Etiquette

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, and periodically thereafter 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. Date of last update: 5/20/2009

If you're new to the group or want a quick refresher on making the most of our Freecycle group, please read on! This message contains essential knowledge for all Freecycle members and will answer MANY common new-user questions, so please take the time to read it through.

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!

Begun on 5/20/2009, the Brownfield-Hiram-Porter Freecycle group is a branch of an 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 LIST

To post a message, simply send an email to Brownfield-Hiram-PorterME@groups.freecycle.org

Please be sure to use the correct posting format in the subject line of your email (ex. OFFER: couch: Midtown).

You can also post via the website by logging in to my.freecycle.org and clicking on the “My Posts” tab. Click "Make a new post" and use the drop down menu to choose either Offer or Wanted. To post, read or reply to messages or to manage your membership settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site (aka main page): http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/Maine/Brownfield-Hiram-Porter

To change your password or email address, login and click on the "My Info" tab. Click on the appropriate button and make the changes. Remember to click on the prompt to save your changes.

To unsubscribe, login and click the My Groups link at the top right. A screen will appear with all of the groups that you belong to. Next to the Brownfield-Hiram-Porter group, in the drop down box select the “Remove The Group From This Listing” option and then click the “Make It So” green button and you will be unsubscribed from the group.

To leave the My Freecycle site completely, login and click the “My Info” link under the My Freecycle link at the top right. Then click the green “Delete Account” button and follow the prompts to leave the site.

To read all of the posts on the group that are still open (especially helpful for new members who may find recent posts of interest there), visit the main page and click on the All Items tab. My.Freecycle was designed so that when a Taken/Received message is sent to the board, the original Offer/Wanted is automatically removed. This way, you can visit the site and quickly see what Offers and Wanteds are open without having to search through the board for a Taken/Received message.

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 guidelines. For a refresher, read on. A certain structure definitely makes the group run more 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 and dive on in!

FREECYCLE RULES & ETIQUETTE

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

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.

2. SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to delete or view:

* OFFER: Thingamajig (Your General Location) * TAKEN: Thingamajig * WANTED: Thingamajig, any condition. (Your General Location- please use this sparingly and don't offer money) * RECEIVED: Thingamajig * ADMIN: new ideas, thoughts, etc. (Used by Owners and Mods, local policy dictates)

***PLEASE NOTE: If you post using the My Freecycle website, these options are already available for you in the Post tab.

3. 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, i.e. you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.

4. NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun.

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

6. 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.

7. A BRIEF NOTE ON FREECYCLE ETIQUETTE: "Be nice." We've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from anotherFreecycle 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 usual. (Think of it as The Three-Day Rule.)

8. 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 at home at the time of pickup.

9. PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH.

10. YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION: Try to list this in the body of your email as well as in the subject line. I've got a couch and live downtown. Nearest intersection: Speedway and Stone.

***PLEASE NOTE: If you post using the My Freecycle website, there is a place to put your location already available for you in the Post tab.

11. KEEP IT ALL IN ONE E-MAIL. Got more than one thing to give away? Keep it all in one email please and just number the items for your own clarity. This reduces the overall number of emails we all have to receive. Some groups don't do this rule.

12. CAN WE USE FREECYCLE TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? Yes, but keep it legal & lovingly careful. However, posts about pets for breeding purposes are not allowed in Freecycle groups

13. 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 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.

14. 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 circumstanceresulting from a Freecycle-related exchange or communication.

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 "DIGEST" OR "NO EMAIL" (which means you'll just browse the messages online). Please realize that you can set your personal preferences on the My Groups page in the drop down box that appears when you click this link (top right).

Please note when setting your preferences to “No Email”, you will not receive postings via email but you will still receive Special Notices from the moderators.

If you encounter further problems, please contact the moderators of the group at: Brownfield-Hiram-PorterME@mods.freecycle.org

For technical assistance please send an email to: myfreecycleadmin@freecycle.org

Once your Offer has been Taken or your Wanted has been received, do not post a new message to the group. Click on the My Posts link under the My Freecycle link on the top right and next to the post that is no longer available, select the “Mark as Taken” or “Mark as Received” option. You can also remove the post completely from My Freecycle by selecting the “Remove post from My Freecycle” option.

That should just about do it. Have fun keeping good stuff out of landfills!

Your friendly neighborhood Freecycle moderator,

Jesikah

(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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