|
Guidelines for the Portage-Kalamazoo Freecycle Gifting Group
Keep It Free, Legal, Appropriate For All Ages.
Be nice no matter what.
The goal of Portage-Kalamazoo Freecycle is to reduce
waste by connecting individuals to gift usable items in order to keep
usable items out of landfills. Whether you're looking to discard or acquire
an item, PKF is the place to do it. Freecycle gift furniture, clothing,
computers, and everything in between. No money or trading, politics or
religion - just acts of kindness.
This is a great goal but not all efforts to keep stuff
out of the landfill are within the scope of Freecycle gifting. While we
have other goals that must be honored, the most important goal is that
group members feel good about freecycle gifting. Listed below are guidelines
to help members find the people they need to contact as well as have the
best possible gifting experience.
POSTING
The group is growing steadily but we do have people unsubscribing.
The reason they give most of the time is that they are overwhelmed with
all the email PKF generates. The goal of keeping all off Topic email from
going to the list by moderation is complemented by posts that have subject
lines in a standardized format. Having every post include a descriptive
keyword as well as a short description of the item(s) allows members to
scan through them quickly to find the posts they want to open to read
while deleting the rest. Your post may be edited for spelling and form.
The content of a post may be edited only for inappropriate language, security
(no addresses allowed in posts to the public list) or for removing inappropriate
items.
Many members may not be aware that using all capital letters in email
is considered yelling. Yelling at members is not cool on PKF.
There are two ways you can post.
- From the web site using the post
link on the left side of the Yahoo
Gropups PKF home page in the white box on the right side. You will
notice when you use that link that it will have the list address already
set into TO: field. I usually do my posts from that link.
- From your email client but you have to have your TO
field set to the list's address.
Portage-KalamazooFreecycle@yahoogroups.com
There are only
5 Topics allowed for posts from members to the public list. Your
Subject Line must start with one of these keywords to
identify the Topic of your post.
- offer: to gift an item(s) All offers
must contain an approximate location or nearby intersection where the
pick up will be made. (more
on approximate location)
- pending (or PPU): to let members
know something is waiting to be picked up. Be sure to save all responses
you get to your offers so you have an alternative receiver in case you
first choice doesn't work out.
- taken: to notify members that a gift
you have offered has been picked up. You can use this Topic to publicly
thank your receiver for a quick pick up or anything else you might want
to say about them.
- want: something that would be nice
to be gifted to you. Please keep your requests reasonable.
- praise (or thank you): to let the
group know who gifted to you. You must mention the gifter's name in
the subject line of the praise post. The praise is not for the gifter
to thank the receiver for a fast pickup or anything else. It is for
the receiver to thank the gifter for the gift. You would do that in
the taken if so inclined.
Some members tell me, "there is already too much mail" and
others are asking the praise Topic be dropped. If we allow praising
on the list for a quick pick or other up, or any other reason the giftee
may have to be thankful, the members would get two or more praises for
one freecycle gifting transaction.
Your Subject Line must also contain
a reference to what the gifts are. (more
about short descriptions in subject lines)
IN THE BODY OF THE POST
- All offers must include your approximate location
or a nearby intersection as a courtesy to responders so they know how
far the pickup will be before responding.
- When making multiple offers or wants please combine
them into one post to cut down on the volume of email members receive.
- You can list your phone number but remember that it
is going out to the entire list. · Do not list your address.
This is more appropriate for the private mail you will use to arrange
for the pick up.
- No politics. No spam. No foul language. No money.
No trading. No wanted's for borrowing. No public service announcements.
No garage sale announcements.
- If you have a message that you think should be sent
to the entire group you can send it to:Portage-KalamazooFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com.
The list owner will decide if it is appropriate to send as an administrative
notice to everyone.
SIGNATURES
Please do not add anything to posts to the pubic list that do
not pertain to the freecycle gifting the post is about either in the subject
line, the body of the post or in the signature. Many of us have business
web site URL's, political URL's, personal web sites or inspirational quotes
and messages that we use on much of our emails. None of it is acceptable
for posts that go to the PKF public list. PKF is about the gifting and
nothing else.
I would ask you to ponder that if you might offend even one member with
your non Freecycle gifting content that you are going beyond the spirit
of freecycling and more into what makes you feel good. Just participating
in a freecycle gifting community says volumes more then any religious,
spiritual, philosophical or political statement or reference could. That
alone should be enough. Please restrict your signatures on the public
list to your name and maybe a one line salutation and a reference to your
membership in PKF.
HOW OFTEN
TO REPOST THE SAME ITEM(S)
We limit posts for the same items because PKF generates a lot
of email.
Some people only get a daily digest or only read the posts occasionally
on the web site. Use the "messages" link in the yellow box on
the left side of the PKF Home Page to view all the messages. This listing
is searchable. Your post will be seen by more members as time goes on.
Many members seeing the same post over and over in their
email may consider it spam. Please use discretion when reposting.
