分享經濟衍生商機

新科技帶來新契機、新商業模式，卻也帶來新挑戰。網路產業當紅炸子雞Uber和Airbnb，體驗過初期爆炸性成長的甜蜜滋味後，現在也紛紛面臨法令規範限制，以及隨之而來的擴張瓶頸問題。Airbnb力突重圍，衍生出各式各樣，如雨後春筍般興起的商機，儼然形成蓬勃生產的房屋分租和短租的產業區塊，有助於推動未來該產業的制度化與合法化。

進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：

a) 當道

b) 營運倦怠

c) 無所不包的

As every home-sharing website user can testify, seemingly straightforward tasks like key-exchange can turn complicated, even nerve-wracking when the operation involves two strangers who have never met and may never meet. Enter City CoPilot. The New York City company, launched by two young Airbnb hosts, is dedicated to support services of a sharing ecosystem1) including, but not limited to, Airbnb members. Besides key hand-offs, City CoPilot also arranges housecleaning, luggage storage, and other services for the hosts as well as the guests.

房屋分租網站的使用者都知道，類似交付鑰匙這種看似簡單的租屋流程，在雙方無法碰面的情形下，往往變得非常複雜。因此，就有City CoPilot這類網站應運而生。設於紐約市的City CoPilot，是由兩位年輕的Airbnb屋主所創設，專門替Airbnb這類房屋分享社群網站，提供支援性服務，像是鑰匙交付、屋內清潔、行李暫放等。

The sharing phenomenon is a) spawning 2) a whole slew of startups similar to CoPilot. Vancouver based KeyCafe, established 2 years ago, specializes in key hand-off by putting safe boxes in local cafes and sending secure codes to customers through an app to ensure a painless transaction. Proprly, created by Randy Engler in April 2013, handles key delivery, guest-welcoming, porter service, and housecleaning for Airbnb hosts at a price of $40-$100 per guest.

房屋分享現象當道，連帶催生出許多相關服務。創立於溫哥華的KeyCafe，專門協助客戶交付鑰匙，其做法是在各地合作的咖啡館內放置保險箱，讓房客透過手機上APP功能，傳送密碼來開啟領取。2013年4月由Randy Engler成立的Proprly網站，則是能替屋主交付鑰匙、接待房客，協助搬運行李和清潔打掃，每次收取40到100美金不等的費用。

Among the competitors in the Airbnb sub-economy, a Tel Aviv, Israel based company called Guesty emerges as a frontrunner. Its founders, two brothers Amiad and Koby Soto, drew from their own experiences as Airbnb hosts to try to solve one major problem for house-sharing veterans: b) host fatigue. Everything from profile maintaining, query responding, after-transaction reviewing, and the c) all-encompassing logistics can be entrusted to Guesty to relieve the hosts of their ever demanding duties.

在搶食Airbnb衍生商機的競爭者當中，搶在前頭的一間特拉維夫，以色列公司，名為Guesty最受矚目。創辦者Soto兄弟以自身經營Airbnb短租的經驗，希望替屋主解決一個最大的問題，也就是繁雜庶務所引發的營運倦怠。從網站資料維護、網友問題回答、給予房客評價，到無所不包的後勤作業，都可交由Guesty來替你完成。

Although authorities still watch Airbnb with a suspicious eye, these aforementioned active participants in the sharing economy are partnering with one another to create a respectable economic force. The consensus now seems to be that these home-sharing businesses will eventually be legalized, and they are willing to be regulated, to do the right thing.

雖然主管機關對Airbnb仍抱持質疑態度，但前述這些分享經濟的積極參與者，正透過彼此結盟，集結成一股經濟勢力。目前各方均傾向認為短租產業遲早將會合法化，而網路商家也願意受到規範，化暗為明。

參考資料: Fast Company

口語詞彙

1.    including, but not limited to 包括但不僅限於

Chinese shoppers are snatching up Japanese electronic products including, but not limited to, washlets and rice cookers. 陸客瘋狂搶購日本電器，包括免治馬桶、電鍋，以及其它商品。

2.    a whole slew of 一大票的

To cool down an overheating real estate market, the government announced tax increases and a whole slew of new policies. 為阻止房市過熱，政府宣布加稅以及一連串新政策。