Problems with FreeCycle? Issues with FreeCycle Moderators? You’re Not Alone. 5/2/2006 - 2,956 views, 37 Comments
|
Previous Article « Blue Frog “Do Not Spam” Email List Stolen and Spammed
Read Next Article » An Open Letter from an Email Sender Whose Email Was Blocked and Spam Filtered
Note: If you’ve been disaffected by FreeCycle or their moderators, check out the discussions at IHateFreeCycle.com! I used to be a huge fan of FreeCycle. And I still love the concept - what a great use of the Internet! For those not familiar with FreeCycle, it’s a program that was started in Tucson, Arizona by Deron Beal. Deron was, and probably still is, a huge fan and proponent of recycling. So Deron Beal had this great idea: let’s use the Internet as a way of getting together people who have stuff they don’t want anymore and people who want that stuff. The ultimate in recycling things so that they don’t end up in the dump, as landfill, and instead end up being used by someone who needs them. Like I said, a great idea. So Deron Beal founded FreeCycle, and it caught on like wildfire. From that first effort in Tucson, FreeCycle groups have sprung up around the country and around the world, with the current number of FreeCycling groups at over 3,500, and the current number of members over 2million. These groups are run through region-based mailing lists, with people posting things they have to give away, and others posting things that they need. Many of the lists are run through Yahoo Groups. And most, if not all, of the lists have moderators. And therein lies the rub. Because while it may be that all of the moderators started out taking on this task for a love of the earth, recycling and their fellow man, many (not all, but many) have come to treat their local FreeCycle group as their own personal fiefdom, and oh, what control freaks they are. Recycling with organizations such as FreeCycle is supposed to be a positive experience. Everybody involved is (presumably) doing something for a good reason, and for a good cause. (Cf. CansForCritters.com) But just as customer service reps make a company’s reputation (and shape a customer’s experience), so do the moderators at FreeCycle influence FreeCycle’s image, and shape the recycler’s experience. Here is a case in point. There is a moderator in the San Jose FreeCycle group - let’s call him “Tom” (because, hey, that’s his name). I personally have given away lots of things through FreeCycle, and have occasionally posted a “wanted” post as well. Such was the case earlier this week, when, due to some health issues, and an attendant change in eating style, I posted looking for an Excalibur food dehydrator (or comparable dehydrator) and a VitaMix or comparable blender. Following generally accepted Internet etiquette, I posted one post with both items, rather than posting two separate posts and clogging up everyone’s inbox with two emails when one email would do. In my post I also explained why I was looking for these items - which are rather high end items - so folks would understand why I was asking for them. My message was not approved, and I got back this response from the moderator, whose username was “playgroundsuper@yahoo.com” (that right there should have told me something): “You are allowed to ask for ONE item and we ask that you simply ask for the one item with no long reason why. This keeps the list objective. please review the policies of freecycle. Just ask for either one, only one, not to be repeated for one month.” Now, I have asked for more than one item at once before..lots of people do. But apparently playgroundsuper and the folks in San Jose FreeCycle don’t like that. Also, this rejection can be read a couple of ways - either ask for one item per email and keep it short (which is consistent with the “no long reason why”), or you may only ask at all for one item in a given month. Well, I’ve been using FreeCycle long enough to know that the latter made no sense, and besides, that would just be ridiculous. So I gamely reposted a request for each item separately, keeping it very short (so short that to me it seemed rude, but if that’s what they wanted…). And…I got back this reply from playgroundsuper (mind you, they did not sign their notes with a name, so that’s all I knew to call them), rejecting my Excalibur dehydrator request (and making no mention of the VitaMix request, which I therefore assumed had gone through). The post she had rejected was for an “Excalibur or comparable dehydrator”: “My message strictly said pick ONE item. Wanted posts are for ONE item at a time. And the requested item cannot be repeated for a month.” Ok, now, WTF? I had done exactly what she had demanded - I had posted just one item in my post. (I say “she” because by this point I was sure that I was dealing with