Cross-posting

Background

Cross posting is when a member sends an Offer or Wanted request to more than one community at the same time. It is particularly useful where members live near to a few communities.

Some communities discourage cross posting or ask members to wait a day or two before reposting elsewhere.

The recent (December 2021) change in how posts are shown to members, based on distance rather than group boundaries, should have a positive effect on crossposting issues. We hope that over time people will have less inclination to crosspost because they get a better response without doing so. People who want to see a post out of their 'normal area' (20 miles from their postcode or within their local community boundary) can see it by adjusting the distance on their settings.

If the crossposters are on trashnothing, moderators can disable that - there’s a “Disallow crossposting to all other groups” setting on TN.

Advantages of cross posting:

• If a member needs to dispose of something or acquire something, it is not convenient to have to post to one community at a time.

• It can increase the number of messages in each community, making them more useful and highlighting that there are items outside a member's usual boundary.

Disadvantages of cross posting:

• It increases the number of messages in each community.

• It could be seen as against the local spirit of Freegle.

• It could encourage more fuel use pollution if members travel specifically a long way to collect, although members do have that choice and could be travelling those distances anyway as part of their usual social and work life.

Problems restricting cross posting:

• It can be time consuming to monitor.

• Unless all surrounding communities have a similar policy it can be confusing to members.

• It may lead to complaints.

How to manage cross-posting restrictions:

If you wish to restrict cross-posting you need to decide on a period. Some communities ask members to wait 24-48 hours between posts. Explain to members why you have a 'no cross-posting' rule and make sure that is clear in the rules you have published for your community. Admins on Crossposting and Keeping It Local

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