Best Practice

Preface

Freegle Groups promote reuse. In doing this we:

1. Keep goods that still have life in them out of the waste stream.

2. Promote community spirit by sharing between local people.

3. Provide people with an opportunity to help the environment.

We want to do all this as well as we can, so we need to make sure that using Freegle Groups is as quick, easy and enjoyable as possible for us and our members.

Many of us started our Groups several years ago. During that time internet use has increased substantially and there have been many developments which mean that members now expect to be able to do things very quickly. If a Freegler encounters barriers they are likely to be put off from using our Groups, so we need to strike a balance between ‘protecting’ our Group, and making it welcoming for new members..

In order to help reduce barriers there are some questions that owners/mods might like to think about.

Questions

What is a new Freegler’s first impression of your Group?

Best practice advice:

Your Group is individual but clear identification as a quality Freegle Group will help you with publicity.

Consider:

• Using the official Freegle logos. These have been designed by the Freegle Graphics Team for your Yahoo Group and Facebook home pages

• The Graphics Team will help you with photos or other pictures you may want to upload to customise your Group.

Email: graphics@ilovefreegle.org

How many steps are there from a new Freegler clicking on the link for your Group to other members receiving an Offered or Wanted post from them?

Best practice advice:

The less time and work there is for a new Freegler to use your Group, the more likely it will be that they will be a contributing member.

• Do you approve new members?

• Do you ask for location before approval?

Consider:

• Open membership with new members being moderated (that picks up spammers, especially if you use the Moderator Plugin).

• Writing to members whose first post is out of area and giving them the details of their nearest Group.

• Sending only one joining message with the Disclaimer and deleting the standard Yahoo message.

How many members do you have on moderation?

Best Practice advice:

Put members who correctly format their messages on Group settings.

Consider:

• The Moderator Plugin makes this very easy.

• You can always put them back on moderation if they slip up.

• You will lessen your workload.

• Messages will be posted more promptly on your message board, which is good for the person posting as well as those that respond.

How long does it take for a Freegler to see the message they have posted appear on the Group?

Best Practice advice:

Ideally, moderation of messages needs to be every few hours. Moderating once a day is the minimum for a Group to survive.

Consider:

• Have a rota for moderation so that all the team know who is doing what and when.

What rules do you have?

Best Practice advice:

Keep rules to a minimum to enable the smooth running of the Group known to all your members. A lot of Groups impose rules that members have no idea existed! Try to apply them fairly with flexibility where appropriate.

Consider:

• The fewer rules you impose, the less work it is for you to moderate your Group.

• No-one is keen on reading or remembering lots of rules, so too many just means that your members don’t know what they are.

Do you restrict the number of Wanted posts?

Best Practice advice:

People that want other’s unwanted stuff are essential for your Freegle Group to work, so encourage people to think ‘reuse’.

Consider:

• Difficult economic times have increased the number of members who are in a situation where they can offer very little e.g. students setting up house, people on benefit who cannot afford to buy new stuff etc.

• Wanted posts are as valid as Offer posts in keeping things out of the waste stream. Encouraging people to Freegle even when they have little to offer may lead to them thinking of Freegle in the future when they do have things to offer.

• People go through different phases in life - at some times they may post a lot of Wanted posts, and at others a lot of offers.

• People - including us - overestimate the number of Wanted posts. Most Groups have more Offers than Wanteds.

How many messages do you reject?

Best Practice advice:

Members have made the effort of posting a message, unless it contravenes the basic rules (free and legal), try not to reject it. Helpful, friendly, personal mod messages can be more effective than standard replies.

Consider:

• Do messages need to be rejected or can they be dealt with in other ways?

• Promoting Freegle Direct by placing a link on your home page for people to join and use Freegle Direct. This provides a way of posting that won’t need correcting.

• Promoting the Message Maker with a link on your home page to it and link in message footers. This also results in a way of posting that doesn’t need correcting.