some frustrated housewife, given both the “playgroundsuper”, and the fact that she was such a complete bitch). “One item at a time” means, well, just that - one item at a time. And the “And the requested item cannot be repeated for a month” only reinforced that. After all, if you could only post one request per month at all, you wouldn’t then say “And the requested item cannot be repeated for a month,”, you’d say “And you cannot post any other wanted request for a month”. [Yes, I’m being a lawyer, hey, language construction is my job.] Anyways, clearly a reasonable reading of all this was that you can only post one item per post, and you can not repeat a given request within a month. At this point, despite her bitchiness, I decided to try and play nice - it’s worth it once in awhile to rub elbows with the hoi polloi after all. So I wrote back very politely: “That was one item! I’m confused? I’m trying to comply with your request, but what did I do wrong?” Came the instant answer: “When I originally rejected your post I asked that you pick ONE item and post, not to post them in separate messages.”‘ Umm..no, you didn’t..you told me “You are allowed to ask for ONE item and we ask that you simply ask for the one item with no long reason why.” Given that most of FreeCycle has no problem with people asking for several things, the interpretation was certainly reasonable. Ok, so now I figured I was dealing with not only a frustrated housewife bitch, but one who did not really have a clear grasp about how to write effectively. Clearly this poor underachiever, for whom FreeCycle moderatorship was probably her own domain of power, needed me to be polite and understanding not withstanding her own poor attitude. Given her problem with the language, and given that the Excalibur post was the one at issue, I deduced that perhaps “Excalibur or comparable” was violating the “not two items” rule - or maybe she thought I was asking for a sword and a dehydrator, so I wrote back: “I’m trying to figure this out…maybe you didn’t realize that an Excalibur is a certain style of dehydrator, so I was saying we needed one or one like it? Kind of like saying “I need a rain coat or a similar kind of coat”. Is that not ok?” And playgroundsuper wrote back: “You posted for two items. A dehydrter AND a vitamix. You cannot post for two wanteds. Please see the other message I sent. And yes I know what that item is, in fact I know what both of them are. It is a matter of posting for two separate wanteds, whether they are in the same post or in two posts. One wanted post, one item. ” Ok, now I see. Despite how ridiculous it may seem, it really is the case that you can only ask for one item per month (why she couldn’t have made it easy and said “one item per month” at the outset was beyond me - perhaps that sort of straight-forward language hadn’t, oh, maybe, occurred to her). [Note that all of the quotes from playgroundsuper are exactly as they came to me - typo and grammar and all.] Still biting my tongue - it’s not fair to hold someone’s handicaps against them after all - I responded with what I thought was a perfectly reasonable response and request - what do you think?: “Ok, sorry, that wasn’t clear from your first message; it sounded like you couldn’t put more than one request per message. Does this mean that you approved the VitaMix, but rejected the dehydrator?” ..because Lord knows that at this point I sure didn’t want to post any more requests if she’d in fact put the VitaMix request through! Replied playgroundsuper@yahoo.com: “It means pick one to post. No I did not approve either one. I need to make sure a member undestands.” Got that? She needs to make sure that a member understands. Ok, that’s when I lost it. And when I knew that I was going to write this post. So the point is not actually to help out, but to beat someone into submission. You bitch. But first I had to play this out to its natural conclusion. “Yep, I understand now. Is there a way for me to delete the dehydrator post, so that the VitaMix one can go through? Sorry to have made your job a bit harder; I know you have thousands of members with which to deal.” (Oh, how hard it was to write that reply!) Came her answer: “Neither of your posts went to the board. Neither one so nothing needs to be removed. And if one had been approved you could not post the other one. Only one item for a wanted. I’m off to get some sleep now. I have an early day. You want to pick your item, let me know tomorrow so I can take care of it. It’s been a long long day. I’m deep in work, legal issues, helping a non-profit set up, finishing a security evaluation and moderating and I need a break. Just call it a night and let me know tomorrow. I need some sleep, please. Take time to decide what you want to post and