A few years ago, you wouldn't have even heard the phrase "peer-to-peer marketplace". So what exactly is this trend all about? Peer-to-peer began as a sharing apparatus via the Internet. In its infancy, the Internet was meant to be a giant peer-to-peer networking system where consumers were both users and contributors. The peer-to-peer trend took hold as the Internet became the "world's largest file sharing network". (1) The most famous example is that of Napster, which popularized the sharing of music files specifically.

This history founded the basis for peer-to-peer marketplaces. Marketplaces serve a mutual desire for the supply and demand of a product or service. But here's the catch. A peer-to-peer marketplace achieves this by providing online tools for people to communicate directly with each other about exchanging products or services. (2) There are specific standards for an organization to be considered a peer-to-peer marketplace.

To truly be a peer-to-peer marketplace, you:

1. Must remove the middleman
2. Must exchange a real-life asset (product or service)
3. Must be available online for users to access

The poster child of the peer-to-peer marketplace movement is Airbnb. This organization meets the necessary requirements to be a peer-to-peer marketplace because it directly connects travelers to people renting out a space (apt, home, bedroom). It is providing a real-life asset, a place to stay while traveling. And it is an online service accessible worldwide for the purpose of achieving the goal of the organization. Airbnb is one of many examples of the peer-to-peer marketplace sector.

What organizations do you recognize as a peer-to-peer marketplace?

Works Cited
(1) http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49056/peer-to-peer-network
(2) http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to-create-a-lively-peer-to-peer-marketplace

Works Referenced
(A) http://compnetworking.about.com/od/basicnetworkingfaqs/a/peer-to-peer.htm
(B) http://mashable.com/2012/02/07/sharing-economy/