OFFER - If you are not successful in
getting any replies to your offer or the replies you get do not pan out
you may resubmit your offer your item three days after the original offer
was made. Please wait three or four weeks to resubmit your offer an item
if the second offer is not successful.
WANTED - Please wait at least three weeks before asking
for the same items again, especially if it is an ongoing want like from
people who recycle things. Messages stay in the message data base searchable
and readable by all members.
RESPONSES
Responses to posts on the list will only go to the poster, not
the entire list. The list is set up this way to keep down the number of
emails members receive.
There are two ways to reply.
- From the message on the web site click "reply".
The reply page allows options in a pull down for the TO: field but you
would normally use the default which would be the original poster.
- Replying from your email client is easy because the
From: field in all individual emails to members should contain the poster's
email so just hitting reply will put that into the TO: field.
Members that receive the daily digest should be careful
to reply only to the poster, not to the digest email and also not to quote
the entire digest in their email but only the post being replied to.
You might offer a number of items such as a rack of clothes
without describing them all in detail. You might have people responding
in email that need more information before making a run to pick up some
or all of them. What is not allowed or considerate is a free for all by
inviting a lot of people to come to your home only to discover that they
made a dry run because everything was taken by the first to arrive.
It is best to deal with only one person at a time using
the pending, taken and if need be, the offer again. If a number of people
respond to an offer, choose one to arrange a pick up. If there are more
items left, then email another of the responders with that information.
If you run out of responders, you can offer the gift again.
Contact/Pick
Up
PICKING YOUR TAKER / RECIPIENT / GIFTEE. Pick whomever you like
and/or feel comfortable with when giving your item away and have fun with
it! We recommend that you gather posts for a few hours or a day so that
you have a nice selection of people to choose from. Waiting a bit also
discourages those vulture types who lurk around their computers and pounce
on a post immediately trying to get an item. We also urge that you consider
giving a starving local nonprofit preference, but, hey, it's your stuff,
you decide!
Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's
on the porch or out by the curb, whoever gets here first gets it."
This is sure to irritate the people who make a dry run and that is not
what freecycle gifting is about.
Curb alerts to an area or an address where stuff is set
out for free are not allowed.The goal here is to not have people waste
gas, time and effort trying to get items. The general rule is that you
can only use the freecycle list to hook up with specific people for specific
items.
WHAT
CANNOT BE FREECYCLE GIFTED ON PKF
- Money or Currency of any kind - even
collectable coins or bills
- People
- Borrowing or Trading
- Contests
- Land or the use of land for a garden
or what ever
- Drop off donations to a fund raiser or other
event
- Announcements for Events
- Any Coupons, Vouchers, Gift Cards, Points,
Passes, Box Tops, Labels, Rewards, Tokens, Codes or any other types
of non tangible items. - They might be pieces of paper cardboard,
plastic or bottle caps, but they are a form of money generally promoting
a commercial interest no matter how fantastic the offer. The small pieces
of paper could be recycled. They can't be freecycle gifted.
- No Listings for Garage Sales or any other
vendor selling
- Information, Referrals, Services, Recipes
or Invitations - Not tangible items.
- Alcohol, Tobacco, or Prescription Drugs &
Medications of any kind are likewise strictly prohibited. Over
the counter medicine is freecyclable but taken at your own risk.
- Firearms or other weapons of any
kind are strictly PROHIBITED
- Food by offers only - No wants for food
- No open food - PKF takes no responsibility
for illness, etc. related to food items obtained through PKF.
- Tickets to events and sports - Allowed
as offers but not as wanted's. Do not offer tickets that would otherwise
be free.
- Animals for breeding or studding -
submitting an offer for an animal asking that it comes with registration
papers will be viewed as intent to have this animal offered for breeding
purposes and therefore that offer will be rejected.
UNSUBSCRIBING
To unsubscribe, send an email to the unsubscribe address. Portage-KalamazooFreecycle-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
This address, as well as other links to other important list addresses
are right on the footer of every list email you will ever be sent by the
list. It is also on the bottom of our yahoo groups PKF home page under
Group Email Addresses
You also can use the "Leave Group" button on
the Edit
Membership page on the yahoo groups PKF web site
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 The Freecycle Network 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 gift listing service, 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 or arrange for a drop-off downtown, etc.
FREECYCLING ETIQUETTE
"Be nice." We are all volunteers and we've got a great
little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another
freecycle gifter 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 EMAILS FROM PKF
CREATE A SEPARATE EMAIL FOLDER & AUTOMATICALLY HAVE ALL YOURFREECYCLE
EMAIL GO TO IT. Create a separate folder in your email software. Have
freecycle stuff sent to it automatically with a new rule under tools/message
rules/mail/.
SET TO "DAILY DIGEST" OR "SPECIAL NOTICES" (which
means you'll just browse the messages online). You can set your personal
preferences on the PKF home page (under "Edit
Membership" in the top right corner).
This guideline is an evolving document. Please contact the list owner:
Portage-KalamazooFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com
with your comments and any revisions you would like to suggest.
peace,
ed
facilitator, PKF
|