let me know in the mroning.” Ok, now I was stunned. This was no frustrated housewife, but someone who works in the legal industry. MY industry. This was one of those 97% who give the other 3% of us a bad name. She wasn’t just a bitch, she was a power-tripping bitch from my hood. I responded to her gripes about her legal work, still being very polite, and trying to joke her out of her perpetually bad attitude while letting her know that she was not dealing with some - hmmm - frustrated housewife, but with one of her own: “Well, that explains the tone; I should have recognized it, and at least now I can drop my own unnaturally conciliatory tone (grin). Have some good sleep.” ..and then I signed my full name and title (which she had not had up until that point). It should have ended there. She should have at least been polite, or provided some professional courtesy, or something, but no… “Ms. Mitchell, I sent you a short reminder of SJFC policies and I trust you will refer to that in the future. That is basically a shortened version of the welcome letter sent to each member when they join, and you have been a member since early 2005. As you can see if you review the short guide I sent, they are clear and simple. The rules of FC are what we agree to in order to be part of the network and they are also something members agree to follow when they join the lists. Tom Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I was wrong. playgroundsuper@yahoo.com was not a frustrated housewife cum mega bitch. She was a he - a frustrated person working in some legal job (I can only hope he is not a lawyer). But still a mega bitch. So, am I going to refer to the SJFC policies to which Tom “trusts I will refer”? Heck no, I’m going to refer to the above exchange, and never deal with San Jose FreeCycle again. Since this exchange I have learned that a lot of people have had problem with FreeCycle moderators - not just Tom at San Jose FreeCycle, although to be sure plenty have had problems there too - but in other FreeCycle groups too. There is apparently something about FreeCycle moderatorship which either creates or attracts control-freaks. And the problem is not just limited to the local group moderators. It seems that the FreeCycle mothership itself, and its Deron Beal, have some issues. In fact there is a website, GreenRibbon.us, devoted to making public the dirty laundry of a lawsuit filed by FreeCycle against some of their former groups. There is also IHateFreeCycle.com, a new discussion board site to give people a place to vent their frustration about what has happened to something which was once..such a very good idea. But wait! There’s more! Editor’s update: Tom from San Jose FreeCycle just emailed me. Apparently somebody pointed him to this posting. In his email he said that he had known all along that I was a lawyer, and that he had looked me up because he was “trying to understand why someone who graduated from Law School and was a Professor could not understand something so simple.” And then he goes on to say, and I kid you not: “And I never said you could only post one wanted a month, just that you cannot repeat the SAME wanted for a month.” Ok, Tom, you said: “You posted for two items. A dehydrter AND a vitamix. You cannot post for two wanteds. Please see the other message I sent. And yes I know what that item is, in fact I know what both of them are. It is a matter of posting for two separate wanteds, whether they are in the same post or in two posts. One wanted post, one item. ” And then you said “Neither of your posts went to the board. Neither one so nothing needs to be removed. And if one had been approved you could not post the other one. Only one item for a wanted.” How, please, does that translate to “And I never said you could only post one wanted a month, just that you cannot repeat the SAME wanted for a month.”? P.S. I got my dehydrator and my VitaMix. [Note: If you’ve been disaffected by FreeCycle or their moderators, check out the discussions at IHateFreeCycle.com!]
Moderator
Sanjosefreecycle”
|
|
Email the link for this page to a friend! |
Read more:
» AllTopix.com Attempts to Step Into the Breach Left by the Closure of Yahoo Chats to Teens
» Our Readers Comment on the Windows KB891711 Update Crashing Problem
» Many Vista Crashes Caused by 3rd Party Drivers such as Nvidia Driver
For additional similar stories check out our archives on Reviews
Oh you want to read more than just surf our url and you will find out just how freecycle really operates http://freecycled.blogspot.com
Comment by freecycled — 5/2/2006 @ 8:56 pm
When you refer to someone as a “housewife bitch” you instantly brand yourself as well. I’m a mod. I work hard,long, and free to keep our board free of spam, multiple requests, and editorial comments.
