Moderators and Social Media

This page replaces https://wiki.freecycle.org/Moderator_Manual:Mod_cafe

Moderators are encouraged to use social media to promote local Freecycle groups. There are two different types of social media platforms; which one you choose depends on what your goals are and what is appropriate for your community.

1. Group promotional pages. Many groups create Facebook pages or other social media pages to increase awareness of their local groups and to inform members about matters of interest in the community, especially in the areas of reduce/reuse/recycle. These are not discussion groups, although members may comment on posts. These pages are very effective platforms for getting messages out to the broader community. Click here for instructions on setting up a Facebook page.
2. Chat groups. A chat group is a social media group where members can talk and get to know each other better. They can discuss Freecycle, offer recycling tips, exchange information on pets, ask about services they can offer or would like, promote yard sales, and discuss community events. Buy/sell posts and Offer/Wanted posts are not allowed. Chat groups are best suited for communities that are not well served by other community discussion groups. Good platforms for these groups include Groups.io and Google Groups. Disadvantages: Chat groups require more work by moderators to reject posts that belong on Freecycle.org. The chatter on these groups also tends make these groups less effective for promoting the group and the moderator's reduce/reuse/recycle messages.

For more ideas about using social media to promote your group, please click here.

Guidelines for using social media

The following guidelines have been established for any promotional page or chat group that accompanies a Freecycle.org group:

• Please prominently display a link to the actual Freecycle.org group page to avoid confusion. Local groups may not have separate local websites.
• Standard Freecycle Trademark Usage Guidelines apply
• For chat groups, moderators should keep in mind the Standard Freecycle Group Guidelines, but they may allow exceptions for borrowing/lending, yard sales announcements, services, community event info, etc. However, local chat groups may not be used for selling or for any purpose that parallels the local Freecycle.org group.

• Please let your GOA (Group Outreach and Assistance) know about your new page or chat group and include a link to your personal page on Facebook or other social media.
• Please invite the Freecycle.org email address provided by your GOA to be an Admin or Owner of your page or chat group. This ensures continuity of the page should you step down as moderator.
• Admins and moderators of your promotional page or chat group should be current mods on the local Freecycle.org group.
• Please only one social media site per local group.
• Please do not publish newsletters or blogs. Please share local recycling and/or Freecycle-related info on your social media site or on your Freecycle.org group.
• If you find a group on Facebook or elsewhere that has has misused the word "Freecycle" or some derivative, please notify your GOA.