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Greetings to all the members of the Reading, Pennsylvania (USA) Freecycle Group!

Reminder:  Please use our MessageMaker to post your ReadingFreecycle messages!

Note:  We are in the USA, not the UK - if you are from the Berkshire / Reading area of the United Kingdom, you've got the wrong group!  Please unsubscribe from our USA group and go to Freecycle.org to get information about the UK group.

Thank you for joining us in freecycling! We're helping to save our environment for future generations, and we're helping each other at the same time - so everyone wins!

We're proud to be just one of thousands of groups around the world that are part of the Freecycle.org network.  Our primary goal and objective is really very simple:  reduce the volume of "stuff" going into the landfills.  We do this by helping people who have something they want to get rid of find someone who would like to have that item.  You've probably heard the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" - well, we exist to help those people find each other!

It doesn't matter if the item is as simple as a staple remover - or an old car that's sitting in your driveway, or clothing, furniture, electronics, appliances, tools for the home or garden, hardware, even plants (flowers, shrubs or trees) or coupons.  If Freecycle can help "intercept" that item so that it doesn't go to the landfills (at least not yet), then we have succeeded.

This document contains our basic posting rules, plus it has lots of other very important information.  If everyone will abide by these basic rules, our Freecycle group will run smoothly, and our group's emailed postings will always be very informative, easy to read and understandable.

You can "click" on the section heading to jump to a specific section, or you can just read down the page - but either way, please read these - they are things you need to know as a member of our Reading Freecycle group.



Table of Contents

General Rules And Prohibited Items

The "Reference Library" Of Our Freecycle Group

Membership Email Options - Yahoo's "Web Only" Option Is Prohibited

Group Owner and Moderators - Who They Are And What They Do

Membership Types:  Moderated And Unmoderated

Why We Need These Policies

Freecycle's Basic Concept - No "Free For All" Postings

The First Word Of Your Subject * MUST * Be The Type Of Posting

OFFER Posts * MUST * Include The Location

No Advertising - No Links To Websites or Pictures In Posts

Give Your Item To Whoever You Want

The 24 Hour Club - Give Everyone A Fair Chance

Enter PENDING or TAKEN Posts When Offered Items Are Gone

Re-Offering An Item - "OFFER (re-offer):" Posts

No Street Addresses, Phone Numbers or Email Addresses In Posts

Responding To An Offer - A Tip From A Veteran Member

No Curb Alerts

No Shows Are Rude And Inconsiderate

Tips From Veteran Members - How To Prevent No Shows

Taking What In Not Being Given To You Is Stealing!

Posting For Friends

Pet Posting Policy

Warning To Pet Owners

Combine Your Posts Whenever Possible - Help Reduce Everyone's Emails

WANTED Posting Policy

Warning - Before You Give Away A Computer

INFO NEEDED Postings

FYI Postings

These Policies And Posting Rules Are Subject To Change

One Strike And You're Out!

Decisions By The Ownership Are Final

Disclaimer:  Freecycle Members Use The List At Their Own Risk

Our Email Address For Questions, Comments, And Suggestions

General Rules And Prohibited Items

The "Reference Library" Of Our Freecycle Group

If you received this message in an email, you can read the message on-line in our group's public "reference library" at  ReadingPaFreecycle.com.  We've created a public website separate from Yahoo so that the size of our files would not be limited, and so that we could better organize the files.

ReadingPaFreecycle.com

Membership Email Options - Yahoo's "Web Only" Option Is Prohibited In Our ReadingFreecycle Group

Any member of our group can log into our ReadingFreecycle group pages at Yahoo and view postings, respond to offers, etc.  Members also have several options to choose from so that they can be notified by email whenever a new posting is made - members can view their options and set their email preferences in the "Edit Membership" page on our ReadingFreecycle website.

To receive emailed notification of new postings, or special notices or announcements from the group's Management Team, ReadingFreecycle members have 3 choices:

Group Owner & Moderators - Who They Are And What They Do

The ReadingFreecycle group's Management Team of moderators (and the group's owner, who is also a moderator) are unpaid "behind the scenes" volunteers who manage the group with the goal of protecting our members from spam messages and "bad" posts. They do this by reviewing and approving posts from "moderated" members BEFORE they are sent to our members via email or posted to the Messages section of our website (see next section for definition of "moderated" and "unmoderated" memberships)

We (the Management Team of the group) consider a post "bad" if, in our opinion, it's not allowed by our policies, or if we think it might be offensive to many of our members, or if for any other reason we think the post not appropriate for this group.  