You might want to look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on your own little gripes.
Comment by celia — 5/2/2006 @ 9:54 pm
Too bad you didn’t have one of our residential waste exchanges in your neighbourhood.
Rules are clearly posted, and there’s no limit on the number of items you can post or ask for. That’s because we run on real software, not on Yahoo Groups software adapted to the purpose of a waste exchange.
Have a look at http://www.2good2toss.com or http://www.madisonstuffexchange.com or http://www.surreyreuses.com to see the system working.
Almost 30,000 people using the system with few complaints can’t be wrong.
:-)
Comment by Norm Ruttan — 5/3/2006 @ 4:40 am
Thanks for that very amusing article.
For those frustrated with Freecycle, there is also FreeSharing.org which lists over 450 independent Free Recycling groups.
The problem of ‘Feifdom’ that you describe has been resoloved by allowing multiple groups per area so if one mod turns into a tyrant, any member of the group can form a new group and share equall billing in the directory. Freecycle currently enforces a ‘one group per area’ policy which unfortunately encourages some mods to act like Tom.
Best Regards,
Eric Burke
http://FreeSharing.org
http://GreenRibbon.us
Comment by Eric Burke — 5/3/2006 @ 6:23 am
There was a young girl from Madras
Who had a magnificent ass,
Not rounded and pink
As you possibly think,
It was gray, had long ears, and ate grass.
I wonder if she named it Tom.
Comment by EDWARD SCHWARZMANN — 5/3/2006 @ 1:35 pm
What do their list guidelines say about wanted posts?
If it is stated there, you are responsible for reading and following them. If not, he has no business making up rules that aren’t publicly posted.
Comment by bill keiser — 5/3/2006 @ 2:06 pm
Also, asking for a Vitamix, a heavy duty blender that normally sells for over $300 would be considered extravagant on many lists. Asking for expensive items is a waste of time and tends to strike many members as greedy.
Comment by bill keiser — 5/3/2006 @ 3:02 pm
Sorry, I’ve looked at some of the other sites you posted, and you seem to just be a bunch of malcontents. I’ve been active on 3 different freecyles. They each have slightly different rules, and varying levels of enforcement. Yours seem to be the strictest I’ve seen for WANTED posts, but that may just be due to the part of the country you’re in.
Comment by Roger — 5/3/2006 @ 3:34 pm
I have just find out an alternative in I-recycle. Based in the UK, it is an alternative re-giving group that aim to not use yahoo!groups to be in a better position to evolve in line with community requirements.
Try it at http://irecycle.conceptuel.co.uk
Comment by Guy Secretan — 5/4/2006 @ 8:28 am
Unfortunately I just went through something similar to what the first poster experienced — over a request for WINDCHIMES, of all stupid things. The mods “opinion” was that I was making an extravagant request. Thats funny, I gave away a SWINGSET in response to a WANT post. Arbitrary at best. Spiteful at worst. On a previous occasion, when I politely asked this particular mod to take care not to CHANGE THE MEANING of my posts by editing (another incessant annoyance on this particular list) I received an IRATE PHONE CALL. Can we say obsessive control freak?
Comment by Sandy — 5/6/2006 @ 6:46 am
Craigslist. ‘Nuff said!
Comment by ronan hyde — 5/8/2006 @ 8:39 am
Obviously strict moderation leads to frustrated users. Good thing is that there are alternatives to freecycle emerging.
Check out http://www.favorville.com. This community is much more open and member friendly.
Here’s another example of frustration w/freecycle
http://technomom.livejournal.com/831529.html
Comment by Roger — 5/12/2006 @ 5:12 am
I actually experienced the same thing from the same moderator - except that I specifically asked if I could re-post ONE of the items, or even if he would EDIT the post to have one item, and he absolutely refused, effectively banning me from the group being useful for a month.
