Difference between revisions of "Moderator Manual:Required Group Guidelines File"

Dear XXX Freecycle(TM) Member,

Thanks for being a part of The (ever-expanding) Freecycle Network. We're changing the world one gift at a time!

This message is sent to all subscribers upon joining, and periodically thereafter to the entire list. If you're new to the group or want a quick refresher on making the most of our Freecycle group, please read on!

This Freecycle group matches people who have things they need to get rid of with people who can use them. Our goal is to keep usable items out of the landfill. By using what we already have on this earth, we reduce consumerism, manufacture fewer goods, and lessen the impact on the earth.

Another benefit of using Freecycle is that it encourages us to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process. Free your inner pack rat! XXX Freecycle is part of the incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began in Tucson, AZ on May 1st, 2003 and now boasts thousands of groups all over the world.

Please help this group grow by spreading the word! We all personally know lots of great people in our community who would love this idea. So, why not "pay it forward" and tell 3 (or more) people how wonderful Freecycle is!

You tell your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers... and they tell theirs, and so on, and so on... well, you get the idea!

USING THE FREECYCLE(TM) LIST To post a message, simply send an email to XXX-Group@yahoogroups.com or click on "post" at the XXX Freecycle group web site (see link below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to XXX-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. To post, read, or reply to messages or to manage your membership settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site (AKA main page) at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YOUR_GROUP_URL. To read list archives (especially helpful for new members who may find recent posts of interest there), visit the main page and click on "messages" on the left.

For more information on Freecycle in general and a list of other approved Freecycle groups, visit http://www.freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!) The following list rules have been adapted from the original Freecycle etiquette sheet.

A certain structure helps the group run smoothly and effectively for everyone's benefit. Remember, the success of this group depends on all of us, and that means each of us need to do our best to keep on task and, well, be nice and patient.

Good Luck, Have Fun & Thank You for keeping Good Stuff out of the Landfills!


The following are required rules:

1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example,
   
   • no pornography,
     
   • no alcohol,
     
   • no tobacco,
     
   • no drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.),
     
   • no firearms or other weapons,
     
   • no unregistered waste carriers [UK only].
     
     
     
2. SUBJECT LINE OF POSTS:
   
   • OFFER: sofa (downtown)
     
   • TAKEN: sofa
     [Used in conjunction with an Offer]
     
   • WANTED: sofa (downtown)
     [Please use this post sparingly and don't offer money.]
     
   • RECEIVED: sofa
     [Used in conjunction with a Wanted]
     
   • ADMIN: [Used by group moderators - local policy issues, etc.]
     
     
     
3. WANTED POSTS ARE TO BE USED SPARINGLY. Numerical limits on Wanted posts vary by local group.
   
   
   
4. RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of emails.
   
   
   
5. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION.
   
   
   
6. NO SWAPS/TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local swap/trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached.
   
   
   
7. NO PERSONAL ADS. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.
   
   
   
8. NO POSTS ABOUT ANIMALS FOR BREEDING OR FOOD PURPOSES. Beyond this, some groups do allow non-breeding-related posts to find new homes for pets, but ask that it be kept legal and lovingly careful. Other groups prefer not to allow pet postings.
   
   
   
9. BE NICE. A brief note on Freecycle etiquette: we are all volunteers and we've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another Freecycle member, it is basic good manners to accommodate them as much as possible in terms of scheduling, and then be punctual; they are, after all, giving you something you need and asking nothing in return except that you will show up when you say you will. Also, unless the giver tells you otherwise, assume that they would like you to come by as soon as you can to take away the item.
   
   
   

PICK UP. Arrange as you like. Generally, you'll wait until you get a handful of responses or maybe overnight, and then you can pick whomever you like! That's half the fun. Consider giving your starving local charity preference if one should respond. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "It's on the porch, whoever gets here first gets it." Otherwise you'll become unpopular pretty quickly with your fellow Freecycle group members. Also, only give your phone number to one person at a time or ask for the recipient's phone number. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.


SAFETY. Be aware! It is up to each individual member of Freecycle when arranging for pickup of the item being given away to be appropriately aware of the potential risk of having "a stranger" come to your home to pick something up. Freecycle as an organization assumes no responsibility for this risk. You may want to arrange to meet in a public place or leave the item on the front porch without mentioning whether or not you will be home at the time of pickup.



