Be nice
We've found that the vast majority of members are very nice folk, who are naturally courteous and polite, so this probably won't apply to most of you, as you'll do it anyway, thank you (but please read it anyway). However, there are a minority of members who don't seem to have grasped the message that you get a much better reaction from other members if you're nice to them.
For those to whom being nice doesn't come naturally, here are some guidelines:
1) Don't demand, beg, or exaggerate the situation in your posts or replies. Keep it simple, polite and factual.
2) Reply ONCE to posts. Many items are very popular, and it's totally unreasonable to expect personal replies to every message, especially if the original post was an offer. This isn't the offerer being rude, but practical. If you've had 20-30 replies, it just takes too much time to send individual emails. It's actually a group recommendation that the taken message be used to thank all those who responded, rather than attempt individual emails.
3) Communicate effectively. If you're collecting or delivering, make sure that you have enough information to actually find the address. Make sure that you can contact the other person if some problem arises - there's nothing more frustrating than a 'no-show'. A call to say you'll be a bit late or would like to rearrange is the minimum courtesy you should be extending.
4) Don't ask for something on the off chance you might get it. If you can use it, good, but one of the annoyances of Freegle is members asking needlessly for items they don't really want (as they often change their minds, and, rudely, then don't collect).
5) Use the fair offer policy. This gives members with limited web access time to reply. It's sad when somebody with a real need doesn't even see an offer before it's been taken, precisely because they don't have the same access to the web as more fortunate members.
6) Most of all (and it shouldn't need to be said) don't be rude, abusive, annoying or demanding towards other members. Anything which would be considered flaming in a discussion forum is definitely out, and should be reported to the moderators at the owner address.
Thanks for reading this, and for keeping the group such a nice place.
[MODERATOR NAMES]
[GROUP NAME] Mod Team
Please send any responses to: [GROUP_NAME]-owner@yahoogroups.com