The key words here are "in our opinion."  We're unpaid volunteers doing all this in our "free" time, and we don't have time to engage in discussions or debates about what is or is not a "bad" post - if we think it's bad, then we're not going to allow it.

The following applies to posts made by "moderated"members of our group:

The moderators MAY perform minor editing of a submitted post to correct format errors, but they are instructed to reject posts which cannot be quickly and easily edited.  For example, submitted posts which do not have location information, or posts which are not eligible according to any of our policies, will be rejected or deleted.  Use our MessageMaker and you'll write a correctly formatted post - if you submit the post any other way, you're taking your chances.

The moderators would like to approve every single post, but when in doubt about a post, they are instructed to err on the side of caution and reject it - so please do not be offended if a post that you submitted is rejected. Just learn from your error, fix whatever the issue is and then resubmit the post.  And next time use the MessageMaker.

Our moderators are NOT perfect - they are humans, so they will make occasional mistakes. When the moderators make a mistake and allow an ineligible post to go through, or an unmoderated member makes an ineligible post, that error does not change or void the particular policy involved, and the mistake cannot be used as an argument that "You let that posting go through, so you have to approve mine too."

Membership Types: Moderated And Unmoderated

Membership in this group is totally free and is a privilege which is generally open to the adult public in the Reading area (see our "ONE STRIKE AND YOU'RE OUT - BEHAVE OR BE GONE" policy near the end of this page).

There are two types of membership in our group:  (1)  "moderated" (which means that Yahoo will "pend" your posts until they are reviewed and approved by a Moderator) and (2) "unmoderated."  Posts made by "unmoderated" members are immediately released via email to the entire group and added to our website without first being reviewed and approved by a Moderator.

We expect ALL of our members to KNOW our policies, RESPECT our policies, and COMPLY with our policies, even if they disagree with them.  Just as membership in this group is a privilege, the status of being an "unmoderated" member is also a privilege that can be revoked at any time.

Why We Need These Policies

We wrote these policies and posting rules in an effort to make the Reading Freecycle group run as efficiently and smoothly as possible, to make Freecycling in Reading a joy for everyone rather than a chore, and to remove objections and obstacles to Freecycling.

These policies and rules were made with the best interests of the group in mind, to help organize things for all of us and to answer any member's questions about what is OK and what is not acceptable.  Also, if each group member abides by our policies and posting rules, the moderators won't have to edit, delete or reject any posts, and our group's emailed postings will always be very informative, easy to read and understandable. 

There are thousands of Freecycle groups all over the world, and because each group is individually owned, their policies and posting rules all vary a little from group to group - but the primary goal of each Freecycle group is basically the same:  to help people who want to get rid of something find someone else who would like to have that item, and by doing that, reduce the volume of "stuff" going into the landfills.

Freecycle's Basic Concept - No "Free For All" Postings

Our Freecycle group operates under this basic concept:  (1) A member will offer to give a SPECIFIC item to anyone in the group,  (2)  any member of the group who would like to have that item sends an email to the "offering" member asking for the item, (3) the offering member contacts the interested member to make arrangements to give the item to that member, (4) the offering member RESERVES that item for the "receiving" member, at least until the agreed-upon exchange time and date, and (5) the offering member gives the item to the receiving member.

Note the key words SPECIFIC and RESERVES.  The specific item may be as general as a "bag of toddler clothes" or "stack of wood from dismantled deck," but the offering member MUST be willing to RESERVE that particular item for the receiving member.

Our Freecycle group is NOT a place where offers can be posted which do not involve SPECIFIC items, or items that will be not be RESERVED for a specific member.  The moderators will not knowingly approve an OFFER for a member who will not follow these basic guidelines.

Example of an unacceptable offer:  "I'm cleaning out my garage and basement, and I have lots of clothes and toys and furniture and miscellaneous kitchen stuff that I'm giving away on Saturday morning.  Email me for my address and come take what you want - first come, first served."  This is often deceptive scam advertising for a yard sale that might or might not have some free items - when members get there, they see a yard sale in progress, and they are possibly told that "all the good free stuff is already gone, but as long as you're here, take a look around and you'll see my prices are really good."

