K&C FREECYCLE (R) RULES & GUIDELINES

RULES

1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example, no pornography, alcohol, tobacco, drugs (of any kind, including all medicines, vitamins, creams, etc.), firearms or other weapons. Two strikes and you're out of the group. This is our main Freecycle rule to live by and it's a pretty easy one at that. No advertising your yard sale, please, as you're asking for money and that isn't free.

2. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION. It's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Two strikes & you're out, ie you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.

3. NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. With Freecycle, though, there are no strings attached, just give it away now.

4. RESPOND ONLY TO PERSON WHO POSTED. It keeps down the sheer number of e-mails.

5. YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION BUT NO PERSONAL DETAILS: Try to list this in the body of your e-mail as well as in the subject line. "I've got a TV and live in Notting Hill. Nearest tube: Holland Park." **Messages which include telephone numbers may be deleted by the moderators. This is a public site, so for your own safety and securiuty, please do not include personal details.**

6. KEEP IT ALL IN ONE E-MAIL. Got more than one thing to give away? Keep it all in one e-mail please and just number the items for your own clarity. This reduces the overall number of e-mails we all have to receive.

7. CROSSPOSTING. Especially because we cover quite a small geographic area, we understand that members may want to maximise the impact of their 'offer' or 'wanted' by posting it to several Freecycle Groups at once. While it is difficult to make a hard-and-fast rule about this one way or the other, please consider just posting to your home group first, and only widening your area if you get no responses. **Persistent or flagrant crossposters may be removed from the group by the moderators.**

8. MULTIPLE JOINERS: The main aim of the Freecycle Network is to keep good stuff out of landfill; however, we also want to protect the planet more broadly, as well as encourage local community participation. People who join many Freecycle groups all over the country, with the aim of creaming off the best offered items, aren't doing anything to foster closer communities, and must be burning an awful lot of petrol to boot! Feel free to join groups nearby (the nearest to K&C are Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham), or different groups near to home and work if you have a long commute... but if it looks like you're joining a distant group or multiple groups for no good reason, the moderators reserve the right to ask you to justify your membership, or in extreme cases to remove you from the group.

9. NO OFFERING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.

GUIDELINES & ETIQUETTE

CAN WE USE FREECYCLE TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? Yes but keep it legal & be lovingly careful.

You could also try http://www.dogshome.org/ or http://www.rspca.org.uk/ for help and advice about rehoming a pet, or to find one for yourself. However, posts about pets for breeding purposes are NOT allowed in Freecycle groups.

NO ADVERTISING, TRADING OR BARTERING PLEASE. No advertising of your business or offering to swap services or other items for items you're seeking or offering. Please remove advertising footers from your emails when posting to Freecycle - this includes your signature lines with your business title and/or website. There are numerous sites to trade, barter and/or sell your items. Freecycle is NOT one of those.

SAFETY. Be aware! DO NOT list your phone number or exact address in your post to the group. There are unscrupulous people out there who may "collect" information about you from your posts. This could identity theft, home invasion, or unwanted phone calls.

Giving personal details about you, your children or your disabled grandmother is strongly advised against. It is up to each individual member of Freecycle, when arranging to exchange an item being given away, to be appropriately aware of the potential risk of having "a stranger" come to your home to pick something up or to go to a stranger's home if you're the recipient.

Freecycle assumes no responsibility for this risk. You may want to say that you'll leave the item on the front porch while you are not home or arrange to have someone with you if there is a large item involved.

DON'T USE FREECYCLE TO ASK FOR PEN PALS, EXERCISE BUDDIES, OR A DATE. Recycling oneself (or one's shy friends) is, we're afraid, not allowed. There are many fine internet dating sites better suited to this purpose. No offering your spouse or children either.

HOW TO SUCCEED AT FREECYCLE: Be nice. 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. (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 suggested. Say Thank You with an email to the gifter.

CHOOSING WHO TO GIVE TO: Generally, wait until you get three or four responses or maybe overnight, and then pick whomever you like! That's half the fun. Consider giving a local non-profit preference if one should respond. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's on the porch, whoever gets here first gets it." That's not safe and it means some folks might drive a long way just to find an empty porch. Also: only give your phone number to one person at a time or ask for the recipient's phone number. Otherwise you could get swamped with phone calls, maybe at 3 AM. Transactions are between Offerer and Recipient and will not be mediated or arbitrated by Freecycle administrators, moderators, or representatives.

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. I always ask that people consider giving a local charity preference if one should respond [see 'Charities' below]. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's on the front step, whoever gets here first gets it."

CHARITIES: Charities are more than welcome to join the Group, and to post offers and wanteds. However, in order to protect other members and to prevent abuse, 'Wanted' messages from charities may be delayed by the moderators until the charity's legitimacy has been established (for example, by checking the Registered Charity Number against the Charity Commission's Register).

TIPS TO ORGANIZE ALL OF THE NEW E-MAILS YOU ARE GETTING:

a) CREATE A SEPARATE E-MAIL FOLDER & AUTOMATICALLY HAVE FREECYCLE STUFF GO TO IT. Create a separate folder in your Outlook Express & have Freecycle stuff sent to it automatically with a new rule under tools/message rules/mail/

b) SET TO "DAILY DIGEST" (all that day's messages compiled into one email) OR "NO EMAIL" (which means you'll just browse the messages online).

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 Freecycle.org responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a Freecycle-related exchange or communication.

That should just about do it. Have fun and Keep on recycling with Freecycle!

Your K&C Freecycle Moderator Team

____________________________________________________ Copyright (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. ____________________________________________________