May 2010.
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, and periodically thereafter 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 our Freecycle group, please read on! This message contains essential
knowledge for all Freecycle members and will answer MANY common new-user
questions, so please take the time to read it through.
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!
Begun on 11 April 2005, the Cardiff Freecycle group is a branch of an
incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began
in Tucson, AZ on 1 May 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 three (or more) people
how wonderful Freecycle is! You tell your friends, you family, your
neighbours, your co-workers... and they tell theirs, and so on, and so
on... well, you get the idea!
GROUP ACTIVITIES
----------------
Be aware that the Cardiff Freecycle group covers a wide geographical
area and, as such, can at times have a considerable about of email
traffic. If you do not want to receive over 3000 emails a WEEK, you are
advised to change your membership to Daily Digest or Special Notices
mode. Details of this can be found by visiting this link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cardifffreecycle/join
Then, in step 2, change the option from Individual Email to either
Daily Digest or Special Notices.
LEAVING THE GROUP
-----------------
To leave the Cardiff Freecycle Yahoo! Group, send a completely blank
email from the email address you REGISTERED with Yahoo! Groups to:
cardifffreecycle-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Completely blank means no subject and no message body. Please note it
can take up to 48 hours for Yahoo! Groups to process your request.
Emailing the group owner to be removed from the group will NOT speed
matters up.
USING THE FREECYCLE LIST
------------------------
To post a message, simply send an email to
cardifffreecycle@yahoogroups.com
or click on "Messages" at the Cardiff Freecycle group web site
(see link below).
To post, read, or reply to messages or to manage your membership
settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site
(aka main page):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cardifffreecycle/
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://freecycle.org/ (Highly
recommended!) You can also find freecycle.org, along with other
recycling-related sites, by visiting the Cardiff 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 needs to do our best to keep on task and, well, be
nice and patient. Good luck, have fun, and dive on in!
*******************************
* FREECYCLE RULES & ETIQUETTE *
*******************************
1) KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL, & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for
example, no alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or drugs, legal or otherwise.
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. No advertising your yard
sale, though, as you're looking for money, and that isn't free.
2) The Subject Line
----------------
The formatting of the subject is VERY important and it ***MUST*** start
with one of the following four keywords:
1. Offered: Use this in your subject when you are offering an item to
the group. Example: If you're offering a printer, you'd use:
"Offered: Printer (Canton)"
2. Taken: Use this in your subject when someone has either claimed the
item you offered, or it has been physically removed from your home.
Example: If your printer is gone or has been claimed, you'd use
"Taken: Printer (Canton)".
NOTE: The person who offers the item posts the "Taken" message, no one
else. The ONLY exception to this is if it is an item "up for grabs",
like something on the side of the road. In that case, and in that case
*only*, it would be appreciated if the taker would post a "Taken"
message to the group, so that no one else's time is wasted.
3. Wanted: Use this in your subject when posting a request to the group.
Example: "Wanted: Printer (Canton)".
NOTE: Please use this one sparingly. Two Wanted requests are permitted per
member per week (Monday to Friday) and only one item may be requested
per message. The same unique item may only be requested by the same member
once every 4 weeks.
4. Received: Use this one when you've received your requested item.
You may have found it through the generosity of a fellow group member,
on the side of the road, at a garage sale, a retail store, wherever.
Example: "Received: Printer (Canton)".
Follow your message type with a concise description, such as:
"China tea set".
Then finish off the subject by detailing the location of the items in
brackets, such as: "(Canton)".
So, you're full subject line could look like this example:
Offered: China tea set (Canton)
********************************************************************
* FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE SUBJECT RULE WILL RESULT IN YOUR POST *
* BEING REJECTED BY ONE OF SEVERAL MODERATORS THAT LOOK AFTER THE *
* CARDIFF FREECYCLE GROUP. *
********************************************************************
3) PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH.
4) NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO
PROSELYTISING/RELIGION. It's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Two strikes and
you're out; i.e., you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two
inappropriate postings.
5) YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION. Try to list this in the body of your email
as well as in the Subject line. "I have a couch and live in Canton."
Details of where you are able to collect from can be included in the
main body of the message
6) ONE ITEM PER EMAIL. Got more than one thing to give away? Unless the
items are clearly related (for example, "slotted spoon, potato masher,
and fish slice"), include just one item per message, and post a separate
message for each item being offered.
