Moderator Manual:Required Group Guidelines File

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FILES - The Etiquette File/Group Guidelines

FILES - The Etiquette File

The Etiquette files provide the basic guidelines for your members to follow. While there will be slight variations from group to group, those rules in BOLD (in *this* section only of course) are required of all groups.

Here are a few examples you can use regarding Etiquette Files for your Freecycle members. Simply copy and paste... and feel free to edit your introductory paragraph and optional areas as necessary!

***Replace all XXX references with your local group name***

Example #1 - Etiquette File with Introduction

Dear XXX 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 you're new to the group or want a quick refresher on making the most of our Freecycle group, please read on!

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! XXX Freecycle is part of the incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle 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 is!

You tell your friends, your 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 XXX-Group@yahoogroups.com or click on "post" at the XXX Freecycle group web site (see link below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to XXX-unsubscribe@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) at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YOUR_GROUP_URL. 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://www.freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!) The following list rules have been adapted from the original Freecycle etiquette sheet.

A certain structure helps 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 & Thank You for keeping Good Stuff out of the Landfills!


The following are required rules:

  1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example,
    • no pornography,
    • no alcohol,
    • no tobacco,
    • no drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.),
    • no firearms or other weapons,
    • no unregistered waste carriers [UK only].


  2. SUBJECT LINE OF POSTS:
    • OFFER: sofa (downtown)
    • TAKEN: sofa
      [Used in conjunction with an Offer]
    • WANTED: sofa (downtown)
      [Please use this post sparingly and don't offer money.]
    • RECEIVED: sofa
      [Used in conjunction with a Wanted]
    • ADMIN: [Used by group moderators - local policy issues, etc.]


  3. WANTED POSTS ARE TO BE USED SPARINGLY. Numerical limits on Wanted posts vary by local group.


  4. RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of emails.


  5. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION.


  6. NO SWAPS/TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local swap/trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached.


  7. NO PERSONAL ADS. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.


  8. NO POSTS ABOUT ANIMALS FOR BREEDING OR FOOD PURPOSES. Beyond this, some groups do allow non-breeding-related posts to find new homes for pets, but ask that it be kept legal and lovingly careful. Other groups prefer not to allow pet postings.


  9. BE NICE. A brief note on Freecycle etiquette: 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 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. 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.


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 unpopular pretty quickly 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 number. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.


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 an organization assumes no responsibility for this risk. You may want to arrange to meet in a public place or leave the item on the front porch without mentioning whether or not you will be home at the time of pickup.



That should just about do it. Have Fun and Thank you for being a part of The Freecycle Network(TM)!

Regards,
Your XXX Freecycle Moderators


 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.

Example #2 - Etiquette File with Introduction

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, as well as every two weeks 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 your Freecycle membership, please read on! (Yes, this is a long message, but it contains essential knowledge for all Freecycle members and will answer MANY common new-user questions, so please take the time to read through it.) Rules update regularly.

We ask that you put your general location in your OFFER e-mail. Also, we have added the rule that there are to be no repeat postings more than once a month. I think this will help keep us all a little saner so that we all don't keep seeing all those repeats.

Begun on Month Day, Year, the XXX Freecycle group is a branch of an incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began in Tucson, AZ on May 1st, 2003 and as of 1 January 2006, boasts over 3,264 offshoots from Japan to Wichita, with more than 1.8 million members! And if you tell your friends and relatives about it, and they tell theirs... well, you get the idea.

USING THE FREECYCLE(TM) LIST To post a message, simply send an email to XXX-Group@yahoogroups.com or click on "post" at the XXX Freecycle group web site (see link below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to XXX-Group-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. To post, read or reply to messages, or to manage your membership settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site's main page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YOUR_GROUPURL.

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, along with a list of other Freecycle groups, visit http://www.freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!)

You can also find freecycle.org along with other related recycling-related sites by visiting the XXX 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 need to do our best to keep on task and, well, be nice and patient. Good Luck, Have Fun & Thanks for being a Freecycle Member!

The following are required rules:

  1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example,
    • no pornography,
    • no alcohol,
    • no tobacco,
    • no drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.),
    • no firearms or other weapons,
    • no unregistered waste carriers [UK only].


  2. SUBJECT LINE OF POSTS:
    • OFFER: sofa (downtown)
    • TAKEN: sofa
      [Used in conjunction with an Offer]
    • WANTED: sofa (downtown)
      [Please use this post sparingly and don't offer money.]
    • RECEIVED: sofa
      [Used in conjunction with a Wanted]
    • ADMIN: [Used by group moderators - local policy issues, etc.]


  3. WANTED POSTS ARE TO BE USED SPARINGLY. Numerical limits on Wanted posts vary by local group.


  4. RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of emails.


  5. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION.


  6. NO SWAPS/TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local swap/trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached.


  7. NO PERSONAL ADS. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.


  8. NO POSTS ABOUT ANIMALS FOR BREEDING OR FOOD PURPOSES. Beyond this, some groups do allow non-breeding-related posts to find new homes for pets, but ask that it be kept legal and lovingly careful. Other groups prefer not to allow pet postings.


  9. BE NICE. A brief note on Freecycle etiquette: 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 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. 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.


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 unpopular pretty quickly 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 number. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.


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 an organization assumes no responsibility for this risk. You may want to arrange to meet in a public place or leave the item on the front porch without mentioning whether or not you will be home at the time of pickup.




That should just about do it.

Have Fun and Thank you for being a part of The Freecycle Network(TM)!

Regards,
Your XXX Freecycle Moderator


 (C) 2003, The Freecycle Network(TM). All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.

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