Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
This is a special letter for moderators on how not to annoy the piss out of the entire group.
Be consistent. Consistency with your own rules and those suggested by the Freecycle Network help keep your yahoo-based list going strong. People know what is expected of them and others.
Keep regular hours. If you choose to moderate your list, keep daytime hours, at least for approving posts. While there are many ways that members can silence devices and not be bothered while sleeping at night, it's annoying to have 30+ emails from a single list awaiting in the morning. A solution to that may be switching to Digest, however, since some posts were time-sensitive to the previous day, it just seems like a better solution is not to live nocturnally if you're going to manage a list of people who don't.
Remove psychos. I don't care how much crap someone gives away, if they disturb others with unsettling behavior, get rid if them!
Do not allow 10+ posts from the same person OFFERing or WANTing items. They can condense in consideration of their fellow Freecyclers and, as moderator, it's your job to make sure that they do.
Refrain from editing posts when the post does not contain restricted information. Definitely remove phone numbers and addresses, but leave the cross-street information and item descriptions. These are standard in Freecycle posts and people look to them to know important information before responding.
Now, this is in no way a complete list of tips on how not to annoy the piss out of your Freecycle list. There are special kinds of moderators who find new and unusual ways every day. I hope this is a good start.
As Always,
Me.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Monday, October 29, 2012
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING ALL CAPS FOR YOUR POSTS TO YOUR FREECYCLE GROUPS BECAU... <*ahem*>
Please refrain from using all caps for your posts to your Freecycle groups because regardless of whether all caps is interpreted as yelling or a sign of psychological instability, it is annoying for everyone to read. Your post may attract special attention but not the kind of positive attention that would reward you with the item you want. Studies have shown that comprehension of bodies of text written in all capital letters is lower than that of text written in with grammatically correct capitalization or even that of bodies of text written in all lower case.
There are unhinged people on Freecycle lists. These are people who steal, who harass other Freecyclers and who generally cause problems. Even if we assume that the Freecycler who writes in all caps is not any kind of threat or danger to anyone, the use of all caps implies an urgency or importance to the Freecycle post that trumps all other Freecycle posts. This is against the rules and the spirit of Freecycle.
So, for the love of all, just write like a normal, critical thinking human being.
As Always,
Me.
PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING ALL CAPS FOR YOUR POSTS TO YOUR FREECYCLE GROUPS BECAU... <*ahem*>
Please refrain from using all caps for your posts to your Freecycle groups because regardless of whether all caps is interpreted as yelling or a sign of psychological instability, it is annoying for everyone to read. Your post may attract special attention but not the kind of positive attention that would reward you with the item you want. Studies have shown that comprehension of bodies of text written in all capital letters is lower than that of text written in with grammatically correct capitalization or even that of bodies of text written in all lower case.
There are unhinged people on Freecycle lists. These are people who steal, who harass other Freecyclers and who generally cause problems. Even if we assume that the Freecycler who writes in all caps is not any kind of threat or danger to anyone, the use of all caps implies an urgency or importance to the Freecycle post that trumps all other Freecycle posts. This is against the rules and the spirit of Freecycle.
So, for the love of all, just write like a normal, critical thinking human being.
As Always,
Me.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
It's been a while but, thankfully, my freecycle lists have been normal and uneventful. Today I do need to write about one recommendation for the posting of WANTEDs:
Please be honest. It is true that if you are requesting something for your own personal profit, you are less likely to be given the item, however, do not lie and say you need the item for a project when you don't. Furthermore, do not think people are not smart enough to see that you are lying when your list username reflects that you sell that particular item.
As Always,
Me.
It's been a while but, thankfully, my freecycle lists have been normal and uneventful. Today I do need to write about one recommendation for the posting of WANTEDs:
BE HONEST
Please be honest. It is true that if you are requesting something for your own personal profit, you are less likely to be given the item, however, do not lie and say you need the item for a project when you don't. Furthermore, do not think people are not smart enough to see that you are lying when your list username reflects that you sell that particular item.
As Always,
Me.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
Every Freecycle group list, whether it is located on a list site like Yahoo!groups or if it's a part of the Freecycle.org site groups, has at least one moderator.