7) CAN WE USE FREECYCLE TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? No, pets are
***NOT*** permitted on Cardiff Freecycle. Cardiff has a great network
of nonprofit pet organisations such as the Newport Animal Centre (0870
010 1844), Greyhound Welfare & Rescue (029 2048 3498), and the Cardiff &
Vale Animal Pound (029 2071 1243). For more animal rescue assistance in
the UK, please visit:
The RSPCA: http://www.rspca.org.uk/
Animal Rescuers: http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/
8) NO TRADING, PLEASE. Go to your local trading organisation for this.
It can be quite fun.
9) RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of
emails.
10) 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 the boo man 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 nunber. Otherwise you'll get
swamped with phone calls.
11) DISCLAIMER: FREECYCLE NETWORK MEMBERS USE THE LIST AT THEIR OWN
RISK. Please take reasonable measures to protect your safety and
privacy when posting to the list or participating in an exchange.
By joining the list, you agree to hold neither the list owners and
moderators nor anyone affiliated with Freecycle.org responsible or
liable for any circumstance resulting from a Freecycle-related exchange
or communication.
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 listserv assumes no responsibility for this risk. If you,
for example, are a single woman living alone, you may want to say that
you'll meet the receiver in a busy, public place, such as a supermarket
car park during shopping hours.
12) NO OFFERING/POSTING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN. 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.
13) A BRIEF NOTE ON FREECYCLE ETIQUETTE: Be nice. 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.)
14) FOP (Fair Offer Policy)
This is a mechanism designed to maximize the fairness of the "offer"
system. By putting "FOP" at the end of the Subject line of "Offered"
posts, you are stating that you are willing to wait a period of
time (totally of your choosing, maybe 8-48 hours) before making a
decision on which respondent should be the recipient of the item you've
offered. This gives everyone who would like the item a chance at being
successful, and it takes the emphasis away from being fastest on the
"reply" button.
***********************************************************
* TIPS TO ORGANIZE ALL OF THE NEW EMAILS YOU ARE GETTING: *
***********************************************************
a) CREATE A SEPARATE EMAIL FOLDER & AUTOMATICALLY HAVE FREECYCLE STUFF
GO TO IT. Create a separate folder in your Outlook Express & have
Freecycle stuff sent to it automatically with a new rule under Tools |
Message Rules | Mail.
b) SET TO "Daily Digest" OR "Special Notices" (which means you'll just
browse the messages online). Realise that you can set your personal
preferences on the main page (under "Edit My Membership" in the
top-right corner).
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cardifffreecycle/join
IMPORTANT: THERE IS A TIME LAG FOR CHANGES: Whenever a user changes
settings, there is an overlap from the time it takes for Yahoo to
process the change until emails in the queue waiting to go out to the
users are delivered. In other words, in the six hours it takes for Yahoo
to permanently stop the emails from coming, there are emails already
set up to go out, and they will continue to go out until the queue is
emptied. (Some people have reported this taking up to three days.) So
please don't email the moderators with comments like "I changed my
settings/ unsubscribed yesterday. Why am I still getting emails?" Just
be patient, and all should be well. Don't make more than one change at a
time (each additional change adds on another day of waiting).
If you encounter further problems, you might want to consult the Yahoo!
Groups help pages at:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/
That should just about do it. Have fun keeping good stuff out of
landfills!
Your friendly neighbourhood Freecycle moderatorating team,
Lisa Ward & Dean Elson
Co-Owners, Cardiff Freecycle (With huge thanks to Simon Bradley)
----------------
Copyright © 2003-2009 The Freecycle Network (http://www.Freecycle.org/).
All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of
The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
DISCLAIMER: FREECYCLE(TM) MEMBERS USE FREECYCLE GROUPS AT THEIR OWN
RISK. Please take reasonable measures to protect your safety and privacy
when posting to group lists or when completing a direct gifting with
another member. By joining a Freecycle list, you agree to hold neither
the list owners, moderators, nor anyone affiliated with The Freecycle
Network responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a
Freecycle-related gifting or communication.
------------------------------------
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
QUICK GUIDE TO CORRECT SUBJECT LINE FORMAT
ON CARDIFF FREECYCLE:
OFFER: item (location)
TAKEN: item (location)
WANTED: item (location)
RECEIVED: item (location)
Please include your location in your posts
Please don't use NEEDED, PENDING, FREE, PROMISED, PRAISE, etc!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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<*> Your email settings:
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<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cardifffreecycle/join
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