Revision as of 01:29, 7 January 2010

Moderators Manual

The Moderators Manual is a "rulebook" for Group Owners and their Assistants.

Getting Immediate Help

• G.O.A. contacts

Guidelines and Policies

• Cafe Guidelines
• Copyright and Trademark Policy
• Promotional Items
• Do's & Don'ts
• Moderator Oath

Required Files

• Safety Notice
• Farewell
• Rules & Etiquette Guidelines

Moderator Resources

• Moderator Resources
• Moderating Freecycle
• Acronyms/Glossary
• Instructional Video
• Organizational Chart
• About the Staff

The "Files"

• Bouncing
  
• Crossposting
  
• Description of items
  
• Personal information
  
• Sob stories
  
• Too hot? Be nice!
  

Notices

• Accuracy in description of items offered
  
• Animals and landfills
  
• Christmas Shopping!
  
• Challenge - Craft and Hobby
  
• Coupons, Tickets, et al
  
• Crossposting
  
• Distribution of Software, CDs, DVDs, et al
  
• Holiday Requests
  
• How Messages Are Moderated
  
• Ideas to generate OFFER postings
  
• New Group Announcements
  
• No shows
  
• Not getting what you Wanted?
  
• Phone Numbers and Addresses
  
• Purple Octopus
  
• Promote Your Group Challenge!
  
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  
• Reseller Guidelines
  
• Seasonal Notices
  
• To Post or Not to Post... That is the Question
  
• Traveling Treasure Box
  
• Using Received vs. Taken in Subject Lines
  
• When Members Solicit Sales in Response to a WANTED Post
  

Responses

• Bouncing Members
  
• Breeder Pets Not Allowed
  
• Curbside Posts/Garage Sales
  
• Inappropriate User ID
  
• Landfill Test
  
• Location Missing From Subject Line
  
• Location Missing From Subject Line (A friendly reminder)
  
• Message Formats
  
• Pets As Holiday And/Or Seasonal Gifts
  
• Sales/Services
  
• Too Many Wanted Posts
  
• Why can't we trade, swap, or borrow?
  
• Wild cat posts
  

Passing The Torch

At the core of what makes The Freecycle Network function smoothly are the many thousands of volunteers helping to moderate local groups. We understand that volunteers are not making this commitment for their entire lives and sometimes one's time constraints prohibit further volunteering. Below are some tips to help recruit new local volunteers to assume stewardship of the local group moving forward.

If you are pressed for time or need to step down more quickly there is a central volunteer team which helps moderate local groups until new local volunteers can be recruited. They are the Interim Moderator Team (IMods). If you are unable to recruit new local mods and need to step down, this team is there for you.

You may contact the Imod Team Leader to request their help here: InterimMod@freecycle.org. Thank you for caring enough to assure that the local group may continue to grow and to thrive.

Other Useful Information

An Example Letter to use as an Admin on your group to find a prospective new ModeratorRecruiting - Mod Recruit Letter

An Example Welcome to a newly appointed Moderator Recruiting - Welcome Letter

Other information about Recruiting Moderators can be found Here

Volunteering

• Fancy Helping Others within Freecycle

There are literally thousands of volunteers who represent the passion and commitment behind the scenes which enable The Freecycle Network™ to function as a grassroots and nonprofit gifting movement. If you feel a "volunteer calling" beyond moderating for your local group, then by all means have a look at the opportunities below. You may also contact , if you have general volunteer-related questions. Thanks for all the good you are doing and making possible!

Mentor Mods Team Member (MMods)

This position requires varying amounts of time depending on the interest of the individual Mentor Mod. Some choose to help only one group. Others help a couple groups. This role is purely a peer-to-peer role in which one offers tips, guidance and what not to a typically newer local volunteer moderator. It's a sort of big brother / big sister type concept -- a nice extra way to help newbie mods. This position requires probably a good year of experience moderating a local TFN group under your belt and a desire to help and an open and patient heart. The Mentor Mod team also heads the Emergency Response Temps - if you wish to learn how to have a mod take care of your group in the event of a disaster or if you're interested in volunteering to serve in one of the positions above, please contact the MMod Team at mentormod@freecycle.org.

