FairTab

This isn’t intended to be the full-on legalese boilerplate privacy policy of the website. It is my plain English thoughts and intentions about privacy and use of the data collected by this site.

I don’t like unsolicited email and I refuse to be responsible for a site that perpetrates it. No personal information will be shared with anyone, not even “partners.” If you get an email from the site, it will be something I need to tell you about the site or the site informing you of activity about your account (for instance, that someone included you on a tab and that you should confirm it).

How do I think I’ll make money? That’s the question, isn’t it? I never believe that someone won’t sell my email address until I know what their business plan is. Primarily, linking to coupons for restaurants on the site. I’d like to set it up so that it puts up coupons for places in your zip code, but early on it will probably be pretty random. If there ever is a “coupon email” it will be strictly opt-in only.

Who will be able to see your “tabs?” I’m still working on that, but I can give an overview of my thoughts right now.

• You will have a different “balance” for each pool that you are in. You could be $20 up in an office lunch pool and owe your poker buddies $5. Only the people in a particular pool will be able to see your balance for that pool. However, everyone in a pool will be able to see your balance with the pool.
• People in a pool will not get to see your interactions with other pool members. Only people involved in a particular transaction will get to see the details of the transaction. E.g., only the people you went to lunch with will know who you went to lunch with, or at least the software won’t let out your secrets. The exception may be that a group administrator or arbitrator might be allowed to review it. I’m still working on that notion.
• People should not be able to get a list of pools you are in, even if you are in one pool with them.
• People in your pools will see your name and contact information. These are people you share expenses with, I expect that they already know these things.

The philosophy is that the system will share as much, but only as much, as is needed to foster trust in the system and the people with whom you share expenses.

FairTab is in its initial development phase. Use and registration is by invitation only.

This project was inspired by my impatience for long lines after lunch. People who insist on splitting the bill at the register or getting separate checks cause delays. Splitting the bill up later can be a headache because no one has enough $1 bills. Taking turns buying lunch is a problem because not all lunches are created equal. Taking turns also fails when not everyone in the group goes out every time.

FairTab is a system that tracks and balances your group’s lunch expenses using a novel method. For each person in a lunch “pool” it will track how much has been paid and how much their own lunches cost. FairTab allows members of the pool to quickly and easily make sure that no one is mooching or getting stiffed.

FairTab is not an “IOU” tracking system. It is a balancing system. Imagine a group of three people: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Alpha takes Beta to lunch, Beta takes Gamma to lunch, and Gamma takes Alpha to lunch. FairTab will see the group as “even Steven” even though no one was ever directly repaid. Buying lunch for someone does not necessarily mean they will buy lunch for you, but they will buy for someone in your pool and someone in your pool will buy for you.

These are the simplest scenarios one could imagine. FairTab can handle them with ease and do more. FairTab can deal with a person who brings a guest, or people from different pools going to lunch! (My cousin and I each brought a coworker to lunch once. Only one person paid, but FairTab kept things even.)

FairTab is not a system for making payments. It will not transfer money for you. It will never ask for any credit card or bank account information. It is only a system for tracking expenses. FairTab is not an enforcer. It can not stop someone from being a moocher. It will make it plain to the pool who has done more eating than treating, but it is up to the members of the pool to remind the mooch to pay their fair share.

FairTab can be used for far more than just lunches. Dinners, of course. Gas on a road trip. Roommate utilities and perhaps groceries. Any time it makes sense for one person to pay for something that several people use, FairTab can keep the pool calm and even.