Well, here is the "about Freecycle" email.
WHAT IS FREECYCE™ ABOUT?
First, what Freecycle™ is NOT about.
Freecycle™ is NOT about giving only to the poor.
It is NOT about getting as much free stuff as we can.
It is NOT about getting things to earn money on the side.
It is NOT about getting rid of junk that would be better off in the landfill.
It is NOT about posting a "wish list" for expensive items and expecting a fairy
godmother to fulfill it for us.
It is NOT a community bulletin board for finding rentals, dentists,
mechanics, or advertising our businesses and services or special
events.
What Freecycle™ IS about
Freecycle™ IS about keeping things out of the landfill.
It IS about giving away something that has no use in our life anymore to someone
who could extend its usefulness a little longer.
It IS about giving gifts to people while clearing out our own clutter.
It IS about creating, building, and sustaining an environmentally aware
community.
Offering Items We No Longer Need to Those Who Need Them
When we post an OFFER, we are offering to give someone a gift. It is up to us to
give this gift to whoever we feel would be the best recipient. We are not
obligated to give our gift to someone who is rich, poor, single, married, has no
kids, has 1 kid, has 15 kids, has a car, doesn't have a car, or has a purple
octopus named George living in their backyard. We can choose the most polite,
the rudest, the funniest, or the shortest response to receive our gift. We can
put their names in a hat and do a draw, or we can wave our magic fingers over
our screens and pick one that way. We can choose the first, 3rd, or 53rd
respondent. We can wait 24 hours and then decide. It is up to us.
Letting Other People Know What We Need
When we post a WANTED message, or respond to an offer, we are requesting a gift.
The odds are that no one on this list will be able to give us what we are asking
for. But sometimes somebody will see a WANTED for a bowling ball and go "AHA! I
have one in my closet!" But, you know what? Just because we are rich, poor,
single, married, have no kids, have 1 kid, have 15 kids, have a car, don't have
a car, or have a purple octopus named George living in our backyard, does not
mean we are more worthy of receiving a gift from a fellow Freecycle member than
the average person living down the street.
Sending emails that don't say "please" or "thank you" are a way to not receive
an item. Sending emails with nasty comments in them are one way to find
ourselves in a bit of trouble.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN Freecycle™
When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax
machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to
members of your Freecycle group.
Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a
member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to
decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the
treasure. You can even post a Wanted message to the group because somebody might
have just the exact thing you really need stored away in a closet.
One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate
for all ages.
YOU ARE BUILDING A COMMUNITY BY PARTICIPATING
We are part of a community. In every community, there are people who don't get
along. And in most communities, when two people don't get along, they just avoid
each other. To do that on Freecycle™, all you have to do is set up a filter to
send any email from someone you don't want to hear from straight into your trash
bin. If you need help with that, let the moderators know and they can help you.
So, just remember: If you're offering a gift, it's up to you to decide who gets
it.
And if you're requesting a gift...well, be patient. Your turn will come
eventually, but if you're not careful your name could end up on a 'will not give
to' list. You may want to try making an OFFER to the list, just to see how the
process works. Look in your closet or in that box you haven't unpacked since you
moved in two years ago. Prime stuff for Freecycle™!
Above all - keep on keeping "stuff" out of the landfill!
To contact the moderators please email freecycleperth-owner@yahoogroups.com