How discouraging :(
Comment by Tom — 5/13/2006 @ 2:56 pm
In the Suburban Maryland area outside of Wash.DC, we have a direct violation of the freecycle rules which states:
http://www.freecycle.org/manual/moderator_dos.htm
“Being an owner of more than one group is not allowed.”
There are 3 seperate Freecycle lists which are owned by the same woman (Susanne Brunhart-Wiggins) and heavy handedly moderated by the same moderator (Max Handelsman)- who also “owns” one of the local lists.
Handelsman has recently been reported to Gmail for “phishing” (seeking email addresses!)
This duo bans and places members on moderation for the slightest errors they might make.
Again their actions are in direct violation of the FC Moderator manaul: ” DON’T BE A DICTATOR. If we mods act like dictators, we can only lose. mods act like dictators, we can only lose.”
Comment by woody — 7/15/2006 @ 8:23 am
Please feel free to help test out GigoIt.org.
Comment by GigoIt — 8/2/2006 @ 1:30 am
I think you need to take some prozac and chill out. For one, not all groups operate the way you are making it sound like. Without mods these groups would just turn into one huge orgy fest of a mess! Get a grip, get a life and deal with it.
Comment by Freecycle Mod — 10/17/2006 @ 6:24 am
LOL, I was just banned from the San Jose Group for the exact same reason- Putting two wanteds in one post. Well now, when I posted two OFFER posts in one day I was reprimanded for clogging up the list, so when I wanted these two items, I thought that it only made sense to put them both in one post. One was a basket and the other was some stuffing for the basket. Well apparently, it made no difference that I had given away over 100 items in the last month, those 100 items were not a fair trade for the two paltry little things that I wanted. Are the items that I give away crap, well, I don’t know, a complete wooden train set with over 60 tracks & trains plus a wooden train table doesn’t seem too crappy to me. Nor does a Little Tykes play kitchen (retail over $100)seem like crap. How about the giant boxes of children’s clothing, strollers, car seats, or the DVD player? hmmmm. Well, now I am completely disgusted with Tom and his crappy list. I have met soooo many people that hate him. So, know that we are not alone.
Comment by Lynn — 1/18/2007 @ 11:24 pm
I was also just banned from the San Jose Freecycle group because I asked for building supplies for a nonprofit group to build safe feral cat enclosures for cats living on the streets. Playgroundsuper is an asshole.
Comment by Tarrycats — 2/3/2007 @ 3:52 pm
I was just banned by San Jose Freecycle group for 1) asked for bicycle 2) asked for working laptop, and 3) made the dumb mistake of identifying myself as a homeless student. Kinda’ defeats the whole purpose. Playgroundsuper is an asshole.
Comment by dragonfly99 — 2/3/2007 @ 4:35 pm
I have had problems with SJfreecycle and PlaygroundSuper… first, I just want to say that it would be helpful if all freecycle groups would follow the SAME rules. My posts don’t get approved when I’m crossposting to sj and Campbell, and I’m not allowed to post “PROMISED”, in turn, I get tons of e-mails asking for items I’m making arrangements to be picked up….
It is really annoying, and playgroundsuper keeps telling me to read the rules, when I have tired to clearly point out that I’m visually impaired and sitting and reading a bunch of RULES isn’t that easy. So then he (it?) told me that posting on Campbell would be better, and pointed out that everyone is everywhere anyway. Not necessarily the case. Since I don’t drive, it would be beneficial for me maybe to post in ONE AREA if I was LOOKING for something… So I am debating wether or not to drop my sj subscription. They told me to post on campbell but I can stay on sj just not post on san jose……
Comment by Diane Wetzel — 3/6/2007 @ 4:48 pm
Rather then frustrate oneself by arguing with someone unreasonable request a mediator at info@freecycle.org to handle the situation for you.