Obviously, members arriving with the expectation of receiving a posted item are going to be very upset because of the deception that wasted their time and gasoline.

We're not saying that members can't have yard sales, or that members can't "freecycle" items that did not sell at their yard sales.  We're just saying that that "free for alls" or "first come, first served" posts are not welcome in our group - they are an unacceptable abuse of the basic Freecycle concept and are not permitted.

The First Words Of Your Subject * MUST * Be The Type Of Posting

You MUST begin the "Subject" of your post with one of these labels that identify which "type" of post you are making:

OFFER:
PENDING/TAKEN:
WANTED:
FOUND:
 INFO NEEDED:
 INFO FOUND:
FYI:
OFFER (re-offer):

There's an excellent reason for this requirement: a well-written "Subject" lets everyone know right away what kind of post they're getting in their email, or what kind of posting is listed in the MESSAGES section of our Yahoo ReadingFreecycle website.

Members of the group can quickly scan the "Subject" of the post in their email, or in the MESSAGES section of our website, and immediately know what your posting is all about WITHOUT being forced to read the whole email or post.  If they want, they can delete the email without even reading it.

We all get way too many emails and this is just common courtesy, so please cooperate!

"Offer" Posts * MUST * Include Location

Every OFFER of an item MUST include your general location somewhere in the post (city or town, or close to a well-known landmark, schools or stores, or even the nearest cross streets, etc).  Put your location in the "Subject" field if there's enough room, otherwise put your location in the body of the post.

Members who are interested in your item need to know approximately how far they are going to have to drive to pick up your item, so tell them what they need to know!

Just saying Reading or giving your Zip Code, is  NOT enough information - remember that we have a lot of members and we cover a large area, and everyone does not know what towns or neighborhoods are covered by every Zip Code!   If at all possible, say "I'm in Mt Penn" or "in Sinking Spring" or "we're in Hyde Park," or "near Albright," or "near Home Depot in Exeter," or "1 mile from the Mohnton exit of 222," etc.

Including location information in an OFFER post is also a time-saver for the member who is making the OFFER for these reasons:

  The offering member will know that anyone who responds to their OFFER will be seriously interested in the item and willing to drive that far to pick it up.

  The offering member will not have to play email "tag" with anyone who asks "where are you located."

  The offering member probably won't have to deal with "no shows" or people who change their mind and say "On second thought, that's too far to drive, so just give it to someone else."

No Advertising - No Links To Websites or Pictures In Posts

We don't allow anyone to send advertising of any type to our members - so don't even try it!  This includes links to websites in your posts (even pictures of your items), or "signatures" in emailed posts, or announcements of eBay listings, yard sales, garage sales, flea markets, or requests for advice or recommendations about appraisers or consignment shops.

We also do NOT allow pictures to be posted in the "Photos" section of our website, because (1) our moderators would have to review and approve every single picture that was submitted to make sure it is "G" rated, and (2) pictures are really not necessary to our Freecycle objective.  We have nearly 10,000 members in our group, and anyone offering anything (as long as the post gives a good description of the item) will get a lot of responses asking for the item sight-unseen.

It's OK to say in an OFFER post that you will email pictures to anyone who asks to see the pictures, but don't put a link to your pictures in the post.

Yahoo adds a few lines of advertising for their services at the bottom of the emailed posts, but we can't complain because they don't charge for programming and hosting our group's website.  Other companies (like AOL, for example) may also add a few lines of advertising to the bottom of their members' emails, but we are unable to stop them from doing that.  We will not reject a member's posts simply because their ISP added advertising at the bottom of their post.

Give Your Item To Whoever You Want

You're NOT obligated to give your item to the first person that responds to your offer - it's your item and you can give it to anyone you want!

If you're in a big hurry to get rid of the item, it's OK to give it to the first person that asks you for it, or to someone who can come get it right away.  But if you're not in a huge hurry, we STRONGLY recommend that you wait 24 hours before deciding who to give it to (see "The 24 Hour Club" below).

This is a "fairness" issue:  Remember, people read their emails and postings in the MESSAGES section of our website at many different hours of the day.  By waiting 24 hours, you'll be giving everyone in our group a fair opportunity to respond to your offer.  Then if you get more than one response to your posting, you can sort through the requests and choose who you want to give your item to.

