I have always liked the whole idea behind Freecycle. For those of you who don’t know what The Freecycle Network is, here is an explanation from Wikipedia:
“The Freecycle Network (often abbreviated TFN) is non-profit organization registered in the state of Arizona, USA, that organizes a worldwide network of “gifting” groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfill. It provides a worldwide online registry, and coordinates the creation of local groups and forums for individuals and non-profits to offer and receive free items for reuse or recycling, promoting gift economics as a motivating cultural outlook. “Changing the world one gift at a time” is The Freecycle Network’s official tagline.”
To simplify even further I offer my definition: The Freecycle network is a bunch of groups (mainly yahoo groups) which trade their unwanted stuff to each other instead of tossing it in the trash. Their are groups for different regions all over the world, sometimes there may even be multiple groups for areas near you.
Okay now since we all get the idea, I’m moving on. The reason I really like the idea of Freecycle is that it’s free. I like free stuff and so does everyone else in the world. In some areas you can even find a free car up for grabs from time to time. So it all sounds great right? Well in some areas it is, atleast according to my buddy Trent his area is great about being fair and using the system the way it is designed. Not so much in my area.
Each area has it’s own variants on the basic rules and etiquette of the local Freecycle group. The local group has an extensive set of guidelines most of which are rarely followed such as:
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 outa 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..
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…
NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be quite fun.
Each section of a rule indicated in bold is broken on a regular basis. The part about that which really bothers me is the Keep it Free rule. One would think this is a given seeing as the name is Freecycle after all but somehow when requesting an item I get people emailing with items for sale and even a few items for sale make it onto the group messages.
The other thing that bothers me is the pattern I’ve noticed as of late. I notice items being added, immediately going to pending pickup and then taken status within a 5 minute time period. This is physically impossible if the item was actually freecycled. There are obvious abusers of the system as well. People register with multiple accounts while others just trade between small groups of friends. What a waste of time, effort and bandwidth that is. Heck I’ve even seen Freecycle users collect items for free and resell them at yard sales.
What is needed in this case is a total change in who is moderating (or not moderating) the group.
I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this with a Freecycle group. Don’t get me wrong, I know some groups are doing it right and that is great but I’m at the point where the local group is not going to see me posting my items anymore. I’d feel more secure giving them to the Salvation Army.
Note: This is Posted in General tech because it’s mainly an online activity and a sort of social network on the web.
