[Listowners] File - Freecycle™

Wed Apr 11 23:52:37 BST 2007

Dear Freecycle™ 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(TM)  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(TM) 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 February 26 2005, the Listowel North Perth Freecycle(TM) group is a branch of an incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle(TM) movement, which began in Tucson, AZ on May 1st, 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 3 (or more) people how wonderful Freecycle(TM) is!  You tell your friends, you family, your neighbors, your co-workers...and they tell theirs, and so on, and so on...well, you get the idea!

USING THE FREECYCLE(TM) LIST
To post a message, simply send an email to Listowel freecycle at yahoogroups.com or click on "messages" at the Listowel North Perth Freecycle(TM) group web site (see link below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to Listowel freecycle-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

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/Listowel freecycle

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 Freecycling in general and a list of other approved Freecycle(TM) groups, visit http://freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!) You can also find freecycle.org along with other related recycling-related sites by visiting the Listowel North Perth main page and clicking on "links" on the left.

The following list rules have been adapted from the original Freecycle(TM) 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 need to do our best to keep on task and, well, be nice and patient. Good Luck, Have Fun & Keep on Freecyclin'!

FREECYCLE(TM) 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 outta the group. This is our main Freecyclin' 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) YOUR FIRST POST EVER TO THE GROUP MUST BE AN OFFER. In the spirit of giving, we would ask that you make your first posting to the group an "OFFER" . No offer is too small...

3) SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to delete or view:

OFFER:  loveseat, downtown. [Offering more than 1 thing? Still keep it in 1 e-mail, please]
TAKEN:  loveseat
WANTED: loveseat, any condition. [Please use this sparingly and don't offer money. And above all else, don't ask for an extravagant item like a DVD player which we'd all like to have or the strike rule will kick in - see #1 above. ] 
ADMIN:	new ideas, thoughts, etc. like can we get the guy with the couches to ease up?

4) PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH.

5) NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS. Two strikes & you're out, i.e. you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.

6) YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION: Try to list this in the body of your e-mail as well as in the subject line. I've got a couch and live downtown. Nearest intersection: Speedway and Stone.

7) 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 e-mails we all have to receive. 

8) CAN WE USE FREECYCLE(TM) TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? Yes, keep it legal & be lovingly careful. Yourtown also has a great network of nonprofit pet organizations such as ... Please visit http://www.petfinder.com/ to look up many other pet-related resources in Listowel North Perth.

9) NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun.

10) RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of e-mails.

11) PICK UP. Arrange as you like. Generally, you'll wait until you get a handful of responses or maybe overnite, 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 the boo man pretty fast with your fellow Freecycle(TM) 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.

12) DISCLAIMER: FREECYCLE(TM) 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(TM)-related exchange or communication.

SAFETY. Be aware! It is up to each individual member of Freecycle(TM) 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(TM) 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 leave the item on the front porch while you are not home.

13) NO FREECYCLING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN.  Freecycling 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). Freecycling 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.

14) A BRIEF NOTE ON FREECYCLING ETIQUETTE: "Be nice." We've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another Freecycle(TM) 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.)

TIPS TO ORGANIZE ALL OF THE NEW E-MAILS YOU ARE GETTING:

a) CREATE A SEPARATE E-MAIL FOLDER & AUTOMATICALLY HAVE FREECYCLE(TM) STUFF GO TO IT. Create a separate folder in your Outlook Express & have Freecycle(TM) stuff sent to it automatically with a new rule under tools/message rules/mail/ 

b) SET TO "DAILY DIGEST" OR "NO E-MAILS" (which means you'll just browse the messages online). Realize that you can set your personal preferences on the main page (under "Edit My Membershipâ in the top right corner).

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 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 wait).
If you encounter further problems, you might want to consult the Yahoo! Groups help pages at:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Just so you know, you CAN delete your own posts for any reason (for example, if someone's taken the item you offered, or if you've received the item you wanted, or if you posted something by mistake). Go back to your original post and bring it into view on the screen. Right under the Messages bar, where it reads:
   Reply/Forward/View Source/Unwrap Lines/Delete

Click on 'Delete.' That should do it. (Note, though, that deleting a post won't prevent it from showing up in the next digest for those with digest options.)

That should just about do it. Have fun and Keep on Freecyclin!

Your friendly neighborhood Freecycle(TM) moderator, 

Jack Smith