Hello All,
As we get closer to the Holidays, we have gotten many more members which is a great thing! It's always exciting to welcome new people into our little corner of the Green Movement!
I am not sure if new members have been getting our Welcome Letter and because we have gotten so many incorrect posts lately, and that takes more time as we have to try to correct them or write to you and ask you to resubmit the post. So I thought it would be a good idea to review our guidelines for everyone to get the posts out to the list faster.
Please remember there are only two of us dealing with a group which has almost 2000 members so what seems to you to be a simple correction is actually time consuming and sometimes not possible for us to do, so here goes:
SUBJECT LINES: Must have these three items:
1. Type of post (OFFER, WANTED, TAKEN, RECEIVED). NOTHING ELSE!
2. ITEM the post is about. Are you giving away a left handed ski pole? (OFFER)
Asking for one? (WANTED) Happy to have found one? (RECEIVED). Happy to have given yours away? (TAKEN).
3. The CITY you are in. Not "Your location" and not Zip Code. This is required on all posts. It tells the members how far they would have to travel to pick up the item, or where you are located. If you are willing to travel any distance, please state that in the body of the post. This is often the most time consuming post for us to correct because we have to look for other posts you may have submitted to find out where you are.
Here's a correct subject line:
OFFER: Left handed ski pole, Ontario
or
WANTED: Left handed ski pole Ontario
The body of the post should NOT have your address or phone number. This is to protect your privacy. If we submit an item that is wanted by many people you may find yourself overwhelmed by people coming to your home to try to get the item or getting so many phone calls that you have to change your phone number. It has happened!
If you are interested in a listing, please contact ONLY the person who is offering or asking for the item and work out the exchange. Do not send the post to the Moderators. This is downright confusing to us and we can't forward your e mail to the original poster. Our system is not set up to work that way.
It is not necessary or advisable to tell us the reason you need or want an item.
Freecycle is not a needs-based charity. We would have to operate under different rules if that were the case. Although it is nice to find we have helped someone with our generosity and participation in the movement, need is not a criteria for giving or getting.
I personally don't advise telling people about the number of people in your household, their income, ages, disabilities and so forth. Your post goes to hundreds of people in the area and it's better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately the world we live in today makes this a necessary caution.
Finally, if we do reject a post you have submitted, please correct it and resubmit it. Once a post has been rejected we cannot file it for you if you just e mail us the corrections. Again, our system's set up does not allow for that.
Really, if you review the rules, there are not many and following them makes it easier for everyone to have positive experiences as members of the group. I made some great friends through this group and am always happy to see people giving to one another as we all work to keep our world greener!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Linda
Owner/Moderator
Ontario California Freecycle
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