Community
Forums
So you want to get rid of some unwanted items via a community forum, such as Freegle, Freecycle, Gumtree, or a Give And Take day. How do you do it?
How To
Do It
Choosing
And Joining A Forum
A Wide
Range Of Groups
There are many online community forums to choose from. They have varying outlooks and concepts. Even amongst different groups belonging to one organisation, such as Freegle or Freecycle, there can be noticeable differences in the way different groups operate. For example some Freegle groups (and likewise Freecycle groups) are very heavily moderated, while others take a much lighter approach to rule-keeping. It’s important to choose not only a forum, but in some cases a specific group which suits you. If you find you do not get along with one Freegle or Freecycle group for example, you might find a neighbouring group suits you better.
Freegle
And Freecycle Explained
Many people have heard of
Freecycle, because it is credited with starting the trend for using online
community forums in this way. Fewer people seem to have heard of Freegle. So it
is worth taking a moment to explain. Freegle and Freecycle operate under
broadly similar principals. The main difference is that Freecycle is
international, whereas Freegle is national. Basically Freegle was started by a
group of experienced Freecycle morderators in the
Email vs Messageboards - Particularly important if New To Freegle or Freecycle.
Some people prefer to deal with a community forum that operates via a messageboard, on the basis that is does not clog their email inboxes up. However, equally well there are also people who prefer to receive community forum messages via email, and read them at their leisure (such as while waiting for an item to print), without having to go to the hassle of logging into the online forum, and tying up their internet connection with it. Many community forums, particularly those operating via Yahoo, such as the Freegle and Freecycle groups, give you the facility to do either, depending on your preference. They should also give you the option of receiving emails in Digest Format rather than individual messages (see below).
Email Message Formats – Worth Noting If New To Freegle or Freecycle
If you are accustomed to using internet mailing lists in other areas of your life, then you should not have much difficulty in using them for community forums, such as Freegle and Freecycle. If you are already familiar with email mailing lists, then you are probably familiar with the ‘Digest Format’, which gathers together a bunch of messages into one message and sends that single message of messages rather than lots of individual messages. It should be a fairly simple matter to set your preferences (such as your Yahoo preferences for a given group), to deliver your messages in Digest Format. If you are unsure how to do it, then ask the list moderators for help in doing this). With the bigger Freegle and Freecycle groups, if receiving by email, then Digest Format is usually preferable.
Spam Filters
Very often messages from email mailing lists can get accidentally blocked by spam filters. If you have a trainable spam filter on your computer make sure it is set to allow messages from your chosen group. If your ISP’s spam filter decides to block the group, email your ISP’s helpdesk to report it as False Positive, in other words, let them know that the group is a legitimate organisation and is not spam, they should be able to adjust their filters accordingly.
Rules
Rules Rules – Worth
Noting If New To groups such as Freegle and Freecycle
Different community forums have different rules governing their operation. For example most Freegle and Freecycle do not allow the giving away of animals through it’s forums, whereas Gumtree does. Even different groups within the same umbrella organisation can operate different rules and levels of moderation. Take as examples Freegle groups. Although Freegle aims to encourage people to join their ‘local’ group, you may find a number of groups not that far from you, particularly if you are on the boundary of several groups’ catchments areas. The rules governing two neighbouring groups can vary considerably, so you may find a neighbouring group’s ‘rules’ suit you better than your ‘local’ group. Take for example an extreme case of two neighbouring Freegle Groups X and Y, with Group X being heavily moderated, while Group Y is lightly moderated.