That should just about do it. Have Fun and Thank you for being a part of The Freecycle Network(TM)!

Regards,
Your XXX Freecycle Moderators

 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.

Dear Freecycle(TM) Member,

Thanks for being a part of The (ever-expanding) Freecycle Network. We're changing the world one gift at a time! This message is sent to all subscribers upon joining, as well as every two weeks to the entire list.

If this message hasn't been updated since the last time you read it, feel free to move on to the next post. If you're new to the group or want a quick refresher on making the most of your Freecycle membership, please read on! (Yes, this is a long message, but it contains essential knowledge for all Freecycle members and will answer MANY common new-user questions, so please take the time to read through it.) Rules update regularly.

We ask that you put your general location in your OFFER e-mail. Also, we have added the rule that there are to be no repeat postings more than once a month. I think this will help keep us all a little saner so that we all don't keep seeing all those repeats.

Begun on Month Day, Year, the XXX Freecycle group is a branch of an incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began in Tucson, AZ on May 1st, 2003 and as of 1 January 2006, boasts over 3,264 offshoots from Japan to Wichita, with more than 1.8 million members! And if you tell your friends and relatives about it, and they tell theirs... well, you get the idea.

USING THE FREECYCLE(TM) LIST To post a message, simply send an email to XXX-Group@yahoogroups.com or click on "post" at the XXX Freecycle group web site (see link below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to XXX-Group-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. To post, read or reply to messages, or to manage your membership settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site's main page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YOUR_GROUPURL.

To read list archives (especially helpful for new members who may find recent posts of interest there), visit the main page and click on "messages" on the left. For more information on Freecycle in general, along with a list of other Freecycle groups, visit http://www.freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!)

You can also find freecycle.org along with other related recycling-related sites by visiting the XXX main page and clicking on "links" on the left. The following list rules have been adapted from the original Freecycle etiquette sheet; for a refresher, read on. A certain structure definitely makes the group run smoothly and effectively for everyone's benefit.

Remember, the success of this group depends on all of us, and that means each of us need to do our best to keep on task and, well, be nice and patient. Good Luck, Have Fun & Thanks for being a Freecycle Member!

The following are required rules:

1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example,
   
   • no pornography,
     
   • no alcohol,
     
   • no tobacco,
     
   • no drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.),
     
   • no firearms or other weapons,
     
   • no unregistered waste carriers [UK only].
     
     
     
2. SUBJECT LINE OF POSTS:
   
   • OFFER: sofa (downtown)
     
   • TAKEN: sofa
     [Used in conjunction with an Offer]
     
   • WANTED: sofa (downtown)
     [Please use this post sparingly and don't offer money.]
     
   • RECEIVED: sofa
     [Used in conjunction with a Wanted]
     
   • ADMIN: [Used by group moderators - local policy issues, etc.]
     
     
     
3. WANTED POSTS ARE TO BE USED SPARINGLY. Numerical limits on Wanted posts vary by local group.
   
   
   
4. RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of emails.
   
   
   
5. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION.
   
   
   
6. NO SWAPS/TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local swap/trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached.
   
   
   
7. NO PERSONAL ADS. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.
   
   
   
8. NO POSTS ABOUT ANIMALS FOR BREEDING OR FOOD PURPOSES. Beyond this, some groups do allow non-breeding-related posts to find new homes for pets, but ask that it be kept legal and lovingly careful. Other groups prefer not to allow pet postings.
   
   
   
9. BE NICE. A brief note on Freecycle etiquette: we are all volunteers and we've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another Freecycle member, it is basic good manners to accommodate them as much as possible in terms of scheduling, and then be punctual; they are, after all, giving you something you need and asking nothing in return except that you will show up when you say you will. Also, unless the giver tells you otherwise, assume that they would like you to come by as soon as you can to take away the item.
   
   
   

PICK UP. Arrange as you like. Generally, you'll wait until you get a handful of responses or maybe overnight, and then you can pick whomever you like! That's half the fun. Consider giving your starving local charity preference if one should respond. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "It's on the porch, whoever gets here first gets it." Otherwise you'll become unpopular pretty quickly with your fellow Freecycle group members. Also, only give your phone number to one person at a time or ask for the recipient's phone number. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.


