Posted to the public list on June 19 2007 as an administrative notice
The Need Topic Is Now Eliminated From PKF
All posts that ask for gifts must be posted as Wants.

There are a number of reasons we are making this change as most all other freecycle gifting groups have done over the last few years.

It was nice to be able to make the distinction between a Want and a Need but for the sake of simplification it is just not worth the extra effort to maintain the extra Topic. Freecycle gifting is not supposed to be charity, rather acts of kindness as well as keeping usable items out of the garbage or storage in garages.

Along with dropping the Need Topic we are dropping the distinction of those Topics as to the amount of time between asking for the same gifts on the public list. Wants were 3 weeks but Needs were 3 days. Now all repeated posts for the same gifts must wait 3 weeks.

Most Freecycle gifting groups that limit Wants this way use once a month for repeated Wants. We feel 3 weeks is better if a member has to repeat the Want.

The old rule of repeating every 3 days for Needs is kind of overkill. Once the Want is made, in three days about 5 or 8 new members join who might not have gotten that post. Sending out another duplicate email to over 2,400 other members so soon is not productive, just adding more mail to the high email traffic the list already generates. In three weeks a substantial number of new members are on board and that gift may now be available from a member that didn't have it to gift before.

I am sorry for any confusion changing this rule may be for members. We feel the simplification in Topics and reposting is worth making the change.

peace,
ed
facilitator, PKF

Gift: Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. A valid gift requires: (1) a competent donor; (2) an eligible donee; (3) an existing identifiable thing or interest; (4) an intention to donate; (5) delivery; i.e., a transfer of possession to or for the donee and a relinquishment.