Mole Valley Freecycle: Quick help
1) How do I join the group?2) How do I use the group?
3) How do I change my email settings?
4) Why is my post not showing?
5) How do I leave the group?
6) I have had a non collection what can I do?
7) What are the rules?
8) Who are the moderators?
1) How do I join the group?
Joining the group is very easy, visit our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoleValleyFreecycle/ and click "Sign Up". You will need to create a Yahoo username and associate an email address with it.You will then receive a welcome email explaining how to procceed.
2) How do I use the group?
Using the group is very easy, visit our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoleValleyFreecycle/ and you can view all the posts and post your own offers.You will also get a copy of the offers/wanteds sent to your email address.
If this becomes too much you can always change your email settings from the Edit membership link on the group page.
3) How do I change my email settings?
There are several email settings that you can change on the group which are very useful to members. You can add or change your email if you have changed your Internet provider, or set the delivery to Daily Digest or no emails at all if you are going on holiday. This HOWTO deals with changing the message delivery type.Email settings are under "Edit Membership" which is available after logging in to the group and the link is just above the brown bar with the name of the group (see image 1).
The default email delivery when you sign up is to receive every message posted to the group. This is fine until groups become too large or you are going on holiday and don't want to come back to hundreds of emails. To change this is very simple and all you need to do is change the "Message Delivery" in Step 2 (see Image 2)
There are Two main options: "Individual Email" and "Daily Digest" (25 messages at a time in one digest). Just select the option you want and that is it. If you want to go further, you can set it to "Web only" where you will not receive ANY emails at all but view the posts via the web, or "Special Notices" where you will only receive messages from the moderators.
If you want to change this back after you get back from holiday, just reverse the process. Sometimes all these changes can take a couple of days as Yahoo! is not the quickest systems on the internet, but it does work.
4) Why is my post not showing?
The only reason your post would be rejected and you not get emailed a reason why would be if your account did not have an email associated with it.This means that when you post, members can not reply to you and their message then gets sent to the entire group. Something we obviously try to avoid. Another problem caused by this is that we can't reject the pending post and have to just delete it and wait for the member to contact us.
The way round this is to double check that you have your email address showing in your account and also post your request again, but this time place the following at the beginning of the subject line: ADMIN:
This means that if your post still doesn't have an email associated with it, at least we know who sent it and can email you and try to resolve the issue.
5) How do I leave the group?
We am sorry you are having trouble with Yahoo! and our group.Before we remove you from the Mole Valley Group, may we ask you to reconsider and we can set your account to either daily digest where you get one email per day or no messages, where you can visit the group home page and view the messages online.
If neither of these are satisifactory, we will be more than happy to remove you. Please email MoleValleyFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com
6) I have had a non collection what can I do?
We take non collections very seriously, if this happens please email the moderators at MoleValleyFreecycle-owner@yahoogroups.com and we will investigate.7) What are the rules?
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 June 20 2005, the Mole Valley Group 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, you family, your neighbours, 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 MoleValleyFreecycle@yahoogroups.com or click on "messages" at the Mole Valley Group Freecycle group web site (see link below).
Want to leave? Send an empty e-mail to MoleValleyFreecycle-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Going on holiday and don't want to come back to a million emails? Change your membership settings athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoleValleyFreecycle - you can switch off email any time, and switch it back on again
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://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoleValleyFreecycle
Getting too many messages every day? Visit the Mole Valley Freecycle home page and change your membership settings to "digest" mode - this means you'll get a single e-mail every day with all the posts in it.
To read list archives (especially helpful for new members who may find recent posts of interest there), visit the main page and click on "messages" on the left.
For more information on Freecycle in general and a list of other approved Freecycle groups, visit http://freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!) You can also find freecycle.org along with other related recycling-related sites by visiting the Mole Valley Group main page and clicking on "links" on the left.
The following list rules have been adapted from the original Freecycle etiquette sheet; For a refresher, read on. A certain structure definitely makes the group run 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 & Dive on In!
FREECYCLE RULES & ETIQUETTE
1) YOUR FIRST POST EVER TO THE GROUP MUST BE AN OFFER.
In the spirit of giving, we would ask that you make your first posting to the group an "OFFER". No offer is too small. Repeat postings are limited to one per month.
2) KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example, no Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms or Drugs, legal or otherwise. 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, though, as you're looking for money and that isn't free...
3) SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to delete or view:
OFFERED: Chair - Reigate. [Offering more than 1 thing? Still keep it in 1 e-mail, please]
TAKEN: Chair - Epsom
WANTED: Chair (any condition) - Ashtead. [Please use this sparingly and don't offer money. And above all else, don't ask for an extravagant item like a DVD player which we'd all like to have or the strike rule will kick in - see #1 above. ]
Any posts from the moderators will be formatted as follows:
ADMIN: new ideas, thoughts, etc. like can we get the guy with the couches to ease up? - Admin messages are for the sole use of Moderators
4) PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH. Only 3 wanted posts allowed per user per month and 1 in any week. Please do not be greedy and use this group as your personal shopping list. It is here to keep items out of landfill, not furnish your house for you.
5) 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. In some cases we don't even give you a second chance.
6) YOUR APPROXIMATE LOCATION: Try to list this in the body of your e-mail as well as in the subject line. I've got a couch and live in RedHill.
7) 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.
8) CAN WE USE FREECYCLE TO FIND NEW HOMES FOR PETS? Yes, keep it legal & be lovingly careful. Mole Valley also has a great network of nonprofit pet organizations such as - Details Coming Soon!... Please visit http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk to look up many other pet-related resources in the Mole Valley Group.
9) NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. - This includes selling items you have collected on Ebay or any other auction either electronic or otherwise. Freecycle is about giving and receiving, not about being a tight Freeloader who wants to earn easy money from good honest people. Anyone reselling items MUST state as such in all communications with members. List moderators reserve the right to immediately ban members for failure to disclose this information when asked or when posting a wanted.
10) RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer number of e-mails. Please do not post to the group.
11) 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 the boo man pretty fast 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 no. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls. Please note, people who fail to turn up and collect an item will be reported to the Moderators and this counts as a strike against you. It is all about being a nice person.
12) 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. Do not post your telephone number or tell people you are going on holiday or out at a certain time. 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.
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 a listserv assumes no responsibility for this risk. If you, for example, are a single woman living alone, you may want to say that you'll leave the item on the front porch while you are not home.
13) NO OFFERING/POSTING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN. Posting oneself (or one's shy friends) is, I'm afraid, not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose, or you could try Craig's List or a Burning Man mixer (just kidding). Posting your kids is not on the menu either, no matter how crazy they make you sometimes. Try getting them involved in after-school band practice, better still sell them on Ebay.
14) 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 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 usual. (Think of it as The Three-Day Rule.)
Also, the moderators are volunteers and do occasionally have to conduct lives away from the computer - hard to accept, I know, but there it is! If you don't get an immediate response to an email, or there seems to be a delay in moderating your first post, please be patient and it'll be dealt with as soon as possible.
15) No cross posting please, Don't offer an item on multiple groups at the same time. It just causes problems. Offer it on your local group first, give it a while for responses and then offer it on another group.
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" OR "NO E-MAILS" (which means you'll just browse the messages online). Realise that you can set your personal preferences on the main page (under "Edit My Membership in the top right corner).
IMPORTANT: THERE IS A TIME LAG FOR CHANGES: Whenever a user changes settings, there is an overlap from the time it takes for Yahoo to process the change, until emails in the queue waiting to go out to the users are delivered. In other words, in the six hours it takes for Yahoo to permanently stop the emails from coming, there are emails already set up to go out, and will continue to go out until the queue is emptied. (Some people have reported this taking up to three days.) So please don't email the moderators with comments like, 'I changed my settings/unsubscribed yesterday, why am I still getting emails?' Just be patient, and all should be well. Don't make more than one change at a time (each additional change adds on another day of wait). If you encounter further problems, you might want to consult the Yahoo! Groups help pages at: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/
Just so you know, you CAN delete your own posts for any reason (for example, if someone's taken the item you offered, or if you've received the item you wanted, or if you posted something by mistake). Go back to your original post and bring it into view on the screen. Right under the Messages bar, where it reads: Reply/Forward/View Source/Unwrap Lines/Delete
Click on 'Delete.' That should do it. (Note, though, that deleting a post won't prevent it from showing up in the next digest for those with digest options.)
That should just about do it. Have fun keeping good stuff out of the landfills!
8) Who are the moderators?
The moderators are volunteers who run the group in their spare time. We are fairly easy going and want the group to run by itself, we are simply there to assist in the smooth running.To email us please contact:
hedley@molevalleyfreecycle.org
olivia@molevalleyfreecycle.org
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