FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

What is DVDLENDER?

DVDLENDER is an online service to help organise the lending of DVDs between friends.

How does it work?

When you register you are placed in a gang, this gang may already exist or it could be new. The gang is formed from the domain of your email address, e.g. John.Smith@coolcompany.com would join a gang "Coolcompany". This means that any of his co-workers can immediately join the same gang and use the internal mail system to swap DVDs.

Can I leave my default gang?

Yes. If you don't want your company to be able to see and request DVDs or if your email address is in a different format meaning that your default gang is meaningless then you can leave the gang through Gang Membership.

Can I only borrow DVDs from people in my gang?

Yes.

You should create a gang if:

• Your default mail gang contains people you don't want seeing your DVDs (e.g. using a hotmail or aol type mail address); or
• You have other people outside of your workplace you would like to lend/borrow DVDs with.

You can create gangs and you can specify whether you want to "own" the gang or not. If you "own" the gang (recommended) then you will need to approve any new person who wishes to join even if they have the secret passcode.

This means that if the passcode falls into the wrong hands, you still have control over who joins and who doesn't - also you know when people have joined.

However for a hassle free life, simply leave the gang without an owner and only give the passcode to people you want to join.

Is it possible for other people to see my DVD collection who are not in my gang?

No. When you borrow a DVD, only DVDs from your gang are shown. However when you add a DVD you get to see the entire catalogue of titles but you will not be able to tell who owns the DVD.

How do I join a new gang?

Go to gang membership and check a box for the gang you wish to join. If the owner of this gang has protected it you will be prompted to confirm an email notification to be sent to the gang owner requesting membership. You can join and leave your default gang as you please.

How do I borrow a DVD?

Go to the Borrow DVD page, select the DVD you wish to borrow and click 'Who owns this?'. The list of people in your gang who own the DVD will be shown. Click on their name and this will send them an email requesting the DVD. They can choose to accept or reject this request with a reason. When acknowledged (either accept or reject) you will be notified by email that they will deliver you the DVD.

How do I lend a DVD?

If you receive an email from DVDLENDER requesting a DVD, please click on the link to acknowledge the request even if you are going to reject it. You get a chance to add a reason if you wish but it counts against your account if you do not acknowledge requests.

If it is green, they have either had no requests (everyone starts as green) or they have always acknowledged their requests. If it is yellow, they have acknowledged some requests but have not acknowledged all requests. If it is red, they have never acknowledged a request.

Turning down a request does not affect a person's status as long as they acknowledge the request.