Comment by freecyclemod — 3/10/2007 @ 1:50 pm
Beautifully written. The Freecycle in my area (65802) operates by manipulation and by a seemingly fascist system of making members who accidentally post incorrectly feel like political outcasts. They do it by pitting other members (who are no doubt in fear that they’ll screw up and be ousted) against anyone who stands up and complains against the system.
Comment by Mark — 4/9/2007 @ 11:41 am
Oh, and notice how it’s only the mods who are coming in defense of Freecycle?
Comment by Mark — 4/9/2007 @ 11:43 am
Hello, Mark. I am in 65803 and I agree that the local Freecycle list is awful. How I wish there were an alternative.
Comment by Free Person — 4/21/2007 @ 5:57 pm
A mediator from Freecycle? HA!! that is the biggest joke of all. My ex-wife (a complete control freak if ever there was one!) is the “moderator” of the group I was on. Guess what? She got pissed and banned me for no reason. The response from Freecycle? “Sorry, the moderators are independent and have ultimate control over who is on their lists.”
talk about stupid. Freecycle ‘approves’ the lists, but then has NO control over the nut-jobs that end up running them.
I had been a freecycler (in San Jose, no less) since 2005 until I relocated and had this experience.
One bad Mod can, indeed, spoil the whole thing.
Comment by david — 5/21/2007 @ 2:35 pm
Part of the problem is that The Freecycle Network runs a “two strikes and you are out” policy which means that it is very easy to run foul and gives a license to moderators to get rid of you.
The other part is that there is no complaints process in The Freecycle Network. If there had been one you could have used it and if others complained then the said moderator might not be running the group now.
Comment by andyswarbs — 10/8/2007 @ 1:11 pm
People who are disillusioned with FreeCycle should check out http://www.freeswapper.org. I believe FreeSwapper is what FreeCycle should have been. In fact, I wrote Deron back a few years ago about taking FreeCycle to the next level and making it a real website to eliminate the pain. He wasn’t interested. I went ahead with the site anyway.
http://www.freeswapper.org
Comment by Chris Adler — 10/24/2007 @ 12:41 pm
I must thank everybody for info on other groups like freecyling. I’m totally turned off my group after receiving this message from a moderator:
“Wish lists such as this are strictly prohibited and you are being placed back on moderation. We’ve never seen an offer from you and will expect your next post to be an offer.
My wish list- new carpet left-overs as narrow a 9 inches, Wood and styrofoam, any size. I basicly asked for garbage! Nobody would think anybody would want this stuff but
I do. Some have lost sight that the point is to keep things out of the landfill and common sense should be used. She also told me to review the rules and there is nothing in there about being put on “moderation”.
Hopefully I can find another group.
Comment by L Pjak — 11/18/2007 @ 4:41 pm
I HATE Freecycle. I love the idea behind it. In the Westminster MD one, the group owner Patricia Lawrence, well, we call her the Freecycle Nazi. She is so petty and the biggest control freak I have ever met. She is the reason I decided to start my own website, MarylandFreeTrade and WestminsterFreeTrade to help people without being harrassed.
Comment by Jeni Williams — 1/1/2008 @ 5:30 pm
I’ve been a member in several different Freecycle groups and have found that while they all vary on some of the smaller, piddly rules, they tend to be very consistent with the “big picture” stuff.
If I goof and do something disallowed by a group…well, it’s really my own fault for either forgetting or not reading that specific group’s rules. Some allow 3 WANTEDs per week, some only one per month. But if I’m going to use different groups, it’s my responsibility to know their rules, not for them to change to what I think they should do.
I certainly don’t think mods should be arbitrarily inventing rules on the spot, but it also isn’t their fault if you don’t read easily found information.
Maybe they could improve some of the issues by making all their rules mandatory instead of leaving some up to each mods discretion?
Comment by Bob — 1/6/2008 @ 8:40 pm
maybe people should folow rules but they certainly should not be insulted and demeaned for missing one.
