@Silversitters, fair point. But I have been astonished at the diversity of circumstances, preferences and objectives within the housesitting community. Sometimes we read of housesitters being very excited at listings that we would not consider! No right or wrong choices. Just preferences. I rather suspect that some members of the THS housesit community may consider Italian housesit in warmer summer months. Sure would seem marvellous to have more Schengen, including Italy, listings to even consider applications.
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Right? Like I absolutely do NOT want a sit with a pool. I find them - terrifying. Do I have to clean it? What if the animal falls in? I will not apply to a sit that has a pool. But some people think that is the best amenity EVER.
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@KittySitter, great example. In contrast, weāve completed nany housesits with pool or hottub. We typically (if useable at sit seaaon) perceive such attributes positively. Itās wonderful that the housesitter community has different preferences as presumably helps Pet Parents to find a great fit.
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Ditto!! I would absolutely use TH in the EU/Schengen areas while traveling.
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Hi everyone!
This is a super interesting discussion - thanks to you all for sharing your thoughts.
I just wanted to let you know that we did pass your feedback directly to the Marketing team.
Jenny
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Newer sitter responding:
This may even be worthy of its own topic. Iāve been running into neighbors on my pet walks, & being a chatty person, we get talkingā¦I mention Iām the petsitter, they mention they need a sitter sometimes & would I be interested/how much do I charge, I tell them about THS & how it worksā¦yada yada.
This happens often, & Iāve been thinking itād be great to have a THS card in business card format to pass outā¦preferably with a QR code (for the referral bonus), as well as an optional shortcode/Bitly link to my personal THS profile for those whoād like to reach out to request me specifically. (Because if Iām there, it usually means itās someplace I wouldnāt mind coming back to.)
Iāve thought about submitting it as a suggestion to THS, but the posts Iāve seen seem to indicate there isnāt a great way to submit feature requestsā¦or at least, that they donāt have a real process for such dialog.
I really feel like this would be a win-winā¦free & effective marketing, with direct benefits to existing members (both sitters & HOs.)
You are so right ā because I actually actively look for sits in warm climates with a pool on site. Those are the sits I donāt mind if I never even leave the house, other than to walk the dog & grocery shop 
Iāve wished more than once that āpoolā was on the Search form, tbhā¦or in your case, the ability to search for āNO poolā would be great.
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@MerryPuppins, @KittySitter - perhaps thereās a neat way to combine the related topics of Refer-A-Friend incentives and THS Priority Marketing.
By way of illustration, say THS were to determine that it wanted to attract Pet Parents in Schengen Area. THS Refer-A-Friend standard incentive is two months for a new member signup. Perhaps if the new member were within THS Priority Marketing (Pet Parents in Schengen Area in this case) then Refer-A-Friend incentive could be higher, say six months or twelve months 
.
Such a concept would seem a win-win as THS members proactively assist THS marketing strategies.
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This is a good idea too.
I recently got invited to the new Trailblazers program, only to learn that it requires a social media account with 1000+ followers to join. I donāt ādoā most social media sites due to data privacy concerns. And while influencers may get the THS name out in bulk, I donāt know that I think mass amplification is the best way to gain new sitters or HOs.
Thatās why I wanted a card with a QR code & Bitly. I feel like the personal invite to someone whoās already expressed interest is far more likely to gain a member - and I can use my judgement about whether itās someone who seems like theyād understand the spirit of the serviceā¦although I also thought about asking my local small pet-store & my vet if theyād set them out as well.
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Yes, I think having social media with āxā number of followers is a very narrow way of looking at it.
Iād far rather have an account with 300 followers that are all pet related and/or travel related, with good engagement and who trust that person. Many of the people I know who have more than 1000 followers are just annoying, self-centered, and attention-seeking. Always out there promoting this, that, or the other product. Their goal is to be an āinfluencerā. Iād far rather have a quiet person who likes pools and dogs and who understands that the more people we have on this platform, the more opportunities ALL of us will have for good HO-sitter matches. An āinfluencerā with 1,000+ followers may very well be more interested in their own well-being rather than that of the community. And I say that as someone with 3,000+ followers on multiple platforms, which is more a factor of time on those platforms - I joined super super early when social media was not yet a thing. I would 100% never use my social media accounts to promote THS, in part because I donāt want people to know where Iām traveling, for safety reasons. But I tell everyone I meet in person about it and I know at least five people who have signed up because of me, and not because of the referral bonus. I donāt really care about that and I suspect lots of other folks donāt either. In fact, I feel weird that my friends might thing Iām doing the referral to get free months rather than because I genuinely believe it is a great service.
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@MerryPuppins If you use the spyglass in top right corner and type in referral code QR you can see threads related to this. There was a template of the THS name and logo provided where members could have their own cards made but it didnāt include a QR code. However, all a person needs is the RAF 6-digit code on that card.
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Some members have made their own business cards. I have given my code to people I bump into, I just take up my QR code on my phone and they use the camera on their phone to get the link.
Some sitters have mentioned that if it is people close to the host at a sit, they refer the friend/ neighbor to the host, saying that the host could refer them to get a discount. I found it a good idea, as otherwise referring a neighbor or similar could impact how the host would view me/ the sitter, and it would make a better impression if the host get the referral of their close ones. Strangers in the park would ofc be free to catch! 
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Itās also about family dynamics. Maybe thatās not the correct phase but Iāll try to explain.
It would be unthinkable (in some countries) to ask a stranger to come and look after your pets and property. Family live close by and would volunteer to help during holidays. This is shown by how many sits that are listed in Asia that are actually European or American families who live there. It is very unusual for an Asian family to list.
Just an observation
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