When do you leave a star for the host?

When I am deciding to leave a star I ask myself: Did I ask the host any questions in the swap that were answered (star) or unanswered (no star). Did I have any issues (drama) that I needed to lean on the swap host for assistance (after I attempted to clear up the situation first)? Basically, I leave a star if there were no issues or unanswered questions. I don't leave a star if the host didn't respond to my questions or there were issues and the host refused to act as a mediator.

I believe a host's responsibilities are: to answer questions regarding the swap (time is important here as I might need clarification before signing up); to look through all participant's profiles before assigning partners to make sure that they meet the minimum requirements; and to act as a mediator if an issue arises. This does NOT mean that I expect them to "force" users to change their ratings as this is impossible. But sometimes a mediator can help resolve issues peacefully. If the host attempts to help me then they deserve a star. I haven't actually had to use a host this way yet - and hope not to - but I would attempt to contact them for this.

I know that some swappers expect hosts to always angel when necessary. I don't necessarily expect this and whether they do or not does not affect my rating. I do believe that it should be clear in the swap if they are willing to angel or not. (I am not 100% sure that I have been clear on this in my own swaps but thinking about it now I will be going forward).

About 99.9% of the swaps that I have participated in my hosts have received their deserving stars. The more hosts = the more swaps I can do!

I always leave a star unless something happened to make me think she doesn’t deserve one. Like not angeling or not answering questions (im a bit bad myself about the questions part).

A host has to come up with an interesting concept, write out the swap, find a good photo, add any relevant links, answer any questions, check over people who have joined, assign partners, make her own version of the swap, angel if necessary, send emails or PMs to anyone who hasn’t clicked sent and try to help with any disputes. This all takes a long time so I think that always deserves a star. I rarely DON’T give a star.

I leave Stars like I leave hearts - when they go above and beyond the norm or if their Swap was unique/special in some way.

Examples are if the host angels, answers my questions, or if they are my swap partner and earn a heart.

I leave a star is I didn't have any hiccups in the swap. If I have to reach out to my partner I try to reach out to the host as well just to give a head's up. I feel the role of the host is to come up with interesting/fun ideas, ensure all participants meet requirements and answer questions if anyone has them. Also, be a mediator if a problem arises. Honestly I don't think I have ever NOT left a star. Thank you to all the hosts out there keeping the swaps going.

In my opinion, the person who is hosting ALWAYS deserves a star unless there is something that goes totally wrong with the swap. The person hosting is going out of their way to make sure I have a fun swap to join and ensure I have an enjoyable time swapping on swap-bot, so why shouldn't they get a star for doing that for me?

The reason I have hosted some swaps on swap-bot is because the kind of things I wanted to swap were not available or I didn't like the details of other hosts swaps, so I hosted my own.

I believe that a host's responsibility is to have an easy to understand description of their swap and the requirements of the swap. They need to vet the people in the swap to try and weed out the flakers and the drama makers and to make sure all swappers meet the requirements of the swap and hopefully keep things running smoothly. I think they should assign partners in a timely manner. I also think they should help mediate if there is a problem with partners, which I have had to do in the past for one of my swaps. They also should give a "friendly" reminder to those who have not sent by the sent deadline.

I don't think it is the responsibility of the host to angel the swap they are hosting. We all know the risks of flakers when we sign up to do swaps on swap-bot and that life isn't fair! As long as the host has done their best to weed out those with a history of flaking or causing drama, I believe they have done their job as a host. That is the whole reason why we have a rating system in place - to help us determine if a person is good swapper and if they deserve to be in our swap we are hosting. That is why we also need to rate people honestly and fairly. That being said, I do believe a host goes ABOVE and BEYOND if they do angel because I don't think it is something they have to do and that they are indeed an "angel" who has put a smile back on someone's face who has been disappointed by their partner!

I also thinks it is my responsibility as a person who signs up for a swap to make sure that it will be as safe as possible for myself by checking the rating to join and the other swappers in the swap and to inform the host if there is a person who has had problems in the past that the host might not be aware of. I have not signed up for a swap in the past because I thought the rating to join the swap was too low or the description of the swap was too confusing, and I have also droppoed out of a swap because I have seen people in that swap that I would rather not swap with that like to create the drama and I would not want to have them for a partner. We all play a part in making the swaps a fun and happy place! :)

I leave stars 99.999999999999999999% of the time. Unless, something happened out of the ordinary and the hostess flakes, lol, I leave a star. Its just a opportunity to be kind PLUS hosting is a responsibility. lol I would hate to do a swap out in the open forums and get like 50+ swappers. Oy! So much vetting. Such a high possibility for something to go wrong or get a bad swapper. I just like being kind & generous whenever possible.