Moderators handle complaints, questions, and posts. They make sure members are informed about Freecycle rules and general safety precautions.
If you have a good moderator, thank them. Send them an email. Tell them they make the list rock. Let them know you appreciate the time and effort they put in to making your local list a positive and organized experience.
If you're on a good Freecycle list, hug your moderator today!
As Always,
Me.
Every Freecycle group list, whether it is located on a list site like Yahoo!groups or if it's a part of the Freecycle.org site groups, has at least one moderator.
Moderators handle complaints, questions, and posts. They make sure members are informed about Freecycle rules and general safety precautions.
If you have a good moderator, thank them. Send them an email. Tell them they make the list rock. Let them know you appreciate the time and effort they put in to making your local list a positive and organized experience.
If you're on a good Freecycle list, hug your moderator today!
As Always,
Me.
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
If you have not been prescribed a medication, you cannot legally take that medication. This is Legal 101, Medical 101 and Freecycle 101. Sometimes people do it, anyway. Sometimes it's not a big deal for many reasons... maybe it's the exact same medicine that is prescribed to them but they're just taking a pill from the amount prescribed to someone else (but it's the same pill), maybe practical knowledge makes it obvious that it's okay to take that medicine for that particular condition... whatever the reasonably justification it's still illegal. It's just as illegal as giving someone a controlled substance that a physician would never allow them to take. The circumstances are different but the law governing both situations is the same. You cannot take medication that has not been prescribed to you.
In light of this law, Freecycle does not allow freecyclers to provide prescription medication to each other. The organization and individual lists simply do not have the authority to subvert the law. The same goes for alcohol, tobacco, firearms and pornography.
I can hardly believe the ridiculous OFFERs that inspire these posts.
Furthermore, if you are caught making this illegal mistake, do not throw a temper tantrum at the person who kindly and respectfully let you know. If you are the list moderator who approved the post with this illegal item, do not lecture the person who kindly and respectfully let you know about minding their own business.
Next time, I call the police.
As Always,
Me.
UPDATE:
I have been kicked off of that particular Freecycle list. I was also harassed and threatened by the Freecycler who tried to dish out illegal prescription medications to the public to a point where I had to recite her address back at her and threaten to call the police for her to back off. People can be ugly. And, remember kids, Just Say No!
If you have not been prescribed a medication, you cannot legally take that medication. This is Legal 101, Medical 101 and Freecycle 101. Sometimes people do it, anyway. Sometimes it's not a big deal for many reasons... maybe it's the exact same medicine that is prescribed to them but they're just taking a pill from the amount prescribed to someone else (but it's the same pill), maybe practical knowledge makes it obvious that it's okay to take that medicine for that particular condition... whatever the reasonably justification it's still illegal. It's just as illegal as giving someone a controlled substance that a physician would never allow them to take. The circumstances are different but the law governing both situations is the same. You cannot take medication that has not been prescribed to you.
In light of this law, Freecycle does not allow freecyclers to provide prescription medication to each other. The organization and individual lists simply do not have the authority to subvert the law. The same goes for alcohol, tobacco, firearms and pornography.
I can hardly believe the ridiculous OFFERs that inspire these posts.
Furthermore, if you are caught making this illegal mistake, do not throw a temper tantrum at the person who kindly and respectfully let you know. If you are the list moderator who approved the post with this illegal item, do not lecture the person who kindly and respectfully let you know about minding their own business.
Next time, I call the police.
As Always,
Me.
UPDATE:
I have been kicked off of that particular Freecycle list. I was also harassed and threatened by the Freecycler who tried to dish out illegal prescription medications to the public to a point where I had to recite her address back at her and threaten to call the police for her to back off. People can be ugly. And, remember kids, Just Say No!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
I'm a firm believer in sharing one's pain so allow me to share with all of you the treat I found in my Inbox today.
From one individual, these OFFERs were posted one immediately after the other, the only delay being the average time it takes to type and post for someone who is possibly a bit insane (It's not likely but I still wouldn't rule it out):
This is a wonderful lady for freecycling so much instead of donating it to a charity that will price it to sell. This way people get what they may actually need or desire without pay any cost beyond going to pick it up. It's fantastic. But...