The "24 Hour Club" Gives Every Member A Fair Chance

When someone says something like "I'm a member of the 24 hour club" in an OFFER posting, they are telling you in advance that they are going to wait 24 hours before deciding who to give the item to (see "Give Your Item To Whoever You Want" above).

Enter A "Pending/Taken" Post When Offered Items Are Gone

After you have made an OFFER, you will probably receive requests for the item from several members - some OFFER posts get dozens of requests!  Our rules specifically state that you may give your item to anyone you want, but please be considerate of the other members that have requested the item - don't leave the "unlucky" people that you did not choose "in the dark."

By entering a PENDING/TAKEN post, you tell the group's members that your item is no longer available - that is has already been promised to someone, or that it has already been picked up.

Re-Offering An Item - "OFFER (re-offer):" 

If you have made an OFFER but no member has responded to you, and your OFFER was at least 5 days ago, you may re-post the item using "OFFER (re-offer):" as the type in the Subject of the your post.

NOTE:  we have nearly 10,000 members in our group, and most OFFER posts receive multiple requests for the item.  We recommend that before you make an OFFER (re-offer) post, you consider the fact that a poor or incomplete description may have been the reason you did not get any requests for the item.

If necessary, members may also make a second OFFER (re-offer) post after an additional 5 days.  If you have made an OFFER post and two OFFER (re-offer) posts and still no one requested the item, then you should find another way to dispose of the item.

Street Addresses, Phone Numbers And Email Address Policy

No posting may EVER include an exact street address, or a phone number, or an "alternate" email address (this is a safety and privacy issue).

Responding To An "Offer" - A Tip From A Veteran Member

It's ALWAYS a good idea to include your phone number when responding to an offer - it's not required, but we strongly recommend it. Remember, you're probably not the only person who is responding to the OFFER. If the member who posted the OFFER gets several responses and decides they would prefer to make contact by phone when making arrangements for picking up their item, then people who included their phone number in their response have a much better chance of being chosen.

NOTE: Some members may REQUIRE phone numbers from anyone who responds to their OFFER - in those cases, if you want to be considered, you MUST include your phone number in your response.

No Curb Alerts

We do NOT allow "curb alert" postings.  On the surface they seem like a very good idea (keeping things out of the landfills).  But we think that curb alerts are actually very bad for the environment (air pollution and wasted gasoline burned unnecessarily by lots of people rushing to the location to pick up the item).

Also, curb alerts are a huge waste of time and money (gasoline is not free) for most of the people who rush to the location - the item will be probably be long gone by the time they get there.

"No Shows" - Rude And Inconsiderate

A "no show" is a person who responds to a member's OFFER, and who promises to come get the item, but then "stands up" the member by not showing up as promised, without calling or sending an email to the person who made the OFFER. People who change their mind and decide that they do not want an item, and who call or send an email to the person who OFFERed the item, are NOT "no shows" - they just politely changed their minds. By most standards, "no shows" are at the very least impolite, rude and insensitive.

Understand that whenever you OFFER an item, there is always the possibility that you may get "stood up" by a "no show."  It doesn't happen very often because most members of our ReadingFreecycle group are eager to come get the item you are giving them - but "no shows" can and do happen, and they probably always will.

Some Freecycle groups say that they will ban or suspend members who "no show," but we have nearly 10,000 members in our group and we can't possibly arbitrate disputes, say who was right and who was wrong, or play judge, jury and executioner.  Remember, the owner and moderators of this group are volunteers, and we can't begin to monitor the thousands of "give and take" transactions that take place between the members of our Freecycle group - we just set the policies and formats for postings, try to keep things organized and try to protect everyone from spammers and inappropriate posts.

Tips From Veteran Members - How To Prevent "No Shows"

Tip #1:  Most OFFER posts get several replies from people asking for your item - and if the item is very desirable, 10 or 20 or more people might ask for the item. Don't choose the FIRST person that asks for the item; you can give the item to anyone you want, and you should always choose the BEST person. Who you might decide is the BEST person is totally up to you - but trust your instincts! If you are at least somewhat selective about who you give the item to, you increase the chances that you choose a responsible person who will keep their promise to show up at the agreed time and day.

