Moderator Manual:Required Group Guidelines

Required Rules & Etiquette Guidelines

Those rules in BOLD below are required of all groups. These are followed by a list of optional rules not in bold which some local groups have 
chosen to adopt as well (below).

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. Two strikes and you're out of the group. This is our main Freecycle rule to live by and it's a pretty easy one at that.
     
     
2. SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to delete or view. (There may be slight variations on these from group to group as well).
   • OFFER: thingamajig (Your General Location)
   • TAKEN: thingamajig (Used in conjunction with Offer)
   • WANTED: thingamajig, any condition. (Your General Location)
     [Please use this post sparingly and don't offer money. And above all else, don't ask for an extravagant item like a diamond ring which we'd all like to have or the strike rule will kick in - see no. 1 above]
   • RECEIVED: thingamajig (Used in response to Wanted)
   • ADMIN: (Used by Owners and Mods - local policy dictates)
     
     
3. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION. It's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Two strikes & you're out, i.e. you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.
   
   
4. NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached, just give it away now.
   
   
5. RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer no. of emails.
   
   
6. NO OFFERING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. Posting oneself (or one's shy friends) is, I'm afraid, not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose, or you could try Craig's List or a Burning Man mixer (just kidding). Posting your kids is not on the menu either, no matter how crazy they make you sometimes.

Try getting them involved in after-school band practice.

1. A BRIEF NOTE ON FREECYCLE ETIQUETTE: "Be nice." 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. (Leaving someone hanging is never a nice thing.) 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; no more than three days after the offer is made is usual. (Think of it as The Three-day Rule.)
   
   
2. 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 a 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.

The following are optional rules which some local groups also choose to adopt:

1. PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH. (There will be variations from group to group)
   
   
2. YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION: Try to list this in the body of your e-mail as well as in the subject line. OFFER Couch (downtown). "I've got a couch and live downtown. Nearest intersection: Speedway and Stone."
   
   
3. KEEP IT ALL IN ONE E-MAIL. Got more than one thing to give away? Keep it all in one e-mail please and just number the items for your own clarity. This reduces the overall number of emails we all have to receive. Some groups don't do this rule.
   
   
4. CAN WE USE FREECYCLE GROUPS TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? Some groups say yes, but keep it legal & lovingly careful. Other groups say no, please refer to Petfinder (http://www.petfinder.com) to find a pet locally. It depends on what you and your fellow members have decided on locally. However, posts about pets for breeding purposes are not allowed in Freecycle groups.
   
   
5. 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. I always ask that people 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 fast 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 no. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls. Some groups do not allow phone numbers and addresses to be posted due to safety concerns for their members. Again, this is local policy.

Further suggested local group files/posts may be found in the Files section.

On Site Guidelines

Are local groups required to move on site?

Whether or not a local group chooses to move to the new site is the local Lead Moderator's decision. If the group is moved, then all posting will take place directly on the group subsite on Freecycle.org with no further steps or requirements for members to join Yahoo Groups or to get a Yahoo ID. However, if the moderator chooses to remain a Yahoo Group, Freecycle.org links up to the Yahoo! Group instead. Both options are fine. The goal is to create a nonprofit, noncommercial venue which better meets Freecycle / local group needs. All new local groups are on-site Freecycle.org groups. We are no longer accepting new Yahoo Groups.

Can we keep running the Yahoo Group and the on-site group in tandem on an ongoing basis?

The short answer is no. The move on site generally takes about two weeks total. One may opt to have both groups running in tandem during the transition and a recommended period of time is about a week for both to be running at the same time for this transition period only. It is well more than double the normal moderator workload to moderate both groups at the same time, not to mention the fact that it is very confusing for members. Although any period longer than a week would be testing the sanity of the local volunteer moderators, we absolutely limit any parallel group items posting to no more than a month's time.

How do I get the local group moved on site?

If you are the local Lead Moderator, simply email waitinglist@freecycle.org and you'll be added to the waiting list for on-site moves. A move date will be agreed upon with you and you'll receive instructions and tips in order to enable a smooth move. You will also be able to join a playground group before moving so you can practice moderating and posting on a mock local group.

Once a group has moved on site may it move back to being a Yahoo Group?

Moving a local group on site is a big decision and requires a great deal of patience by local volunteer moderators for a couple weeks as the members get signed up with new on-site IDs, learn how to find the on-site group and how to post. It then takes time to rebuild the group membership after moving on site. We do allow the local group Lead Moderator to opt to move back off site, but one time only. We only allow this move back once as it really sets back the local membership and growth tremendously with each further move. We ask that the volunteer moderators wait at least a month after Yahoo!Group posting has ceased before opting to move back in order to give things time to settle down on site before jumping to any conclusions. Often we find it takes time to find one's new comfort zone but that once members have settled in, the moderating process is greatly enhanced on site. We just ask that you give it the necessary time to get there. Further we ask that moderators not move back off site after a period of six months after moving as this also really sets back a newly re-established group to then move back after such a long period of time. New groups originally founded on site or groups which had to be replaced or moved by the Interim Mod team on site may not move off-site. Also, only the Lead Mod opting to move on site may also choose to move back off site - confirmation of this status for the original move on site as well as for any potential move back off site will be required via a confirmation email to the Yahoo owner addy / mods.freecycle.org addy as the case may be to avoid foul play and/or any misunderstanding between local moderators.