|
Issue |
Group X |
Group Y |
Comment |
|
Cross Posting (posting the same message on more than one Freegle or Freecycle Group) |
Does not allow cross posting (on the grounds that people do not want their inboxes clogged up with multiple messages) |
Does not mind if people cross-post (it helps to reach a wider audience) |
Many Freegle and Freecycle groups are prohibiting cross-posting. Many Freeglers and Freecyclers seem to be divided on the issue. |
|
Photographs |
Does not allow users to share photographs of items, unless each photograph is vetted by the moderator (on the grounds that people might this as a means of spreading pornography) |
Trusts it’s members to post links to photographs of items wherever convenient, but would obviously ban any user found to be abusing that trust. |
Obviously those of a very sensitive nature might prefer Group X. But others might find their items more likely to find homes on Group Y. |
|
Local To The Area? |
Only allows people to join if they themselves live in the groups’ catchments area (this is to keep the group strictly ‘Local’, so that people can’t travel long distances for items, and also it keeps about people using the forum who don’t ‘need’ the stuff. |
Is happy for people to join who live outside the area if they: Live in an adjoining area, work in the area, travel through the area on a regular basis, have or had relatives in the area. Does not ask for postcode of residence. |
Group Y is of far more use if you are clearing a relative’s house, or trying to acquire items for a friend or relative. However, you may find Group X fits your specific ethical criteria better. Some groups may allow you to join out of area if you give the moderators a good reason for doing so. |
|
Selling Of Items Acquired Via Freegle or Freecycle |
Bans recipients from selling on items acquired via their Freegle or Freeycle Group (on the basis that they do not want people to be profiteering from Freegle or Freecyle, and the stuff should go to those genuinely in need). |
Has no rules on resale, the only aim is to keep stuff out of landfill. Indeed some list members specifically offer the odd mixed box of items they can’t be bothered to sort through and sell themselves, with the words “might suit a carbooter”. Of course the forum might request that takers specify honestly if they intend to resell stuff. |
Sometimes you might have an item you would really like to go to someone who needs it, and don’t want the thing to turn up resold. On the other hand, you may not have the time or inclination to sort a bunch of items, and just want to be rid of them, in which case you might be happy for someone to get a little money from resale, if they are prepared to sort the items. If you get a lot of responses for a given item, you can always choose the one you like the sound of best. An increasing number of forums ask takers to state honestly if they are intending to resell stuff. |
|
Belonging To
Several Groups |
Only allows members to belong to at most one other Freegle or Freecycle Group. This is the keep it local, and keep out undesirable people. |
Does not mind how many groups its members belong to. Anything that helps keep stuff out of landfill. |
Of course many groups are somewhere in between, they don’t mind how many groups members belong to, but ask members not to cross-post. |
|
Duplicate Posts (Sometimes email software malfunctions case duplication of posts, often without the sender knowing) |
The Moderators delete all copies of any posts that appear in duplicate, and send the user a message telling them that posts can take sometime to appear, therefore there is no need to send them twice. |
Let’s duplicates of posts through, cluttering up people’s inboxes, but it is usually obvious to other users that the duplication is a software malfunction. |
Some users will find it irritating to have their posts deleted due to duplication, especially when they do not know how it occurred. However some users may be equally irritated by excessive duplication of posts. Some groups make an effort to delete the duplicate copies while allowing at least one copy of the post. |
|
Posts That Break
The Rules |
The moderators delete any posts that infringe the rules, no matter how slight, even when it is something simple like an incorrectly formatted post header (that omitted to mention the area in which the item is in the correct order for that groups rules). Sends the user a message to say that their post has been rejected, and why. |
Lets posts through even if they infringe the rules (unless really blatant), but usually emails a warning to the poster afterwards pointing out that actually that post did not follow the rules. Might ban persistent offenders, or those whose transgressions were major (such as posts that really were irrelevant spam). |
Deleting every infringing post can be frustrating for users who never seem to be able to get their posts accepted. On the other hand it can be quite irritating to find a list cluttered repeatedly with posts that you know flout the rules of the group. However, minor infringements being posted (but gently pointed out) can make the group a more friendly to new users who need to learn the ropes. |
Group X and Group Y are of course extreme examples. The majority of both Freegle and Freecycle groups probably fall somewhere in between the two, some veering more to one type than the other. Of the groups in your local area you just have to find the one (or ones) that suit(s) you the best.
Using A
Forum
Before
You Start Clearing A House
Before you start trying to shift large items of furniture via a community forum, it is worth checking to see that you have all the relevant door and window keys for the building you are trying to clear. Sometimes with large items (such as wardrobes and desks), you may find it won’t fit round specific corners in your house, or up stairs; and therefore it may be easier to take it out the back door and bring it down the side, or if in a basement out the ‘trade’ entrance and bring it up the external area steps (rather than the internal stairs). To do this it does help if you can get the relevant doors open (thus you need the keys, and if they haven’t been used in a long time, a bit of effort). It is useful to establish this before posting the items on the forum.
Tip
If you are trying to shift a large item of furniture, for example when clearing a house, it may be worth trying to figure out how it got in there in the first place, or at least how to get it out. Will it go through the doorway? Will it fit up or down the stairs?
Preparation
For Listing Your Item
For many items, particularly furniture, it is worth measuring them, so that when you list them you can include the measurements. This helps potential takers both to know whether the item will fit into their own home, and decide how they are going to transport it. (When using community forums transportation is supposed to be the responsibility of the taker)
If your chosen forums; rules allow it, it may be worth taking a photograph of your item (in some instances this can encourage takers). To save time (if you have the relevant software on your computer) it makes sense to use a digital camera. A photograph taken using a mobile phone camera is adequate for this purpose. You can of course use film and then a scanner. However, some community forums do not allow photographs, so make sure you check the specific roles for that group (this even varies amongst Freegle and Freecycle groups).
An
Alternative To Listing The item
You may like to scan your chosen forum’s recent ‘WANTED’ posts, and see if there is someone where who might like your item, perhaps they are requesting something similar.