Tip #2: Write a GREAT description of the item in your OFFER post. Sounds like a "no-brainer" but it's true - if someone has to ask questions about the item when they reply to your OFFER, then that greatly increases the chances that they might be an eventual "no-show" (because your answers to their first email might not be exactly what they wanted or hoped to hear). Many times people will ask for an item, but then change their mind and be a "no show" because they later find out that the item they expected or hoped for is not quite what was in your initial OFFER post (different size or color, etc).

Tip #3: When you post an OFFER, require that when people respond, they MUST include their phone number in their response. Then when you decide to give your item to a specific person, you can call that person to make the pick-up arrangements. When you call, you can answer any other questions the person has, make sure they still want the item, give directions, etc.
Remember this: You are much less likely to have a "no show" if you talk to the person on the phone - human nature is that people are more serious about keeping a promise that they have made verbally compared to promises they have made in a relatively anonymous email. So a huge benefit of requiring anyone who responds to your OFFER to include their phone number is that it will reduce the "anonymous" email-only nature of all Freecycle transactions.
Even if you do not call the person, and you make the pickup arrangements via email, a person is much less likely to be a "no show" if they think you MIGHT be calling them if they fail to pick up the item as promised. Someone whose personal standards of "good manners" allow them to be a "no show" will be more likely to at least call you or send you an email telling you they have changed their mind and do not want the item.

Tip #4: When you OFFER a large, bulky item that will not fit in the passenger area or trunk of most cars, require that when people respond, they MUST tell you how they are going to pick up the item. Examples are big appliances like refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers, or bigger furniture like couches, loveseats, larger TV's, beds, dressers, mattresses, etc. Many people might request the large bulky item in your OFFER post, but if they do not have a truck or van or SUV and do not have a way to pick up your item, they are much more likely to be a "no show" (this is another way to decide who the "best" person is to give your item to - see Tip #1 above).

Tip #5: When you decide who you are going to give the item to, make an agreement with that person on a specific time and day when they will pick-up the item. Then tell the person if they are late and do not at least call you, they should not bother coming at all, because you won't give them the item - you'll just give it to someone else. Then do it - if they are more than an hour or so late, follow through with your promise and give the item to another person who responded to your OFFER.

Taking What Is Not Being Given To You Is Stealing!

Members have reported that they drove to an offering member's home to pick up a Freecycle item from the offering member's porch, only to find that the item had already been taken by someone else.

In each case, the offering member had offered several items to this group, and left bags or boxes on their porch with the each receiving member's name clearly marked on it.  But it appears that instead of taking only the item with their own name, a member took all of the bags or boxes.

It is possible, but not probable, that the additional items may have been accidentally taken, or they may have been taken by someone who is not a member of this group.  Regardless of who took the items, they were gone when the actual, intended receiving member arrived.

Receiving members, when you pick up an item which an offering member has been left for you on their porch, be sure that you take only what has been promised to you - taking anything else is stealing! 

Posting For Friends

Posting something for a friend is OK, but you can't include their email address in your post.  If anyone responds to your posting, they will send you an email, and you can then forward their emails to your friend, or call your friend with the responding member's name and phone number.

Pet Posting Policy

In the spirit of helping our members and serving our community, we allow pets to be posted in our ReadingFreecycle group.  By allowing pets to be posted, we are  NOT saying we believe that pets are recyclable household items, or that we do not care about pets.  Rather, we're just helping responsible pet owners to find good homes for pets they can no longer keep.

Pet owners, PLEASE carefully read the section immediately after this one (WARNINGS TO PET OWNERS).

The following "editorial" is a part of this policy so that our position on pet postings can be totally understood by anyone who questions it.

"Editorial" Notes and Comments About Pet Postings:  We (the management of this group) occasionally get emails from individuals protesting our pet posting policy - the writers of these emails are very opinionated pet lovers who are strongly opposed to our decision to allow pet postings.  They believe that pet adoptions should always go through "rescue" organizations and should never be allowed in groups like ours.

These people are passionate about pets, which is a good thing, and they are certainly entitled to their opinion (about pet adoption postings being permitted in this group). But just because their opinion differs from ours does not mean that they are right and we are wrong.

Frankly, these email writers insult our intelligence, and the intelligence of our members, and they embarrass themselves by allowing their passions on this issue to escalate into fanatical and almost militant "road-rage" attitudes.  We can't help but take offense when they say "If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem."

If they consider ReadingFreecycle to be "part of the problem," then we suggest they consider getting help from a mental-health professional.

