File - memberhandbook.txt

[ update Sept 2009 ]
This email contains all our Guidelines and Rules
Dear Member
Thanks for being a part of FreeGLE. 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.
If you're new to the group or want a quick refresher on making the most of our
group, please read on! This message contains essential knowledge for
all members and will answer many common new-user questions, so
please take the time to read it through.
This 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.
The Reading (UK) Freegle group is open to all who want to "recycle"
that special something rather than throw it away.
For more information on FreeGLE in general and a list of other approved
Freegle groups, visit http://freegle.org.uk/ (Highly recommended!) You can
also find this along with other recycling-related sites by visiting the
main page and clicking on "links" on the left.
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 and Dive on In!

READING FREEGLE HANDBOOK
1) KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL + APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES.
This is our main rule to live by and it's a pretty easy one at that. Also no advertising.

2) SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS.
Please use the following subject line format:
OFFER: drum kit / sound proofing ('your location') [Offering more than one
thing? Still keep it in one e-mail, please]
TAKEN: drum kit / sound proofing ('your location') [Please reply to your
original message (changing the subject line to TAKEN and the To: address to
reading_freegle@yahoogroups.com) so that the taken post appears as a thread
of the original offer. This will make it more obvious what items are still
available as all the information is in one place.
WANTED: ear plugs / hearing aid ('your location') [This is intended for items
that people may not think of offering. Please use this sparingly and don't
offer money, or ask for an extravagant items]
RECEIVED: ear plugs / hearing aid ('your location') [this is for when you have
posted a wanted ad and received your item, not for when you are a recipient of
an offer]
Please note that if you do not match this syntax we will return your post or we
may choose to edit your subject line for you (but we don't always have the
time!), so to save us a lot of time please remember this simple point. Your
membership status will not be set to unmoderated until you are posting
messages with the correct syntax.

3)WANTEDS RULES
4in4: Please do not post for more than 4 wanted items per 4 weeks. with a
maximum of 4 items in each post. No wanteds reposted inside one month. This is
for your own benefit as we have seen that many people are less likely to
respond to wanters who appear to be "greedy".
No motorised vehicles, expensive electricals. That means we do not accept wanted posts
for working computers, flat screen monitors/TVs, expensive electronic
appliances or patio heaters, nor do we allow very general wanteds such as "any PC
games"/"PS2 games"or other collectable items). These rules do not stop you replying to other
peoples' offers. Following a member consultation exercise, we will allow
wanteds for kitchen electricals and large-screen CRT-based TVs.
Charity: asking for an item for a charity/group is ok but you must disclose the
item's not for you and provide a registered charity number and contact details
so they can confirm that you are authorised to collect on their behalf.
Charities are not exempt from the rest of the "wanted" rules. Private
companies, Government depts and schools however worthy/needy will not be
accepted. No corporate sponsorship solicited or offered (this includes email
footers which constitute advertising).
All posts are at the discretion of the moderators.

4) NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO
PROSELYTISING/RELIGION.
It's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Two strikes and you're out, i.e. you will be
unsubscribed by the moderator after two inappropriate postings.

5) 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 Pink 3 seater sofa average condition and live RG1 Katesgrove. If
you're prepared to collect an item over a wider area, fine, please say so in
the body of your email, but the subject line should still include YOUR
approximate location. This helps Freegle to keep it local

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. If you have more than 10 or so items to give,
group them into batches and use multiple posts. Use your discretion - but the
point is to minimise the email flow.
DO NOT USE "VARIOUS" IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE. Even if you're listing 20 items the
subject line needs to contain something useful to help people to decide
whether to click on your message or not.

7) PETS?
The moderators at have decided that this is not the place to find a new home
for pets. Reading has a great network of nonprofit pet organisations such as
the RSPCA: http://www.rspca.org.uk . There are links on our website to various
organisations that can help with this, and the Cafe group has agreed to accept
pet posts for the time being.

8) NO TRADING PLEASE.
Go to your local trading organisation for this. It can be quite fun. Also no
conditional swaps. If you are reselling say on ebay or car boots you must
declare this in your posts and in any email you send in response to a post.

9) RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER.
It keeps down the number of e-mails.

10) 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. Arrange pickup with one person only, no "free for alls".
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.

11) DISCLAIMER: FREEGLE 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
Freegle.org responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a
exchange or communication.
SAFETY. Be aware! It is up to each individual member of Freegle 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. Freegle 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 outside to be collected. We discourage putting landline phone
numbers in Messages for safety reasons.

12) ETIQUETTE:
"Be nice." We've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick
up an item from another 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 waiting 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.)

TIPS TO ORGANIZE ALL OF THE NEW E-MAILS YOU ARE GETTING:
a) CREATE A SEPARATE E-MAIL FOLDER AND AUTOMATICALLY HAVE MESSAGES GO TO IT.
Create a separate folder in your Outlook Express and have messages
sent to it automatically with a new rule under tools/message rules/mail/
b) SET TO "DAILY DIGEST" OR Special Notices (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). Note that we
require a minimum membership of "Special Notices". We need to be able to let
you know about important changes on the list as soon as possible.
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/. Also note that a number of
problems reported by members come down to them having two email addresses
registered on the list - check your own configuration please.
Just so you know, you CAN delete your own posts (for example, if you posted
something by mistake) but generally we would ask you to leave your posts so we
can see how well we are doing and audit how much we are saving from landfill.
(Note, though, that deleting a post won't prevent it from showing up in the
next digest for those with digest options.)
USING THE LIST
To unsubscribe, send an email to ReadingFreegleUK-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
To post, read or reply to messages or to manage your membership settings
(including email delivery options), visit the group site :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReadingFreegleUK
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.
If you wish to contact the moderators, use
ReadingFreegleUK-owner@yahoogroups.com

We also have an online social group where you can discuss anything landfill
related (or otherwise) relevant to the local area. Check it out and join here:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Reading_And_Woodley_Cafe/

And finally
A brief reminder of some important web and email addresses.
== Main list
- homepage http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReadingFreegleUK/
- etiquette http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReadingFreegleUK/files
- post mailto:ReadingFreegleUK@yahoogroups.com
- moderators mailto:ReadingFreegleUK-owner@yahoogroups.com
- leave mailto:ReadingFreegleUK-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
== Cafe group
- homepage http://groups.yahoo.co.uk/group/Reading_And_Woodley_Cafe/
- post mailto:Reading_And_Woodley_Cafe@yahoogroups.co.uk
- moderators mailto:Reading_And_Woodley_Cafe-owner@yahoogroups.co.uk
Your Reading FreeGLE moderators,
Matt, David, Wendy, Alan et al.