SAFETY. Be aware! It is up to each individual member of Freecycle when arranging for pickup of the item being given away to be appropriately aware of the potential risk of having "a stranger" come to your home to pick something up. Freecycle as an organization assumes no responsibility for this risk. You may want to arrange to meet in a public place or leave the item on the front porch without mentioning whether or not you will be home at the time of pickup.




That should just about do it.

Have Fun and Thank you for being a part of The Freecycle Network(TM)!

Regards,
Your XXX Freecycle Moderator

 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.

ADMIN: XXX Freecycle(TM) Etiquette
Rules, Regs and Policies ** Updated CURRENT DATE**
_________________________________________________
Welcome - We are glad you are here! This amazing worldwide phenomenon known as Freecycle(TM) started in Tucson, Arizona in 2003 by Deron Beal. Freecycle harnesses the power of the Internet to connect people who have stuff to throw away with others in their area who would like that stuff, so it doesn't wind up in a landfill.

We ALL have things in our garages, closets, attics, offices, etc., that we don't need. Freecycle lets you find someone who does. No item is too big or too small but ALL must be 100% FREE with NO strings attached.

A perfect consumer/earth friendly circle is no overhead, no money, no waste and no catch. After all, there is no point in throwing something away when it still has good life in it or it can be of use to someone else. And you know what they say - The only difference between a yard sale and trash is proximity to the curb.

So, get that good stuff off the curb and share it with your community instead! If you have been a member of a Freecycle group before then you already know the basics. However, some rules/policies vary from state to state and group to group so please read - then reread - the info below.

This group serves CITY, STATE, in addition to the surrounding area. XXX Freecycle Etiquette
(Or in other words, THE Rules, Regs and Policies for Freecycle)

THE BASIC STUFF:

*KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This INCLUDES your Yahoo profile!!! This also means, no pornography, alcohol, tobacco, drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.), firearms or other weapons.

No advertising your yard sale either, please, as this involves money. *NO Spam is to be posted to the group OR sent privately to group members EVER. Offenders WILL be banned. *NO Politics. NO Religion. NO personal attacks or rudeness. NO money. NO trading/bartering. EVER!

The rules above are strictly enforced and there will be *NO* exceptions.

YAHOO GROUP BASICS:

*If you are new to Yahoo Groups and don't have a Yahoo profile yet, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and set one up ASAP. You do NOT have to put your full name and info on the profile but you should have one to access mail delivery options, view the pictures in the photo album, participate in polls, and do all that other good stuff.

It only takes a few minutes to complete, so just do it already. You'll be glad you did! While you are there be sure to check your marketing preferences and turn them all OFF so you do not get spam from Yahoo.

*All NEW members are moderated to prevent spam and/or harassing posts. Members will stay moderated until it is clear that the rules/regs/policies are understood and will be respected.

Thank you in advance for your understanding on this matter.

*E-mail Settings** We request that you have your delivery options set to 'Individual mail', 'Daily Digest' or 'Special Notices'.

With Individual mail you will receive each post in a separate email message.

With Daily Digest you will receive a group of messages once or twice a day.

Using Special Notices will mean you need to read all the messages on the groups website, you will only receive important information from your Moderators in your in box At a minimum, please set your email preferences to Special Notices so you will get all the important things that your groups moderators have to pass on.

Group moderators reserve the right to make changes if you are not in compliance with this very basic email rule.

*DO use the same profile and address for all your Freecycle posts!! We match up addresses when cleaning the archived messages and it can be very confusing if your TAKEN post comes from an address different than the OFFER post.

*DO NOT use more than one profile or email address in an attempt to post more wanted messages and receive more items. That is dishonest and quite rude to the other members and we *WILL* figure it out anyway. When we do, you WILL be banned and the incidence reported to all Freecycle moderators statewide.

*DO NOT use taglines, signature lines and/or footers that are excessively long or contain business information, addresses, or phone numbers. They WILL be edited at the moderator's discretion.

*DO NOT EVER contact another member only to be rude or judgmental. If you have opinions about what someone posts or says, we expect you to be mature enough to keep them to yourself.

Personal attacks towards our members WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!

HOW TO POST:


*When you respond to a post, the message should go to that person, not to the group.

Contact the individual directly at their private email address by hitting your reply button.

*To post via the web page, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YOURGROUP_URL/

*To post to the group via email, write to XXX-Group@yahoogroups.com.