Graphics Team Member

This position requires that you have graphic design abilities and a desire to help other local mods put together a nifty new graphic for their local graphics/description which incorporates our logo with nice surrounding graphics that reflect the spirit of the local community. It requires good interpersonal skills in working wtih local mods to figure out their wishes The time commitment varies greatly depending on your wishes to do more or less. This is a small team with creative design energy. It does not require a great deal of moderation experience. If you're interested, please contact the Graphics Team at graphics@freecycle.org.

New Group Appprover Team Member (NGA)

Each state or region has one NGA who is responsible for approving all new groups for that area. This position requires varying amounts of time depending on the area, ranging from a brief daily check-in of approximately 15 minutes a day to a half hour a day. Additionally, it requires membership in the NGA Yahoo Group as well with occasional interaction with the Group Outreach and Assistance volunteer who handles any issues of concern with group overlaps and other issues. A qualified volunteer will also possess basic geographic knowledge of the state or region in question or is adept at map reading skills and has a solid familiarity with TFN guidelines & Mod Manual. If you're interested, please contact NGACoordinator at ngacoordinator@freecycle.org.

Group Outreach and Assistance Team Member (GOA)

This position is usually promoted from other team positions within the Network as we've found the experience and knowledge base from these teams to be beneficial to the volunteer prior to taking on the responsibilities that come with GOA. Qualified volunteers can be an exception. Candidates for this position must be extremely tactful; have a good grasp on the written word; be friendly and insightful; be willing to devote several hours a week to the "job;" be familiar with the workings of Yahoo Groups and Yahoo Messenger; have strong problem solving and diplomatic skills. Potential volunteers for this position must have a complete understanding of the workings of TFN, its guidelines, and what is appropriate for groups and moderators. A solid familiarity with the Moderator's Manual is a strong plus. Please note that this is a time consuming position; ample time for volunteering is required. If you're interested in learning more, please contact the GOA Team Leader, at goa@freecycle.org.

Trademark Team Member (TM Team)

This position requires a great degree of responsibility with varying time commitments depending on the specific role. Generally, you will have a great deal of experience as a Freecycle moderator before assuming a role in this team. Likely, you'll have gained experience previously in another team before doing a role here. It requires a high degree of attention to detail, and a great deal of diplomatic care in working to help educate local moderators regarding proper mark useage as well as in working with external entities. If you're interested, please contact the TM Team at trademark@freecycle.org.

Interim Mod Team Member (IMod Team)

IMod team members work directly with local groups whose owner has left, to find and help new local moderators get started. IMods are placed either individually or in teams of two. Team vacancies are normally filled by referrals. If applying, please include at least two references that can be confirmed, such as neighboring moderators, GOA, etc. The main goal of the IMod Team is to recruit and train new moderators for local groups. Candidates for an IMod Team position must be willing to commit 3 weeks to several months training new moderators. The ability to communicate effectively and the understanding of Freecycle guidelines is essential. The workload varies from month to month and the successful candidate could expect to be working with 2 to 20 groups in a lead or back-up capacity. Although this volunteer postition requires a significant amount of time daily, it is also a very rewarding opportunity. Interested volunteers should contact the Interim Moderator Team at InterimMod@freecycle.org.

Media Team Member - (MediaTeam)

We are just starting to get off the ground. We intend to have a regular member and/or moderator newsletter as well as a waste elimination group email which collects member waste elimination ideas from other members and sends them out as an email to all members signed up for it (not just mods). A further role would be of organizing our media / press room position. These positions require press/media/PR experience or perhaps good writing skills and good organizational skills. Time requirements would be pretty flexible. Not a great deal of moderating experience is required and a general knowledge of the organization is sufficient. You may have a real inspirational or didactic urge to reach out and enable positive pro-active change. If you're interested, please contact the Media Team Leader at CommCoord@freecycle.org.

Translators - (FAQ Team)

The FAQ team is seeking enthusiastic people who are fluent in multiple languages to translate the Members FAQ and Moderators Manual from English into their own native tongue. If you can spare a little time each day to translate a few paragraphs, over time - your efforts would see the Members FAQ and Moderators manual in your own language.

This will make it easier for you, your fellow moderators and your group members to understand what Freecycle is about and how to use the groups.

Please contact us at faq@freecycle.org

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