Oh My Fracking God You Have Got To Be Kidding Me With A Separate Post For Each Type Of Thing.
Here's an idea:
OFFER: Kids Toys - this is all the stuffed animal, purple people eaters, and penguins.
OFFER: Misc Kid Items - stuff that's not toys, ie. the "assorted", and the dress up clothes
OFFER: Junior size clothes - believe it or not, you can put the tops, bottoms, belts and bras in one offer
OFFER: Box of misc items - this includes the vaporizer
OFFER: Ladies shoes size 7-8
That's five down from thirteen and you'll still attract the attention of the people who'll be responding to pick-up these offers.
As Always,
Me
I'm a firm believer in sharing one's pain so allow me to share with all of you the treat I found in my Inbox today.
From one individual, these OFFERs were posted one immediately after the other, the only delay being the average time it takes to type and post for someone who is possibly a bit insane (It's not likely but I still wouldn't rule it out):
OFFER: stuffed animals
OFFER: one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater
OFFER: penguin
OFFER: dress up clothes for girl
OFFER: box of assorted boys stuff
OFFER: box of assorted girls stuff
OFFER: vicks vaporizer
OFFER: junior tops
OFFER: junior bottoms
OFFER: teen bras
OFFER: junior belts
OFFER: ladies shoes size 7-8
OFFER: box of misc items
This is a wonderful lady for freecycling so much instead of donating it to a charity that will price it to sell. This way people get what they may actually need or desire without pay any cost beyond going to pick it up. It's fantastic. But...
Oh My Fracking God You Have Got To Be Kidding Me With A Separate Post For Each Type Of Thing.
Here's an idea:
OFFER: Kids Toys - this is all the stuffed animal, purple people eaters, and penguins.
OFFER: Misc Kid Items - stuff that's not toys, ie. the "assorted", and the dress up clothes
OFFER: Junior size clothes - believe it or not, you can put the tops, bottoms, belts and bras in one offer
OFFER: Box of misc items - this includes the vaporizer
OFFER: Ladies shoes size 7-8
That's five down from thirteen and you'll still attract the attention of the people who'll be responding to pick-up these offers.
As Always,
Me
Monday, May 21, 2012
Dear Fellow Freecyclers,
Please do not post a TAKEN until the item is actually taken from you.
So often I see posts like this:
Let me say first that I completely understand wanting to end the emails asking for the item or the emails asking specific questions about the item, as if we're running boutiques and are just dying to let this one individual person have our item.
With that in mind, I'm sure it's easy to understand how annoying it is when everyone on the list receives a post two days later that says:
You can delete all the annoying emails after the item is picked up but wait until it is no longer in your life before you post the TAKEN post. Posting TAKEN does not serve the purpose of stopping emails, it serves the purpose of indicating that the item is gone.
RE-OFFER is most appropriate when an OFFER has sit for a significant amount of time and you'd like to remind your fellow freecyclers that you still have this item and would still like to give it away. This is a great opportunity to add a little more detail to generate some interest.
As Always,
Me.
Please do not post a TAKEN until the item is actually taken from you.
So often I see posts like this:
TAKEN: Item
Pending pick-up. I already have a back-up and a back-up to the back-up so Thank You.
Let me say first that I completely understand wanting to end the emails asking for the item or the emails asking specific questions about the item, as if we're running boutiques and are just dying to let this one individual person have our item.
With that in mind, I'm sure it's easy to understand how annoying it is when everyone on the list receives a post two days later that says:
RE-OFFER: Item
Offering this item again. No no-shows.
You can delete all the annoying emails after the item is picked up but wait until it is no longer in your life before you post the TAKEN post. Posting TAKEN does not serve the purpose of stopping emails, it serves the purpose of indicating that the item is gone.
RE-OFFER is most appropriate when an OFFER has sit for a significant amount of time and you'd like to remind your fellow freecyclers that you still have this item and would still like to give it away. This is a great opportunity to add a little more detail to generate some interest.
As Always,
Me.
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