*Use correct headers for messages or they WILL be edited.

The headers to use are:
 Offer: (example: I have a Purple doo-hickey....)
 Taken: (example: Purple doo-hickey has been claimed/picked up)
 Wanted: (example: I need a Purple doo-hickey....)
 Received: (example: Thanks, I got the doo-hickey I needed...)

*DO indicate what area you are located in when posting offers and when responding to messages.

PLEASE note this in the subject line of your post. It is VERY important to do this so that you don't get tons of replies from folks to far to come pick it up anyway.

*NO Cross-posting. Freecycle works best when kept at the local level. If you belong to more than one Freecycle group, POST TO ONLY ONE GROUP at a time. Due to the amount of complaints received on this issue, we ARE enforcing this rule more strictly now and messages cross-posted to several groups at once may be deleted without notice at the moderator's discretion.

To avoid cross-posting, please follow these simple suggestions.

If you want to Offer an old freezer (or whatever), send your message to the group closest to you first and consider that one your "home" group. If after a few days you don't get any takers for your item, move on to the next group.

This is more for your benefit than anything else - if you send the Offer to 1000's of people across the state, you'll get more replies than you can answer and most of them too far away to make it worthwhile.

The same goes for wants - try your home group first and post to the other groups ONLY if you don't find it in the first group. We don't mean waiting an hour or two either - we mean days! *DO NOT post for the same item repeatedly. Once per month is more than enough.

Please be patient. Not every wanted message can (or will be) answered right away. Your messages remain in the archives, which are open to our members to browse at their leisure so they are still out there. If you are not getting replies to your Wanted messages, pay it forward and post some nice Offers. Repeated messages may be deleted without notification.

*DO NOT post a dozen wants in one day! You probably won't get the kind of responses you are looking for if you do. Also, it is not necessary to go into great detail about why you need or want something either.

Just the request is good enough most of the time and in actuality, a long detailed story can do more harm than good sometimes.

WHAT TO POST AND WHAT NOT TO POST:

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• DO post offers for all the good stuff you don't need anymore... furniture, appliances, toys, clothes, lawnmowers, car parts, etc. If it's still good, then someone probably could use it.
  

• DO post a Taken message when your item is gone and a Received when your Want has been met. We cannot keep the archives up-to-date if you do not. We will be positively ecstatic if you can include the original message number in your post as well!
  

• DO NOT post "generic" taken messages, such as Taken: all the stuff I posted. PLEASE include the item names in your Taken message or it will be rejected and you will be asked to submit another.
  

• Please DO NOT write an entire message in capital letters. That is considered screaming in Internet etiquette and it is very hard on most people's eyes.
  

If you use all caps because of medical conditions, please let us know and we will work with you on it. Posts written in all caps will either be edited by a moderator or returned to you for editing.

• DO NOT post your phone number or address directly to the group! Such information WILL BE edited out of messages and the message will be deleted from the archives. Give this info ONLY to the person willing to come pick up your item.
  

Meet in a public place if you want or need to.

• DO NOT submit free-for-all posts (such as "It's on the porch, whoever gets here first can have it.')
  

Posting in that manner encourages hundreds of people to head that direction, and 99% of those people will walk away disappointed and empty-handed, after having expended a great deal of time and gasoline for nothing.

Please pick out a few items, post them and set up a specific time for folks to pick the items up. That approach may seem like more work but if people are making unneeded trips for nothing it will sour them towards you and towards Freecycle in general and that's not good for anyone.

Ultimately, these posts will be edited by a moderator or returned to you for editing. The basic mission of Freecycle is to keep items out of landfills. A corollary of that is *environmentalism* which is best served by not having folks driving around wasting fossil fuels unnecessarily for items that will be gone when they get there anyway.

• NO requests for money EVER! *NO requests for Frequent Flyer miles, phone cards or special events tickets such as ball games or concerts.
  

We are sorry and wish we could help but Freecycle is just not the place for things like that. If anyone has something like that to share they will post an offer.

• NO requests for Sunday paper type of coupons - there are other groups and web sites just for that.
  

• NO requests for G-mail accounts or similar non-tangibles.
  

• DO NOT offer prescription drugs. It is illegal to transfer a prescription to another person, not to mention unsafe.
  

