Madison

Madison Freecycle.org Guidelines and Disclaimer

Our goal is to keep usable items out of the landfill. In order to help us acheive this goal, we have the following guidelines in place for Madison Freecycle.org. For more INFORMATION on Freecycle.org or for further QUESTIONS, please visit https://wiki.freecycle.org/Main_Page

1. KEEP IT FREE, LEGAL & APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. This means, for example: * No alcohol, tobacco, firearms or other weapons, profanity or sexual content, medications (of any kind, including over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, etc.); * Never send money for anything offered on Freecycle (this includes money for shipping/couriers); * All copyrighted material must be the original media; * In local groups that allow resale, full disclosure of intent to resell must be disclosed up front; * No unregistered waste carriers [UK only].

2. WANTED POSTS ARE TO BE USED SPARINGLY. Only one WANTED post is allowed each week (every full seven days). Duplicate WANTED posts (posts request the same item) are only allowed once every two weeks (every full 14 days).

3. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER OR ADDRESS IN YOUR POST. Please use a general area for your location like Monona, near East High, near West Towne Mall, Downtown, Far West side, etc. People just need a general area to tell if your item is close enough to be worth the travel. If you would prefer to coordinate a pick up of your item via phone, please ask that people give you their phone number in their response so you can call them, but do not post your phone number publicly.

4. NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS, NO PROSELYTIZING/RELIGION.

5. NO SWAPS/TRADING, BORROWING, OR CURB POSTS. Everything on Freecycle must be given away freely with no payments or items requested in exchange. Go to your local swap/trading organization for this. It can be quite fun. Additionally, CURB posts or First-Come-First-Served posts are not allowed as they lead to a lot of disappointment, wasted gas, and the potential for items to be taken from the wrong property. The item may be placed outside for pickup (must be on your own property as it is not lawful to place it on another's property or on public land), but please arrange a specific pickup with a specific person.

6. NO PERSONAL ADS. Posting oneself or another person from the human species is not allowed. There are many fine Internet dating sites better suited to this purpose.

7. NO POSTS REQUESTING OR OFFERING ANIMALS. There are many groups in town designed to handle rehoming pets, and we ask that you go through one of them to insure your pet is rehomed safely and legally.

8. ALL ITEMS POSTED OR REQUESTED MUST BE TANGIBLE. No requests for work, help, or expertise are allowed. No dating ads or friendship requests.

9. GIFT CARDS, CASH, AND TICKETS MAY BE OFFERED, BUT NOT REQUESTED. You may make an OFFER post to offer these items to someone else, but you may not post a WANTED post asking for these items.

10. PLEASE BE NICE AND PROMPT. A brief note on Freecycle etiquette: we are all volunteers and 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. 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.

11. ONLY INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ITEM, NO PERSONAL OR HARDSHIP INFORMATION. With the current economic conditions in this country, many people are falling on hard times, including in our area. We want to remind all members that including explanations of hardship or economic status in your WANTED messages is not permitted on Freecycle. The mission of Freecycle is to find homes for things that might otherwise be sent to the landfill, not to help people get things that they cannot afford to buy. There are many other organizations set up specifically to help people who can't afford to buy the things they need. Freecycle is about recycling and reusing items, not about charitable giving. When you submit a WANTED post, you may jog someone's memory about something they were meaning to get rid of but haven't yet. How badly you need that item isn't relevant -- either there is something to be offered or there isn't. WANTED posts cannot to be used to persuade or guilt people - please simply ask for the item. This is a large group, with daily emails being sent to approximately 8,000 people in Madison and surrounding areas. Please keep your messages brief and to the point. Below are some examples of appropriate and inappropriate posts.
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Example of an appropriate post:
WANTED: Girls shoes size 4 - I'm looking for a pair of girl's black dress shoes in a size 4 for my daughter's dance recital. I can pick up any time in the next week. Thanks!
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Example of an *inappropriate* post:
WANTED: Girls shoes size 4 - I am desperately searching for a pair of black shoes for my daughter. She grew out of the ones that we got for her last year and I just can't afford to buy her a new pair right now. My husband lost his job and I stay home with the kids so money is really tight for us until he can find another job. Please if anyone has some girls shoes that they don't need any more it would really make us so happy to see our daughter in new shoes at her dance recital, and I need them by the end of this week or she won't be able to dance.
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12. 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 an organization assumes no responsibility for this risk. If you, for example, are living alone, you may want to say that you'll leave the item on the front porch while you are not home or arrange for a drop-off at a public place.

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Overview of Using Freecycle.org
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USING FREECYCLE.ORG To POST, READ, or REPLY to messages or to MANAGE your membership settings (including email delivery options), visit the group site (AKA main page) by logging on at: https://my.freecycle.org/

To POST a message, first ensure you are logged in, then click on 'Make a new post' from either the homepage or the green 'My Posts' tab. Then fill out the fields and click 'Make the post'. You can MANAGE your posts from the 'My Posts' tab also. For example, -If your offer has been taken OR -you have received an item you wanted OR -you wish to simply remove a post you made from the group: click the 'Manage' button beside the item and from there click the appropriate button to Cancel or mark Taken or Received.

To CHANGE your password or email address, login and click on the 'My Info' tab. Click on the appropriate button and make the changes. Remember to click on the prompt to save your changes.

To UNSUBSCRIBE, login and click the My Groups link at the top right. A screen will appear with all of the groups that you belong to. Next to our group name, in the drop down box select the 'Remove The Group From This Listing' option and then click the "Make It So" green button and you will be unsubscribed from the group. To LEAVE the My Freecycle.org site completely, login and click the 'My Info' link under the My Freecycle.org link at the top right. Then click the green 'Delete Account' button and follow the prompts to leave the site.

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DISCLAIMER. FREECYCLE(R) 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. By joining the list, you agree to hold neither the list owners, moderators nor anyone affiliated with Freecycle.org responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a Freecycle-related exchange or communication.
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Copyright C 2003 The Freecycle Network (http://www.Freecycle.org). All rights reserved. Freecycle.org and the Freecycle.org logo are registered trademarks of The Freecycle.org Network in the United States and/or other countries.