Casserole launched in Beta at the end of May with our very first version of a full site. We have had some brilliant feedback from members so far, and are back with a few tweaks, changes and shiny new features to take Casserole to the next level of development. So without further ado, here are a few new things you will spot across the site:
About Page: In light of clarifying our message and how Casserole as a service works, we’ve revamped our About page to you a more thorough look at what Casserole is, where it came from, and how to use it best for you.
Neighbours: In our feedback, a few people mentioned how they would really like to be able to see what’s happening with Casserole, even if its not in their area – well now you can! You will notice in the there is a new section on your toolbar called Neighbours. With Neighbours you can see more easily what members are in your own area (and if you click on the Casserole icons, you can see a preview of their profiles), but you can also zoom out to see what’s happening with Casserole in areas both near and far!
Edit Profile: Huzzah! While before we had a bit of a clunky system where any changes to your profile needed to be made by us, you are now fully capable of managing your information yourself! Want to change your picture or fix your misspelt road name, not a problem.
Prices: When we launched the Beta site, we added in a function that gave cooks the option to charge a small amount for the meal they were sharing – this was met with some confusion and resistance from the Casserole community. By adding money into the mix, it seemed to muddle up our message a bit, which is the last thing we wanted to do. So, from now on, ad hoc meals shared on the site will be served up for free. For those people who decide to Pair Up (read the next section to hear more about that!), you will still have the option to charge, but for general meals shared openly on the site, those will be free across the board from now on.
Pair Up: This is a special new scheme set within Casserole for those of you looking for a more long-term, regular pairing with someone in your community. While the site is great for meals you want to offer up to the whole community, we learned through feedback that that’s not an ideal situation if you are cooking regularly for one particular person.
So, we’d like to introduce you to Pair Up – a scheme that matches a local cook and local diner and helps support a regular meal sharing arrangement between the two. These could either be a pair who met through an ad hoc meal on Casserole who wish to start sharing on a regular basis, or new Casserole members who would rather be matched with someone from the get go. Once a match is made, we will help you sort out a rough meal schedule (whether that is on a weekly or fortnightly basis), as well as whether you wish any money to be exchanged for meals (usually in the form of contributing to ingredients). After everything is set, we will send you gentle reminders before a meal is meant to be served, and ask you to let us know what you’ve cooked (more on why we want to know what you’ve cooked in the next section).
Part of the reason for Pair Up is to make sure Casserole can be used in a way that best suits you – whether its for an occasional meal or a regular schedule.
Plates: Every meal a cook serves through Casserole is a small action that can make a big difference in a diner’s life – and we want to make sure we track and celebrate those actions with what we like to call plates. For every meal you share, you will get a “plate” – this serves two purposes – 1) it helps us keep track of all the meals being served through Casserole to help measure social impact and growth and 2) it helps you mark some brilliant milestones in your involvement in Casserole. For every milestone (5, 25, 50, 75, and 100 plates – for now) you hit, Casserole will give you a celebratory token of appreciation (we’ll share more details on what those will be soon!) for being an active member of the community.
There you have it – a little tour of the shiny new things you will spot on the Casserole site today. As always, please let us know your thoughts – what you like and what you don’t – so we can keep improving Casserole.
Happy Cooking!
