Pre-approving Members
From Freegle Wiki
The best way to make freegling accessible and attractive to new people is open membership.
Pros of open membership
- Members can start posting immediately
- they may be joining to get rid of stuff in a hurry
- since the internet is instant, showing how to be an active freegler from the first few clicks is essential
- Saves moderators time
- Gives moderators more time for promoting the community and engaging positively with members
- More potential members join, because the process is much easier
- Members don't have to reply to a joining email, so they're not lost partway through joining
- Applicants aren't put off by what feel like intrusive questions
- Moderators don't have to send reminders
Cons of closed membership
- An unnecessary barrier for people who want to freegle
- More work for moderators
- Members often don't reply to a joining email, so communities lose potential members
- The more complex the joining process, the more potential members are put off
- People may dislike, or be suspicious of, being asked questions
- Spammers might join anyway, so moderators could be wasting their time regardless