I tried to post something. I read it 3 times with screaming kids in the room. So I could have missed one. But this Karen woman came back at me with a million backtalking emails. Basically they all stated how stupid I was that i could not find the rule i was breaking. She insulted my charachter by assuming i was going to pocket money from donated items. When I in reality was looking for donations to sell for 100% proceed to dying children(really, this is what i do). In return to her knowing this she then told me i was manipulating the freecycle members into supporting my fudraiser. Basically she spent 2 hours of insulting me by email and yet could not take 2 minutes to answer my question as to what i was doing wrong. Then put put a cherry on top she revoked my membership. Never seen anything so unproffesional in my life!
And it all started because i thought freecycle was a great idea. And once I asked for help i was answered with a don’t waste my time attitude.
Comment by jaime — 1/16/2008 @ 1:18 pm
I just got booted off of the freecycle group in Barrie and was told to not try and come back. Such grave offenses as using all caps on one or two occasions in the subject line and blatantly leaving out my location in the city the final straw that got me banned for life, from the moderator
“I sent out an Admin Notice Yesterday, asking please, we need to know what your doing with your item, you today, send this “IN OUR SUBJECT LINE. “”"taken ppu Offer: pair of tickets to the Bridal Show in Alliston Sunday”"”.
Comment by Alan Amon — 3/1/2008 @ 11:14 am
accidentally gave away another mods entire household goods with a pick up ad that was not correct.
Complaints about wanting to put out “on the curb take what you want” ads (when you are giving away tons of misc. plants pulled out of the ground, that’s the only way to do it!), gripes about wanting us to wait 24 hours to give to charities first (micro managing is fine for your hamster cage, not 20,000 members!) and bitches about damned near every single post some made while ignoring blatant problems with others…
I wrote Freecycle owners, and joined other local cities instead, where the whiney 20 somethings who think they are allowed to be such bitches cause they got the freecycle name first are more mature, responsible, and not nearly as overbearing. I find it amazing that 99% of the freecycle sites have NO problems at all, yet the SJ freecyclers act like everyone else on the planet must be at fault and not them.
I do wish they would join the Peace Corps and go do good elsewhere– all they are doing here in town in blackening the name Freecycle for the SJ bunch
Oh- The Campbell people? WONDERFUL list.
Comment by sharon — 3/9/2008 @ 4:24 pm
Well the first part of THAT reply got cut off (my fault).. I was saying that I agree with the SJ Freecycle issue– control freaks with no patience and lots of power issues, demanding that the thousands of members wait while they review every post so that they can control the list to their satisfaction rather than implimenting a yahoo group where neighbors can trade stuff and clean out their homes. They are outrageous power hungry twerps. I do hope that each of them someday gets what they deserve– misery at a job under the power of a micromanaging boss who hates their every breath.
Comment by sharon — 3/9/2008 @ 4:30 pm
The sexism in your post is just idiotic. Stop it. Surely, you are bright enough to formulate the sentences necessary to communicate the essence of how stupid Tom is without resorting to tired and insulting gender slams.
Having said that, I agree that your local Freecycle moderator is an assclown. But, not as much of assclown (apparently) as the Oakland moderator who simply decided to blow up our list with no notice.
Comment by Floozie — 3/30/2008 @ 7:32 pm
Instead of talking about it here, why didn’t you go to Freecycle.org and take up your concerns about the moderator you had trouble with. All you had to do was send complete headers and forward the emails you found offensive. If these events really did take place, you would have been able to get alot further than wasting your time griping about it. Ya know. All Freecycle moderators aren’t bad, mine aren’t, they’re great.
Comment by Delilah — 5/3/2008 @ 7:43 pm
Anytime you have trouble with your moderator, you can go to http://www.freecycle.org and click on FAQ or email info@freecycle.org
Comment by Delilah — 5/8/2008 @ 11:23 am