These "pro-rescue" pet lovers assume that every pet adoption enabled by the ReadingFreecycle group is irresponsible and "bad" for the pet.  They assume that any member of this group who would post an OFFER for a pet is uncaring and not capable of selecting a loving, adoptive home for their pet.  And they assume that anyone who would adopt a pet offered in a Freecycle post is an evil person who intends to sell the pet to a research laboratory, or use it to train fighting dogs, or feed it to a snake.

If these "pro-rescue" pet lovers would take a few minutes to read our policies covering pet postings, and our warnings to pet owners, they would realize that our policy is the result of an informed decision that was made only after careful consideration of the alternatives.

Contrary to their beliefs, we are not pet-hating idiots.  We believe that if we refused to allow pet postings, we would be be ignoring the national abandoned pet problem, and we would be turning our backs on an opportunity to help in some small way.

The "easy" way out would be to ignore controversy, and to ignore our responsibility to serve our members and our community, and to let these militant pet-lovers bully us into banning pet postings.  Other Freecycle groups may have bowed to their pressure tactics, but we have not chosen to take the "easy" way out, the politically-correct way; instead we have chosen to do what we believe is the right thing to do.

We do not ask that these "pro-rescue" people agree with our decision, only to respect our right to have a different opinion.

Conclusion:  If you are a "pro-rescue" pet lover who disagrees with our policy, it is pointless to argue about it because you will be wasting your time.  If you waste OUR time by even TRYING to argue about it, or trying to "educate" us, or trying to point out the "errors of our ways," you risk being kicked out of our group.  Let it rest!  Your comments, suggestions, criticisms and remarks are definitely not invited or not even welcomed.  Our pet posting policy is not open to review, argument or even discussion - it's here to stay.

If you have any further questions, please re-read the previous paragraph.

Warnings To Pet Owners

Combine Your Posts Whenever Possible - Help Reduce Email!

If you have several similar items to OFFER, please put them together in the same posting (for example, a couch and a recliner).  If you are offering two or more items at the same time, and they are very different, you MAY submit separate postings (for example, a couch and a lawn mower) - but if you can neatly combine them into one post, PLEASE do so because you will be helping to reduce unnecessary emails to the group.

Of course, even though the couch and lawn mower in the above example were in one posting, you could still give the couch to one person and the lawn mower to someone else.

"Wanted" Item Posting Policies

WANTED postings are permissible in our group, but we have restrictions and conditions to limit them to "occasional" and "reasonable" in nature, and to protect our membership from appeals that many members find excessive and annoying.

In any Wanted post, state the item that is needed and, if you feel it is necessary, briefly explain why you need the item.  The use of words like "desperate" and "urgent" is not permitted in Wanted posts - or the use of any other similar "feeling" words or phrases.  Don't try to tell people how to feel - after they have read your post, they can decide on their own how they want to feel.

Our goal is for EVERY single posting (wanted or otherwise) to be a "good" one.  We define a "good" Wanted posting as being one where most members who read the post would think, "I hope some member has that item and will give it to this person."  In other words, we should be "cheering for" the member who made the Wanted posting and happy for them if they receive it.  But if most members would think, "I hope no one is stupid enough to give that item to that person," then that is NOT a good Wanted post.

Here are our specific WANTED posting rules and requirements:

(1)  In all WANTED postings, at all times respect the other members of this group.  Don't be greedy!  Don't ask for something that many of us would like to have.  Remember that our primary goal and mission as a Freecycle group is to keep items that still have useful life out of the landfills - and none of us is ever going to send anything of great value to a landfill.

(2)  Each WANTED posting may be for a maximum of two items -  "shopping lists" or "laundry lists" of WANTED items are not permitted.

(3)  These items may NEVER be asked for in a WANTED posting:  vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, RV's, trailers, etc); boats (including canoes, kayaks, etc); working major lawn and garden equipment (including riding lawn mowers, tractors and snow blowers).  Members may of course OFFER these items, but these items may not be asked for in a Wanted posting.  NOTE:  An exception to this policy is when a member states that they are willing, totally free of charge, to remove non-operating junk vehicles or major lawn and garden equipment (see separate rule 5b about so-called "junk dealers").