PART II....lol...... Theres certainly quite a bit of time involved in hosting......yet, I dont go thru a long laundry check list in order to give a star or a heart for that matter. Some of those responsibilities include: vetting: reading the ratings of anyone with 1's and 3's. Making a decision on those that have 1's and 3's. When banning I like to leave a kind, lovely note as to why I had to ban and giving suggestions to newbies how to address them. I want to be seen as a helpful swapper when leaving the ban note and not as a indifferent, uncaring, adversary. I dont like banning but sometimes you gotta. Definitely, making sure your swap is written clearly and covers the big bases and not so big ones too esp. if youre allowing newbies in. READING the comment section of the swaps where questions will be posted. STAYING on top your messages where swappers will also contact ya for questions.

I have only once NOT left a star for the host. That time was because the host the swap so incomprehensible that everyone had different ideas as to what we were actually doing, and then the host did not respond and clarify until the due date. Other than that, all of the hosts I've had have done a great job as far as I can tell, so I've given them a star. To me, if they're willing to take on that responsibility and do it well, and especially to angel, they deserve a star.

I have never NOT left a star for a host! Then again, I am very new to swap-bot so that may eventually change (hopefully not!). I feel that I will always leave a star unless something goes wrong with a swap that could have been prevented! If there was nothing a host could have done, I wouldn't blame them - especially if they offered to angel or help resolve the issue.

I do feel that if you are going to host, you should be prepared to check out the participants and make sure there are no people with large numbers of bad ratings, or with unresolved ones. Another responsibility would be setting reasonable rating and swap history requirements depending on the effort/value of a swap!

I also think that the swap description is important - it needs to be clear! I have seen a few swaps where I don't really understand what is required, so I usually avoid those. I would rather read a longer swap description that fully explains the requirements of the swap, rather than a brief sentence that leaves me uncertain.

Anyways, thank you to all the hosts that have allowed this newbie to test out the waters in their swaps!

i give stars when the host is very helpful and the swap was easy and everyone followed the rules.

to me a hosts responsibilities are to make sure the swap is worded so everyone can understand. also that the rules are all followed. by everyone. the host should be like a "boss" always there to answer questions when they are asked.

thanks for the awesome swap. it helps us understand where each is coming from.

For me I usually give a star because the host made an enjoyable and fun swap, was very helpful if there were any questions, made sure others were taking care of if flaked on, put repetitive flamers on the list, and just all around handled their swap fairly and kind. Most of the swaps I've done the coordinators have been great and I've given all of them stars.

Just by reading the reactions here, this swap has already been as useful to me as a newbie as the 'when do you leave a heart' swap. And that, to me, is already worth the star. Every swap I ever signed up for I entered with the thought: 'ooo, that sounds like fun! I'd like to join.' That's because of the host. So if nothing bad happens (a host who doesn't help, doesn't answer questions or changes a swap after sign-up date) for me it's a star for the host. So far I could always give a star to thank the host for making a swap I liked to join possible.

Hello Swappers! I leave a star for a host as a thank for hosting, I have not hosted a swap, so I can only imagine there might be more work involved than what I can see on the surface. I also appreciate hosts that click the button to assign partners in an efficient manner, within a couple of days after the swap sign up date .

I believe a host's responsibilities include: (1) providing clear, concise instructions - I should not have to ask clarifying questions; if I cannot understand the requirements of a swap I simply do not join; (2) checking to make sure all of the participants match the guidelines (I was once in a USA only regional swap and was assigned an international partner - how does that happen?); and (3) act as a mediator in case of any issues.

I've hosted a few times and I would say a good host should always, and it is their responsibility to:

1)check the participants - see if they have a poor record mentioned in the forum, check their ratings and rating comments to ward off anything fishy, check if their address is valid, and lastly check their dashboard to see if they have any late swaps - to see if they have any problems following guidelines recently.

2)prepare to angel - I think it is really unfair if a host's only motive is to receive goodies from others, and if they were not flaked on everything's fine. If a host promised to angel they're bearing a risk to spend extra on the swap they host, which means they'll be extra careful and committed warding off bad swappers.

3)set reasonable guidelines for swaps - good hosts should set clear instructions or people may receive something undesirable. Also they should know international mails take time, so if you're not living in the US and a host insisted they'll rate within 2 weeks, it's a red flag to me.