• DO NOT offer or request opened and/or partially used cosmetics or personal care products, as there could be sanitation issues with those products. Offers of unopened/unused cosmetics and personal care products are welcome though.
  

• DO NOT post a taken message in an attempt to claim someone else's offer - ONLY the original poster should send the taken message.
  

Repeated offenses on this rule may result in your removal from the group.

• NO advertising your garage sale unless it is to offer what is left over. DO NOT post your address to the group, just the general area and what time to show up. Folks close enough to come by can email you for the exact address.
  

• If you are an EBay seller, thrift store owner, or a reseller of any kind, FULL DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INTENTION TO SELL ITEMS RECEIVED FROM FREECYCLE MEMBERS IS REQUIRED UP FRONT. You MUST disclose your intent to sell either in your original Wanted post or when responding so the gifter can make an informed decision with all the details and facts.
  

Members have the right to inquire as to the intended use of any item they offer. ANYONE FOUND SELLING ITEMS OBTAINED ON THIS LIST ON EBAY, THE CLASSIFIED OR OTHER YAHOO GROUPS WILL BE BANNED AND REPORTED.

• NO TRADING!!!! Bartering has its own set of laws and regulations and such transactions are taxable and reportable to the government. Freecycle is simply not set up for that sort of activity.
  

However, there are webs sites and groups for trading/bartering out there to be found if that interests you.

• Do NOT contact folks in response to a want they posted and offer to sell them something! If you are not willing to give it for free at this time, please don't bring it up. Repeat offenses on this rule will get you banned and reported statewide.
  

• DO NOT request money for your offers either. Freecycle means FREE, folks!!
  

A FEW LAST THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

• Gifting does NOT have to be 1st responded, 1st served!! It's been suggested that the first person to reply to your offer may not always be the best person to take your item, so consider the people who can't stick by their computer all day.
  

To simply choose the first responder every time stops MANY deserving people from ever having an opportunity of participate. Many groups ask their members to wait 24 hours before deciding who will receive their item.

This cannot really be enforced but sometimes it would be helpful to those that don't have as much computer access so please consider it if your circumstances allow.

The ultimate decision is up to the person giving the item and to choose the recipient as they see fit.

• If you have responded to an offer this is no guarantee the item is yours until you hear from the offerer and they tell you it is!
  

Give your personal information (privately, not on the list) to one potential gifter / recipient at a time, and ask for their phone number in return.

• Once you are set to give or receive an item, make arrangements as you like but please practice common courtesy in accommodating people's schedules.
  

• Arrange pickup with only one person at a time. Often it is possible to gift an item without having to rearrange your schedule by simply leaving the item in a designated location, such as the porch or along side the garage. Share this info only with the receiver, not with the entire group.
  

• DO NOT promise your items to one person and then give them to another! Again, please treat others the way you would wish to be treated.
  

• DO NOT take more than you were promised! If someone agrees to leave an item on the porch for you, don't rudely take advantage and swipe the things left for others!!
  

• Mailing a small item is perfectly fine if both parties involved agree to it, someone is willing to pay the postage AND the item still remains FREE. If you promise someone you will repay them for the postage, be a good citizen and make sure you do just that.
  

• Check the archived messages frequently and see what wants you can fulfill. Maybe you forgot all about that old purple doo-hickey sitting out there in the garage but somebody needs it, so give it away already!
  

Consider gifting to a person with an existing request rather than posting to the group. Keep in mind and don't worry about) that the archives will contain more Wants than Offers, as the completed transactions would have been deleted already.

Thank you all for being here and being a part of this movement. The generosity and kindness we have seen since getting involved with Freecycle is quite amazing... and we are proud to be a part of it. Keep up the good work!

Gratefully,

Your XXX Freecycle Moderators * Freecycle - Together we are changing the world, one gift at a time.

• If you feel you need to unsubscribe, we hate to see you go and hope you will return if you can.
  

Keep in mind that Yahoo can take days to update after a change is made so you could still receive mail after leaving a group and there is nothing we can do about that. Also, whatever mail is already in the pipeline will be delivered by your ISP and there is nothing we can do about that either.

One thing that might help is to switch to no mail first, wait until the mail completely stops and then unsubscribe. Please DO NOT make repeated changes in your status or reply to numerous unsubscribed messages, as this will slow down the update even more. This message repeats at least once a month. Please reread often just to refresh your memory!

Thank you!

 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.