Dear freecycler,

Thanks for being a part of The ever-expanding Freecycle Network. We're changing
the world one gift at a time! This message is sent to all subscribers upon
joining, as well as every two weeks 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
freecycling, please read on! (Yes, this is a long message, but it contains
essential knowledge for all freecycle members and will answer MANY common
new-user questions, so please take the time to read through it.)

Rules update lately: We ask that your first post be an OFFER as a new member and
we ask that you put your general location in your OFFER e-mail. Also, we have
added the rule that there are to be no repeat postings more than once a month. I
think this will help keep us all a little saner so that we all don't keep seeing
all those repeats.

Begun on August 29 2004, the Starkville Freecyle group is a branch of an
incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began in Tucson,
AZ on May 1st, 2003 and now boasts over 1,298 offshoots from Japan to Wichita,
with more than 435,408 members. Our local list is also growing fast with some
xxx members (lots of great people in our community, as you know!); in fact, we
are the third largest freecycle group in all of [your state]! And if you tell
your friends and relatives about it, and they tell theirs...well, you get the
idea.

USING THE FREECYCLE LIST
To post a message, simply send an email to freecyclestarkville@yahoogroups.com
or click on "messages" at the Starkville Freecycle group web site (see link
below).

To unsubscribe, send an email to freecyclestarkville-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

To post, read or reply to messages or to manage your membership settings
(including email delivery options), visit the group site (a/k/a main page):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freecyclestarkville

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 freecycling in general and a list of other freecycle
groups, visit http://freecycle.org/ (Highly recommended!) You can also find
freecycle.org along with other related recycling-related sites by visiting the
Starkville 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 & Keep on
Freecyclin'!

FREECYCLE RULES & ETIQUETTE
1) 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 freecyclin' 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'free...

2) 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...

3) SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR POSTS. Use these phrases to make it easy for others to
delete or view:

OFFER: love seat, downtown. [Offering more than 1 thing? Still keep it in 1
e-mail, please]
TAKEN: love seat
WANTED: love seat, any condition. [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 no. 1 above. ]
ADMIN: new ideas, thoughts, etc. like can we get the guy with the couches to
ease up?

4) PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SAME "WANTED" POSTING MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH.

5) NO POLITICS, NO SPAM, NO MONEY, NO PERSONAL ATTACKS/RUDENESS. Two strikes &
you're out, i.e. you will be unsubscribed by the moderator after two
inappropriate postings.

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 downtown. Nearest
intersection: Speedway and Stone.

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. Yourtown also has a great network of nonprofit pet
organizations such as ... Please visit http://www.petfinder.com/ to look up many
other pet-related resources in Starkville.

9) NO TRADING PLEASE. Go to your local trading organization for this. It can be
quite fun.

10) RESPONSES GO ONLY TO OFFERER. It keeps down the sheer no. of e-mails.

11) PICK UP. Arrange as you like. Generally, you'll wait until you get a handful
of responses or maybe overnite, 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 freecyclers... 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.

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. 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 FREECYCLING YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILDREN. Freecycling 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). Freecycling 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.

14) A BRIEF NOTE ON FREECYCLING ETIQUETTE: "Be nice." We've got a great little
community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another freecycler,
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.)

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). Realize that you can set your personal preferences on the main
page (under "Edit My Membershipâ 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 and Keep on Freecyclin!

Your friendly neighborhood Freecycle(TM) Owner/moderator,

Jennifer Carruth