Can I talk about this here?
lol
Basically, it's a method of sharing "fan projects", if you will.
It goes back to tape trading days; now many people share electronically. First, the participants sign up on a list, often on a fan forum or such. Then, the person who has the original "project", or "seeder", sends the master copy (usually a CD) to the first person on the list. That person makes his or her own copy, then sends the master to the next person on the list, and so on down the line. This is done via snail mail, so there is mailing time involved, people may "sit on" the master before sending it on, it might get lost, etc. Hence the slowness factor. Plus, you're trusting that people are actually sending the original (as is etiquette), as opposed to a copy. So, you can get burned (and I don't mean as in CD
) or left empty-handed.
There are variations, such as weeds and trees, which distribute faster, but are more likely to "pollute" the trading pool with low (or is that high?) generation or lossy (highly compressed) copies. This isn't a problem with a vine, as each copy is (theoretically) made from the master.
You can also do traditional trades;for example, people who don't have the equipment/ know how to burn may do a "B&P", meaning that you trade for blanks and postage. You can also do direct trades, but again, you have to trust the person you are trading with, and hope they abide by the usual etiquette. In my experience, most people are usually cool.