, subject to property/pet care - probably quickly attract many applications. And some do not. Geographic context may help frame OP situation and therefore any member advice.
@Jenny, a second suggested use case of geographic identifier is prioritizing support contributions.
THS Forum is a group of volunteers. Each member chooses how much and where to freely give their time.
THS Forum members may have greater motivation to volunteer assistance to fellow members from the same geography. By way of illustration, a THS Forum member with a France suffix may volunteer greater time/effort to support fellow THS Forum members that also has a France suffix.
Or maybe a THS Forum member has expertise in a specific geography and wishes to increase their voluntary support to members from that geography.
Volunteer Forum members may perceive that they’re making a targeted impact rather than responding to an anonymous username.
We guess that this may increase the quantity and quality of Forum comments for many OPs.