(4)  Computers and Electronics:  Members may NEVER ask for working computers, laptops, GPS units, PDA's, Smartphones (like Blackberry phones), home electronics like TV's and DVD players, video games and players such as IPod's, PlayStation, Wii, PS2, PS3, GameCube, Xbox, Nintendo, etc.  Members may of course OFFER these items, but any of these items (in working condition) may not be asked for in a Wanted posting.  Working VCR's, computer monitors, printers and basic cell phones are OK to be asked for in a Wanted post (specific models cannot be requested).

Members who are willing to pick up non-working computers and electronics for either parts or for possible repair may ask for those items in a Wanted post.  However, the member must specifically state that they are looking for "non-working" items for repair or parts.  

NOTE:  We do not allow WANTED posts for items like computer hard drives that can lead to identity theft.

(5)  Any WANTED item asked for must be intended for the private and personal use of the member who made the post (or their friends or family).  Members may NOT post WANTED messages asking for items they intend to re-sell unless the items are individually of minimal value, and the member has specifically disclosed their intent to re-sell the item and does not deceive or mislead anyone.  For the purpose of this policy, minimal value is a maximum of $5 to $10. We allow these posts because it is far better for an item to be re-sold by someone when the alternative is for the item to be sent to a landfill. Any WANTED posting that appears to be deceptively seeking items to re-sell will be rejected by the moderators, or if posted by an unmoderated member, will be deleted.

(5b)  WANTED postings for junk cars, scrap metal, non-working computers or parts, or other non-working items requiring repair, are obviously not deceptive (subject to the "junk dealer" rule below).

(6)  Members in good standing are permitted to make one WANTED posting per week (at least 7 days since their last WANTED posting, and no more than four WANTED postings per 30 day period).  This 7 day policy prevents abuse by individuals who would offend other members by frequently sending WANTED postings to the group, and to help reduce the volume of emails we all get.  If, in the opinion of the moderators, any member is found to be abusing their WANTED posting privilege, the 7 day policy may be increased for that member from 7 days to 14, 30, 60 or 90 days.

(7)  WANTED posts by "junk dealers" asking for scrap metal, junk cars, junk appliances, junk major lawn and garden equipment, etc, in keeping with our previously stated intention to limit Wanted posts to being occasional and reasonable in nature, and to protect our membership from appeals that many members find excessive and annoying, are only permitted once every 30 days.

Warning - Before You Give Away A Computer

We recommend that you take reasonable precautions before you give away a computer - or you may find yourself the victim of identity theft!

Your computer's hard drive may have a lot of your personal information (bank account numbers, passwords, social security numbers, etc).

If you delete these files (using the normal "delete" function and the "empty recycle bin" etc procedure), in most cases the files will NOT been removed from your computer.  The files may still be kept on your hard drive, and anyone with even a little computer expertise can recover the information.

WORKING COMPUTERS:  We suggest that before you give away a working computer, you Google the phrase "how to reformat a hard drive" and then do it!

BROKEN COMPUTERS:  If you are giving away a broken computer for parts, or recycling a broken computer, we suggest you Google the phrase "how to remove a hard drive" and then do it.  It is really not all that difficult to remove the hard drive, especially if you don't have to worry about correctly putting things back together again. Even if your computer is "broken," someone could plug your hard drive into another computer and all your personal information would be readily available.

After you have removed the hard drive, lay it on a hard, flat surface (like a concrete floor), smash it up good with a hammer and throw it away with your kitchen trash.  Then you can safely recycle the computer (less the hard drive) without worrying about your personal information falling into the wrong hands.

"Info Needed" Postings

Our "Info Needed" postings are from members requesting recommendations for service providers like day care providers, handymen, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, computer repairs, telephone wiring, etc, or doctors, lawyers, dentists, veterinarians, etc, or referrals to service organizations that provide counseling for grief, addictions, health services, domestic violence, etc.

"Info Needed" posts are NOT advertising - they are simply messages from members who are looking for some kind of service and are asking other members for their recommendations.

"Info Needed" posts are also a way for members to ask general questions ("does anyone have a recipe for lemon meringue pie?" or "does anyone have any suggestions about how to appeal a parking ticket?", etc).

NOT PERMITTED:  We do not allow posts offering employment, or asking for information about jobs or work-at-home opportunities.

NOT PERMITTED:  We do not allow any posts seeking information about breeding or stud services for pets (see our Pet Policies) or "Does anyone know where I can buy this kind of dog?" Any Info Needed or Wanted post that mentions AKC or any specific breed of dog is presumed to be an inappropriate post and will be rejected or deleted.

