Dear Freecycle(TM) Members,
We have 6090 members! Way to go Tacoma Area Freecycle!
We have an assortment of topics to share with you, please grab something to drink and read each short bit.
But before you do...
I wanted to thank all of the wonderful members that sent in the kind emails about our last ADMIN, it is very much appreciated. =)
Because we are a recycling group, we want to reduce our carbon footprint upon the environment by including locations, on the subject line of each post, so our fellow Freecycle members can know how far they might have to travel.
LOCATIONS
Please put your home location on the subject line on each post that you submit. You may include areas you are willing to travel to in the body.
One Member wrote: When someone posts an item saying "Tacoma" there are several of us that hesitate to reply even though we would like the item. Tacoma is a large city and if they don't want to give two main streets; giving an area like South, North, East, Mall area or something would certainly be nice. I always try to post my location by 2 main streets. This would make it nicer for those reading the posts.
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SUBJECT LINE FORMATTING
Yahoo! Groups only allow a certain amount of character spaces on the subject line before it cuts off. When the limit is reached, members do not see the home location, which makes it difficult to scan the list. This is the reason that we ask our members to only use a one or two word description of their item, keeping any details in the body of the post. Remember, long locations tend not to show up as well.
Rule of thumb is: if your cursor is on the first letter of the first word on subject line and you can see all of the text, it's good to go, if not, shorten it.
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WANTED GUIDELINES & DESCRIPTIONS
Just a reminder that Freecycle groups are recycling groups and are not meant to be your personal lists for everything you need. The rule is 3-4 Wanted posts per 7 days (with 1 item per post) are the maximum.
We ask that you keep your descriptions to the point and keep to a minimum the reasons you need/want the item. Please leave out any explanations; especially of hardship or need such as financial situation, unemployment status, disability, etc.
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No phone numbers in posts. Exchange personal info in private emails only.
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Having a yard sale?
One Member wrote: If you ever get a chance to do an ADMIN explaining the yard sale leftover thing, that'd be awesome. I did get quite a few emails with people asking me what I had leftover. I deleted them (hard for me, but I DID IT!!) I really met some wonderful people, tho', and they got some good stuff.
You are welcome to post about your backyard sale leftovers on Freecycle as long as you follow these simple rules:
1) The main rule to remember is that we never allow "it's on the curb, first one here gets it" postings for an item. Wasted car trips and disappointed members (darn! somebody got here before me and took it!) are not what Freecycle is about. OFFERers always need to work with one person at a time, not do a "dump, post, and run."
2) HOWEVER (and isn't there always a "however?") it seems silly to not let people say, "We're having a garage sale, but don't want any leftovers, so Sunday afternoon everything's free". So, we definitely do allow that kind of posting, but it must be posted only a few hours before the freebies are available.
The difference between these is that the garage sale OFFERer (a) isn't mentioning any specific item that you might decide to drive over for, and (b) _is_ telling you a specific time and place where and when you need to be, where they're promising to be around.
The difference between these two may seem to some too fine a distinction, but it makes sense to us - and we hope to you as well. As always, feel free to email us if you have questions or comments.
Here's an good example of what we'd like to see in a posting of this type:
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Subject: OFFERED: garage sale leftovers Sunday 3-5PM (Tacoma 6th Ave.)
After our garage sale is over, we want to make sure the leftovers have good homes. Come to 1234 6th Ave. anytime after 3PM until we close up at 5PM, say "Freecycle", and whatever's left here is yours. We will post a Taken when everything has been picked up. Thanks!
Moderator note: Please do NOT send an email to the member asking what items they are offering in their yard sale. The point is to go to the location within the times posted and pick up some awesome items.
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I encourage everyone to try the MemberPlugin for Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. It's an easy way to get your posts right the first time and will help you format your messages correctly. Please go to http://wiki.memberplugin.org and follow the instructions to install it. If you're having trouble getting it to work, send us an email and we will be happy to help!
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We invite you to join our community forum
** The TACOMA AREA FREECYCLE" CAFÉ **
It is a place where you can share coupons, links, services, resources, community agencies, volunteer opportunities, borrow, trade, or barter. It is for discussions about Freecycle, to find resources and referrals and just generally to discuss things of interest to the community. We even have a classified section!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TacomaAreaFreecycle_Cafe
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As Moderators one of our jobs is to send notes to people that accidentally make a mistake. Sometimes they are new and don't know that they can't offer to trade. Sometimes they have been around a while and accidentally hit the wrong button or forget their location. And there are some people that just don't get the concept of Want, Offer, Taken and Received. Every time I see a mistake, I send them a gentle reminder. That's my job. Please take it with the spirit in which in it is intended: with a view to improving the Freecycle experience for everyone.
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Starting the first week in August, there will be one ADMIN per week for a Return to School Challenge. We appreciate your patience on the few months when we have more than our usual amount of ADMINs. If you have any comments or suggestions for an ADMIN, please let us know!
Lastly, please remember that the Moderators are volunteers and are taking time out of their busy lives for the good of the group; treat them, as you would like to be treated.
Thanks everyone for being such a great group!
Your Friendly Tacoma Area Freecycle(TM) Moderators
Questions? Comments? TacomaAreaFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com
QUICK GUIDE TO CORRECT SUBJECT LINE FORMAT:
(Use ONLY one of these four keywords)
OFFER: couch - (Your Home Location)
TAKEN: couch - (Your Home Location)
WANTED: garden hose - (Your Home Location)
RECEIVED: garden hose - (Your Home Location)
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Compose messages easily with Internet Explorer and *Firefox* Freecycle Plugins from http://wiki.memberplugin.org. Click to install it today!
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Please join our new forum, the Tacoma Area Freecycle Café. It is a place where you can share links, services, resources, community agencies, volunteer opportunities, trade, or barter.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TacomaAreaFreecycle_Cafe
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(c) 2003 The Freecycle Network http://www.Freecycle.org). 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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COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS? Email: TacomaAreaFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com
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