💡 Tip of the Week: Groups! (Web Only)

[Melissa.HomeExchange]

It’s Wednesday! And what do we do on Wednesdays? We read our handy tips for becoming a home exchange pro!

Today, we’re focusing on Groups! No, not our Facebook groups, but the groups you can join on the platform based on your interests and lifestyle. Let me explain

Groups help you find members who share your interests

Are you a senior, allergic to dust mites, open to long-term exchanges, a family with young children or a baby, a cycling enthusiast, or a cat or dog lover?

Joining groups allows you to showcase these interests and preferences to the rest of the community, helping you find members with whom you have things in common and refine your searches.

Groups are open communities organised around different lifestyles and interests. We believe that sharing common interests helps build trust between members and brings the community closer together.

What does this mean in practice?

Joining groups means that:

1. It’s an easy way to identify common interests with the member whose listing you’re viewing, as their group memberships (and therefore your shared interests) are displayed on their profile (see image below).
2. You can also filter your searches based on shared interests. For example, select “Cat Lovers” if you’re looking for members who love feline companions, or “Long-Term Exchanges” if you’re interested in an exchange lasting several months.

How to join groups

First of all, we encourage you to join all the groups that apply to you. To do so:

My Account > My Profile > Social & Network > Groups, then click “Manage my groups”.

How to filter your search using groups

Would you like to filter your search to see only members who belong to the “Teachers”, “Seniors”, or “Cat Lovers” group, for example? It’s simple: click on Filters and select the relevant group or groups.

Of course, you must have joined a group yourself before you can use it as a search filter.

Please note: Groups are currently available and searchable through filters on the website only.

Your turn!

Take a few minutes over the coming days to review your groups, whether you’re new to HomeExchange or have been exchanging homes for 20 years or more

And don’t hesitate to share any additional tips we may have missed in the comments!