Listing
Your Item
Think about the potential taker, include the sort of details that will be useful to them. What sort of condition is the item in? What are it’s dimensions? You might even want to mention the sort of taker you think might find the item useful, for example ‘Could be useful for an art project’, ‘would suit a carbooter’, ‘might be useful for an am dram group’. You may even say which sort of taker you would prefer, but if you do so, please be polite about it. It is also a good idea to mention some information about collection, for example if you need the item to be collected by a certain date, or will only be around for it to be picked up at very limited times (which if you are clearing a relatives house is very relevant). Most forums will ask you to include a rough location. It can be helpful to put both Postal District and nearest town (as not everyone keeps a postal district map beside their computer, some postal districts using the same sorting office can be a long way apart.
Some forums have very strict rules about exactly how a message must be formatted, others are more flexible on this matter, so you do not succeed in posting your message it is worth either trying again with that forum or with a different forum.
Timescale
Worth Noting If New
To Freegle or Freecycle
If you are considering listing an item on a community forum, you may find it helpful to consider how long it should realistically take. Basically, if you need an item to be shifted by a certain date, it does help if you can submit the item for listing at least a week before you need it to be gone. Certain it is preferable not to list an item only the day before you need it to be shifted by. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, particularly if you are new to a given group, your post may need to be approved by the moderators of that group before going live. On Freegle and Freecycle the moderators are all volunteers, who have given up their free time to moderate the group. They have lives of their own to lead (paid jobs, other voluntary jobs, families to look after, illness, holidays etc), therefore they don’t always have the time to respond immediately. Sometimes if the moderators on a given group are all busy, then it can take several days for traffic on the group to be dealt with. Therefore you need to be patient about this. Secondly once your listing has gone live, although you may get some responses immediately , remember not everyone reads the messages immediately, not everyone has internet access all the time. Thirdly, some potential takers may need a little time to organise just when and how they are going to collect the time. For example not everyone has a vehicle, particularly not one suitable for transporting large items of furniture. Similarly potential takers may wish to make use of another journey to collect an item en route. This sort of thing can take time to arrange. While on the subject of timescales, if one or other of your group’s has a ‘No Crossposting Rule’, it is worth bearing in mind that the rule usually refers to the date the post went live, so allow whatever time specified (usually 2 days, 1 week or 2 weeks) from the post going live (not when you actually submitted it) before posting to another group.
Choosing
A Recipient – Worth
Noting If New To Freegle or Freecycle
Newcomers to community forums often get caught out by being too keen to accept the first taker to email them. Sometimes this may be the best option, especially with time constraints. However, many more experienced users operate a ‘fair offer’ practice. This means you wait a while, perhaps twenty four hours after posting your item, look through all the responses received, and choose the one you like the sound of best (which is not necessarily the first one). If you have several responses choosing the recipient in this way can be more satisfying, and reduces the number of bad experiences.
Making
Contact
It can be helpful to be fairly clear about a meeting time, it also helps to have each other’s mobile phone numbers (should anyone be late). If there is going to be a particular time issue (for example you have to go out at a certain time of the day, do make it clear to your taker but be polite about it) Although community forums usually place the responsibility of arranging transportation of the item on the taker, sometimes when time constraints are a big factor (and the taker doesn’t have transport of their own), you may find offering to drop the item off, if you are passing near their area (particularly by car) can help shift your item a little sooner, but if you do this do make sure your are clear about where to drop the item off (leaving the item outside the wrong front door helps no one)
Ideas
Sometimes you might not actually get a taker for your item, but a helpful member of the forum may give you a good suggestion for a possible home for your item.
If At
First Your Don’t Succeed
On community forums, if an item doesn’t go on the first attempt at listing you can often relist it another time (usually after a fortnight’s gap). Some items go better on an online forum, while others are better suited to Give and Take Days.
If you find you are not happy on a particular forum, then don’t give up on community forums, try another. For example with Freegle and Freecycle the different groups are often very different in character, with different ‘rules’, two neighbouring groups could have a quite different feel to them, if you don’t get along with one, try another.
Give And Take Days
Give And Take Days, a sort of ‘Free Jumble Sale’ are becoming increasingly popular, not least because the demonstrate how even people with very little money can ‘do their bit’ for environmental issues.
In the same way that there are many different online forums, so Give And Take days vary too. Some are run by local councils, while others are run by volunteers, the latter are often organised in conjunction with a local Freegle or Freecycle forum. On the one hand the Council-run events may be more professional, and have the financial backing to provide PAT testing for electrical items, but on the other hand the volunteer run events may accept a far greater range or goods, and be more friendly. As with choosing a community online forum, you just have to choose the kind of Give And Take day that suits you best.
Directory
Freecycle: http://uk.freecycle.org/
Freegle: http://www.ilovefreegle.org/
Gumtree: http://www.gumtree.com/
Recyle4Free: clothahump@recycle4free.com
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