NOT PERMITTED:  We do not allow INFO NEEDED posts that ask "Can anyone recommend an appraiser for this item?" or "Does anyone know of a good consignment shop for this item?" Posts like these have "hidden" advertising messages - the person may or may not be looking for an appraiser or consignment shop - but they are definitely announcing that they have that item for sale. We are not stupid and resent it when someone tries to get around our No Advertising policy in this manner.

"FYI" Postings

Wwe have nearly 10,000 members in our group, and each member undoubtedly has organizations that are "near and dear to their heart" (like their kids' schools, or their church, or their favorite charity, etc). Our FYI postings will help to get the word out about a special event or a special service that a non-profit organization is offering to the community.

Members of our group may make no more that one FYI post every 7 days to announce upcoming events for a NON-PROFIT organization. The FYI post must include the name of the non-profit organization which will benefit from the event. FYI postings are permitted even if the event is for fund-raising purposes, provided that 100% of the proceeds are going to the non-profit organization.  FYI postings promoting raffles are not permitted.

An FYI posting is NOT a way that a business can get around our "no advertising" policies.  An event being held at a business that is raising funds intended to offset their costs for donated products or services is considered to be advertising for that business and is NOT acceptable as an FYI post. However, if the funds raised go directly to a non-profit organization, and the business is simply allowing the event to be hosted on their premises, then an FYI post is appropriate and may mention the name of that business.

These Policies And Posting Rules Are Subject To Change

The ownership of the ReadingFreecycle group reserves the right to change these policies, rules and posting formats at any time, for any reason, and without prior notice (see WHY WE NEED THESE POLICIES above).  Many of our policies were originally suggested by members, or the membership was "polled" for their opinion on an issue, and we welcome and will carefully consider any constructive criticism, suggestions and recommendations from our members.

We know that it is impossible for ALL of our members to ALWAYS be in TOTAL agreement with ALL of our policies and rules - this is much too large a group to expect a unanimous opinion on anything.  When a member strongly disagrees with a policy, that member must make a choice: either cheerfully and maturely (1) "agree to disagree" with our policies and posting rules, or (2) leave the group.

One Strike And You're Out - Behave Or Be Gone!

The vast majority of our members are decent, honest, friendly, polite, courteous and cooperative, and we believe that this vast majority expects the group's ownership to keep out, remove, boot or ban any member who is NOT decent, honest, friendly, polite, courteous and cooperative.  Therefore, the ownership of the Reading Freecycle group reserves the right to remove any member from the group, at any time, for any reason, without discussion, warning, or any prior notice.

Any member who uses profanity or engages in argumentative, deceitful, deceptive, insulting or otherwise offensive behavior, risks being classified as an "undesirable" member, and their membership in the group may be immediately revoked.

Any member whose email address or whose Yahoo "handle or profile" is in any way offensive or includes profanity, either in actual spelling or in pronunciation, risks being classified as an "undesirable" member, and their membership in the group may be immediately revoked.

Some Freecycle groups have a "Three strikes and you're out" policy, but our policy is "One strike and you're out."  We don't have the time or energy to keep track of "strikes" or issue warnings, etc, and we will not tolerate crude or rude or anti-social behavior.  Behave or be gone!

Decisions By The Ownership Are Final

In any dispute or disagreement regarding the rules and policies of the ReadingFreecycle group, such as determining if a posting is appropriate or eligible for this group, or if a particular policy should be changed, or if someone's membership in the group should be revoked, the decisions of the group's ownership is final.  There is no "higher authority" to which any decision can be appealed.

As stated above in the "These Policies and Posting Rules Are Subject To Change" section, if a member strongly disagrees with a policy, rule or decision by the group's ownership, that member must make a choice: either (1) cheerfully and maturely "agree to disagree" with the group's ownership or (2) leave the group. 

Disclaimer: Freecycle 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 nor moderators nor anyone affiliated with www.Freecycle.org responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a Freecycle-related exchange or communication.

Our Email Address For Questions, Comments, Suggestions, Ideas, Etc

Here is the email address for the ownership of the Reading Freecycle group -  we appreciate any comments or constructive feedback you send us.  It's OK to disagree with us about anything, but please keep it friendly!

readingfreecycle@gmail.com