Moderator Manual:Common Issues
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Revision as of 22:20, 4 December 2016 by Alisonkamat (talk | contribs)
Common issues encountered by moderators
Ideally mods shouldn't be limiting what members offer over and above the basics within the main rule, but they have the right to, if they feel they need to for their own conscience. The general feeling is to give the decision on whether to take a seat or not to the member wanting one. The more freedom we can give the members the better.
When we start limiting things we potentially leave ourselves more open to legal issues as effectively if you say something can't go through because it is unsafe, then let something else through, by implication you are saying that item is safe."
These are common scenarios that moderators often encounter, along with links to relevant notices.
- ANIMAL POSTINGS. Posts for animal breeding or use as food are NOT allowed. Otherwise, this is a local decision. Click here for more information about pet posts on Freecycle.
- ANIMAL FUR, IVORY AND BONE PRODUCTS. Occasional posts may come up offering fur or other products made from animals. For some people this may be divisive and some members may have strong objections to the use of fur. However, there is no reason for a moderator to reject a post asking for, or offering, fur. A moderator's job is not to police a site nor is it to impose their views on their member. As a moderator your job is to make sure things are free, legal, and appropriate to all ages.
- If you have reason to believe that the fur being offered or asked for is endangered, you can check the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) website http://www.cites.org/ or the WWF [1].
- UK specific site: DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Fishing and Rural Affairs) website http://www.defra.gov.uk/ .
- CAR SEATS. You might want to send out the following statement, or add it to your links page to refer people to. ::If you are receiving a baby/child item, it is your responsibility to check for recalls and safety. The following links from the Consumer Product Safety Commission website provide excellent information: http://www.cpsc.gov
- UK specific: You might want to send out the following link, or add it to your links page to refer people to. It details all the new elements of the car seat law in the UK: http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/
- Australia: Product Safety Australia
- CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS. Charities must follow the same rules as individual members
- CROSS-POSTING. Posting the same thing on two or more Freecycle.org sites at the same time. Some groups try to control this and forbid cross posting, but it is almost impossible to enforce a no cross-posting rule for members who are not on moderation.
- CURB ALERTS. Most groups do not allow curb-alert posts. Click here for a rejection note.
- EMAIL ADDRESS OR ID IS OFFENSIVE. Occasionally a member applies with an obnoxious screen name or address. It is okay to reject their membership and ask them to change to something more family-friendly. Just explain to them everything has to be appropriate for all ages.
- EMOTIONAL DETAILS. Posters do not have to justify any Wanted requests made, and sometimes it just needs to be stated that some posts are over the top. Click here for sample notices.
- FREECYCLE.ORG IS NOT A CHARITY. Many members misunderstand our purpose. It is a recycling organization dedicated to keeping stuff out of the landfill by re homing it. Members may give their items to anyone they please. It is not based on who needs it most.
- GARAGE SALES, YARD SALES, and BOOT SALES. Members may post the free remainders from their garage sale if they don't include the time of the sale. The Sale itself cannot be advertised.
- IS A POST APPROPRIATE FOR FREECYCLE.ORG? This is NOT a required rule but a lot of groups use it to decide the answer. “Is it a tangible item that can be saved from the landfill?”
- MODS GROUP. A lot of groups have a Mods Group setup on Yahoo Groups for just the mods from their group. It is a good way to let the other mod/s know if you want a member to be kept on permanent moderation. You name it something like ModsofCleveland or BentonMods. You setup a database on the Mods group titled Moderated Members with the following categories ID, e-mail address, Date, Reason, Notes, by moderator, comments or whatever categories you think you will use. Then anyone you place on moderation you add them to the database so the other mod/s can see why they are on moderation and if it should be permanent or temporary.
- NO SHOWS. No shows are a problem throughout the worldwide Freecycle Network. Sadly, there are people who pounce on every item that looks remotely valuable and immediately send a quick "I'll take it" just to get dibs on being first. Click here for sample notices.
- RESELLING. It is required by TFN that intention to resell must be announced up front, either as a response to an Offer post or in the original Wanted post. See Reseller Guidelines for more information.
- SERVICES. Advertising or soliciting services is not allowed
- SPAMMERS. Anyone sending a spam message to be posted on the group needs to be dealt with firmly. This includes sales people, social networking sites, etc. Any attempt to make a post that has nothing to do with the Freecycle.org purpose is spam. Sometimes good member’s email gets hacked and spam sent that appears to have come from them. If it is a regular member, you can act accordingly, by placing them back on moderation and writing them a letter about it. But if it is a new member who has just joined to send spam, please report them to Spam Control.
- STRANGE STUFF. Some medical supplies should be researched to determine if they need a prescription or are safe to pass on used. Anything that requires a prescription cannot be posted. Not a clue? Ask on the Freecycle Leadership Community.
- WEAPON. What is a weapon? Just use your good common sense. A gun is a weapon, a case knife is not..
Sample ADMINS
The admins/notices are one-time notes that you might send out on occasion to the whole group as a specific situation arises.
- No shows. Several admins regarding people not showing up when arranged.
- Curb alerts
- Resellers. Resellers must announce their intent to resell an item in responses to Offers and directly in Wanted postings. See the Reseller Guidelines for more information.
- Distribution of Software, CDs, DVDs, et al. Software and other forms of media fall under Copyright agreements. This message serves to clarify this group's stance on the distribution of software, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, recorded music, taped media and other printed materials via Freecycle.org®.
- Accuracy in description of items offered
- Group Challenges
- Not getting what you Wanted?
- When Members Solicit Sales in Response to a WANTED Post. Soliciting sales is not permitted on Freecycle.org® lists. This ADMIN is provided to address the group as a whole when members are attempting to solicit sales from other members who have requested items as a WANTED on local groups.
- Pets
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