Equipment Roundup: Karma Army

A tip of the helmet to Cyclelicious for the impetus and info for today's post!

Today's equipment roundup is not about actual equipment - it's about a new website I recently found: Karma Army. Here's their mission:

KA MISSION STATEMENT:
The KarmaArmy Mission is crystal clear: If you're out there riding your bike, skiing or snowboarding, surfing, kayaking, etc. you're enjoying an active, healthy lifestyle. Your gear is sacred. We get it.
Our General Mission is to grow an active, like-minded community that understands what our gear means to us. A KarmaAlert will let our K.A. Community and many other targeted outlets, know about your Just Stolen Bike!!
So overall, we're here to:
  • Educate
  • Inform
  • Protect
  • Prevent
  • Recover
  • Spread Good Karma
  • Help our world be a better place
  • Enjoy Life.

That's right, consider the Karma Army (KA) the mafia of stolen gear. Not just for bikes, but also kayaks, skis, skates, what have you. If it's active gear, and it can be stolen, than this is the site for you to help protect your stuff.

How it works: First, it's a place for you to keep all your data about your bike and other gear, including serial numbers and descriptions. That's one part. Then, if your gear gets stolen, then you can announce it via the KA website and immediately everyone in the Karma Army is informed of your loss via a "KarmaAlert." From their FAQ:

This is the driving engine of KarmaArmy. We have developed the proprietary KarmaAlert which acts as our ALARM system notifying our members, rss subscribers, twitter followers, facebook groupies, forums, Police, campus security offices and each of our partners. Once you put up a KarmaAlert, you will automatically have the entire Membership of the KarmaArmy on the lookout for your Just Stolen article!! Let's go find your stuff!
So it's not just a database of serial numbers and stolen bikes, it's an active network of people looking for your stolen bike. It's word of mouth and real eyes - people looking for your gear. It's a real-life social network with a purpose: get your gear back!

Try it out. Karma Army.

People, not speed.

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