• Using the Moderator Plugin to edit subject lines of messages, then sending a note afterwards to help the member get it right next time.

What impression do your messages to members give of you and Freegle?

Best Practice advice:

You are providing a service which is helping your members get in touch with one another to keep stuff out of the waste stream, so be a good host.

Consider:

• Friendly, helpful messages are far more likely to get the response you want.

• No-one enjoys (or can be bothered) reading long messages, so keep things brief (but polite!).

• English may not be the first language for some of your members, clear straightforward messages will make it easier for them to understand how to use you Group.

How many potential Freeglers do you lose?

Best Practice advice:

Check, with an open mind, your rules, guidelines and working practices on a regular basis to ensure that interested people are not put off being an active Freegler.

Libraries, many public bodies and work places do not allow the use of Yahoo Groups.

Consider:

• Installing Freegle Direct and opting for the Freegle Direct page to be the first page that a new Freegler sees. This opens up Freegle to people in your community who may really benefit from your Group. There are clear links from Freegle Direct to your Yahoo Home Page if Freeglers prefer to use that route.

• Are any rules you have about reposting, crossposting, and limits on numbers of posts simple [b]and very easy to remember?

• Replying to emails to the owner address within 24 hours.

• A friendly leaving message for Freeglers who do leave your Group with a link to the Find a Group page on the Freegle website.

Do you have emergency arrangements for your Group?

Best Practice advice:

Put in place some back up so if there is a problem with your availability, all your hard work doesn’t goes to waste as service can be maintained for your members.

Consider:

• Having a back up owner, so that if something unexpected happens to you there is someone that can take up running it in your absence, either temporarily or permanently.

• Your back up doesn’t have to be an active moderator, just someone, maybe a friend or relative, who has the privileges to let someone run the Group in an emergency situation

• Giving your back up owner(s) the mentor Group address as a contact so they have access to some help themselves.

Email Freegle-Mentors@yahooGroups.com ]

• Groups run 365 days a year so having a back up active moderator to share the burden, cover holidays and discuss issues with is also very helpful.

• Moderators don’t need to be able to do everything. Some Groups find it helpful to have mods for certain aspects of running the Group, eg publicity, tech etc.

What tools do you use to make it easier to run your Group?

Best Practice advice:

Yahoo is not the easiest platform for you or your members, so don’t be afraid to take up some of the helpful tools that Freegle makes available.

Consider:

• Freegle Direct

• Mod_Plug-in

• Freegle_Message_Maker

Do you know where to turn for help?

Best Practice advice:

You are not alone. All Freegle volunteers are in this together, we have a shared mission, so take advantage of others’ experience and advice.

Consider:

• Freegle Mentor Group

One to one help from experienced mods for new Groups Assistance for struggling Groups and mods

Email: Freegle-Mentors@yahooGroups.com

• Freegle Central

Sharing experience, information and helping each other

http://Groups.yahoo.com/Group/FreegleUK-Central

Freegle Media/Freegle Growth

Asking for help on media matters, sharing publicity tips, discussing and putting into place ideas on how we can help Groups grow and thrive.

http://uk.Groups.yahoo.com/Group/Freegle-Growth/

http://uk.Groups.yahoo.com/Group/Freegle-Media/

• Freegle Direct Group

Help with problems or questions

http://Groups.yahoo.com/Group/freegledirecthelp/

• Plug in Group

Help with problems or questions

http://uk.Groups.yahoo.com/Group/ModerationPlugin/

• The Freegle Wiki

Full of useful information on all aspects of running your Group, publicity tips and how you can help Freegle nationally http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Welcome_to_the_Freegle_Volunteer_Wiki

Would you like to socialise with other Freegle Mods?

Consider:

• Freegle Rock

Online social chat

http://Groups.yahoo.com/Group/FreegleRockCafe/

• Freestock is the annual summer meet up for Freegle Mods

http://wiki.ilovefreegle.org/Freestock

• Organising a meet-up of your local Groups.

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