I think it's a very personally thing to leave stars and hosts should not be disappointed not receiving them. I leave a star when I'm really satisfied with the swap I received, that means the host did their job preventing me from being flaked or receiving effortless swaps. And I'd definitely leave a star if the host angel-ed for me after I was confirmed flaked. And sometimes I would leave stars for hosts when I love their swap idea and swap descriptions.

Leaving a STAR: Newbie here, and I will leave a STAR for the Host every time unless something goes wrong with the swap and the Host could have assisted with it and didn't. It appears hosting takes a lot of time and so I see every Host as deserving. (I learned quite a bit about leaving Stars upon reading the comments above.)

Hosts Responsibilities: -Should be very clear and concise about the requirements of the swap. -Should respond to comments regarding swap requirements prior to sign-up date. -Should vet accordingly to prevent "flaking" as much as possible. -Should send reminders to swappers who are "late" sending out swaps. -Should provide feedback if they "ban" someone from a swap. -I'd like to see all Hosts be willing to angel their swaps, but that is not mandatory. If I have any questions about joining a swap that may be the determining factor.

Hello, I’m brand new to swap-bot. The way I will rate is , 1. if the host described the swap with clear directions 2. Assigns partners in timely manner 3. Weeds out the flakers 4. I had fun :) 5. Angel if it’s possible ( but shouldn’t need to if vetted properly)

I believe being host I’d probably time consuming and can sometimes be a headache and if everything goes smooth then they deserve the star!

I’m looking forward to swaps and being able to give lots of stars :)

Hello!! I'm new to Swap-Bot, so I'm not exactly sure what the stars are all about, but after reading the above comments, I would say that I will leave a star for the host each time I participate. It seems that the hosts put a lot of effort and work into hosting the swaps. Therefore, they should get credit for it. The hosts' responsibilities should include planning a fun smooth running swap. they should be available to answer any questions and step in if problems arise. I don't think that they should be required to angel if they have a flaker, but I think that in itself should require us to give them a star!!! I look forward to participating in many more swaps!!!

I leave a star nearly every time because in my opinion, Stars mean "you had a great swap idea! thank you for thinking of this and giving me this opportunity!" And obviously, if I'm joining the swap it's because I feel it's worthwhile. However... if the host ends up being my swap partner and I either don't receive it or if it's evident that the host put hardly any effort into their swap (and I'm usually pretty lenient in this judgment) then I may not give them a star no matter how good of an idea the swap was.

A host's responsibility is to 1) assign partners on time 2) provide either clear guidelines for the swap or be willing to answer questions related to it (though tbh I'm not gonna join swaps if the guidelines aren't clear)
3) mediate conflicts that arise between two swappers when they are not able to reach a conclusion amongst themselves.

I don't feel that hosts should be expected to angel... they've (hopefully) done their share in the swap already, so it's not their responsibility to do it twice... The only reason I angel is because I'm a bit of a pushover and some swapbot users are honestly terrifying (which is part of the reason why I don't use this site too often)

I am fairly generous when I leave a star. Most of the time I do. Actually, I don't think I have ever not left a star lol. I check the hosts profile and also look at rating requirements. i feel it's my responsibility to check things out and that it is my choice to join or not and I should be aware of the probability of being flaked on or not. If there was a problem then I would expect the host to help resolve it, but other than that I'm not going to judge a host after I made the choice to join it.

Hi , was wondering when partners would be assigned? I’m new and not sure how that works. Thanks :)

@onthesnap22 Hi there! Partners are now assigned. Most hosts assign partners within 24 to 48 hours after swap signup end date.

Ok, thanks so much :)

I'll give a star when the host makes a clear swap description, reads and answers the comments (in time!), angel if necessary, check the swappers before assigning the swap and helps when problems occur. Same applies for duties (responsibilities) of the host. :-)

Ack! How did I miss a question here when there were only two? My partner, I am sorry! The rest of my answer is way up near the top. Hosting: I have never hosted a swap, so I admit that a lot of the responsibilities of a host are foggy to me. I know that it is up to the host to write a clear description of the swap and set parameters as to who can be in it. A host is responsible for making sure repetitive flakers are removed. To me, angeling is not a requirement for a host, especially if relatively expensive items are going to be owed, and I look on it as a kind and generous bonus if the host says they will angel. A host is also responsible for answering questions in a timely manner, and for making sure that changes and clarifications are made available to all. Some hosts send messages to remind people that the swap has begun; I find this redundant as I check my dashboard everyday and Swap-bot sends me an email as soon as a swap has started, so I don't really think this is the best idea, personally. After the swap the host has to angel if they have promised to and someone flakes, and I'm guessing they need to keep the names of all the flakers so they can ban them in the future. lol all of this is making me rethink hosting a swap myself soon!