An open invitation to The Freecycle Network to speak

I have just been contacted by a TFN Imod who says they are not allowed to talk on behalf of TFN and that any issues must be addressed by the relevant GOA. Well, I remember when trying to get some answers to my questions that my GOA was sick. ‘Twas very sad that there was no fallback cover for a GOA who was ill, perhaps some timely feedback might have obviated the need for this blog.

If I remember correctly I had asked TFN to distance itself from the AstroTurf equivalent of the group of which I was a moderator. All I asked was for TFN to state that they had nothing to do with delisting and AstroTurf. The ensuing silence spoke and speaks volumes to me.

Anyway if this blog is nothing else it is about free and open speech. Therefore dear The Freecycle Network, if you wish to speak to any of the points raised in this blog then the floor is yours. Any points you wish to make will go totally uncensored and unmoderated.

Please tell us that this entire blog is completely wrong. Please tell us that all of what is written here is even lies and damnation. I can guarantee that all I want is for TFN to be and act honourably, for it to build a sense of trust and integrity.

Who, from TFN will speak to those words?

Official announcement from the Reuse It Network…

Check out a notice from ImodUncensored group where there is an announcement about the Reuse It Network’s launch. The full notice we are proud to provide without fear of intimidation…

ReuseIt Network Launched July 18, 2007
July 18, 2007 marked the launch of a new website: www.reuseitnetwork.org. It is the result of a collaborative effort by former Freecycle volunteers. We join with others around the world who are taking steps to impact the rapid changes to our environment. It has taken generations to bring us to this point, and there will be no quick fix.

About the ReUseIt Network: The mission of The ReUseIt Network is to reduce the human footprint on the Earth by promoting conservation of resources and providing an opportunity for individuals and communities to take action.

The ReUseIt Network is committed to the principle of CONSERVATION: We believe in reducing the waste of land, water, energy, and fossil fuels in an effort to preserve resources, while fostering sustainable development.

The ReUseIt Network is committed to the principle of EDUCATION: We believe in providing useful, accessible, relevant information to encourage knowledge of environmental and ecological issues, at home and abroad.

The ReUseIt Network is committed to the principle of ACCOUNTABILITY: We believe in active participation in recycling and reusing resources, whether they are natural or man-made.

The ReUseIt Network is committed to the principle of COMMUNITY: We believe in helping others help themselves by providing a forum for communication and discussion of local and global issues.

A point of clarification…

Some groups have told me they are getting positive help from their GOA regarding trademark compliance. It is always good to get support, and I am glad to hear about. Of course it would help more if GOAs actually spent more time asking groups how they can help them rather than acting like a policeman.

Apparently there is a point at which this “help” stops. That is when you are sent a Cease and Desist email or letter. From that moment on your GOA is forbidden to talk to you on any subject whatsoever, and it is downhill skiing all the way.

So if you have not been sent a Cease and Desist then you should be okay for now and any purge will not affect you.
(Of course, there has been a problem of email communication from TFN. When they want to approve a new member of OIDG or a modsquad they seem to have problems getting a response. This was the case when I applied, and I know of many others who have had problems being approved. The main excuse is that it is owner’s fault for not responding… Well if they have problems communicating when trying to do something positive like modsquad or OIDG approvals, then I guess similar issues may face them when sending out Cease and Desist.)

Sharing is Giving

Sharing is Giving is another umbrella group your group can affiliate to.

If you know of any other websites that list groups in this gifting economy (oh, isn’t jargon lovely) then do let me know and I can add them to my blogroll links.

Taking the money and running…

I was asked today by someone who wants to remain anonymous why TFN styled groups often state on their home or about pages that they are not a non-profit organisation.

Although a surprising statement it really is meant to say that. The simple answer being to put very clear distance between that group/organisation and The Freecycle Network’s approach. That’s the short answer…

The background in this is that The Freecycle Network established itself as a non-profit and accepted donations. Now in many ways that makes sense because it means you are better off tax-wise and you are establishing yourself in the non-profit sector. And if especially you are going to get donations then you think you need to think about that.

The downside is that you are making a “business” out of what you are doing. It means that you need to consider where your donations came from and if they come with any agenda or caveats.

And here is where The Freecycle Network seems to have moved into tricky territory. Ever since they have acted like a business, which is possibly fine if they limited it to themselves. But they act totally privately, not releasing any financials even though as a non-profit they are supposed to by law, at least that is my understanding.

But they have then acted as if each group and each member belonged to them, as if each group was part of that business. They have acted as if each group’s moderator signed up to become a volunteer to further The Freecycle Network’s aims.

Now this is subtle. Yes we all accord with reducing landfill and gifting to the local community but does that mean we sign up to what The Freecycle Network has become. Well if it limited itself to that agenda, fine.

But did we sign up for a campaign to send Cease and Desist letters out? Did we sign up to promote a political agenda on the UK Climate Change bill? Did we sign up to an organisation that could if its non-profit status was revoked, close itself down and then sell company name, its domain name, its trademarks and other assets for a value in the $bil region, and then go off and live in the sun on those funds?

Did we sign up to an organisation that instructs “do as we say, not as we do?” Did we sign up to something where we had no say and no influence? Did we sign up to an organisation that acts unilaterally in any direction it feels? Did we sign up to an organisation that prohibits free speech?

Did we sign up to an organisation that would infiltrate our groups under aliases to watch what was going on. Did we sign up to abuse of ids such as ErsatzFriend?

And who are the “we” that did all this signing. Is it the group owners, the moderators, only ones registered on the modsquads or is it the wider membership? Or is it limited to the GOAs, NGAs, IMODs and other elevated moderators?

And what if an owner of a group is not trademark compliant, what then? If they are a bad group then they cannot per se be a proper part of this happy band. Go further and what happens if a group totally disassociates itself from freecycle by removing all logos, trademarks and renames the group, with or without a poll, what then? And if we are deemed to be not trademark compliant when exactly did we sign up to a one-way ticket to delisting and AstroTurf?

I mean suppose TFN wanted to be totally democratic and ran an EGM to which everyone was invited with free transport (globally) in some gigantic hotel. Would it invite disaffected groups? Would it invite groups that were not totally trademark compliant? Who exactly would get a vote? And what voting system would be in place?

These are all issues that The Freecycle Network goes in its own merry way doing its own thing and trampling all over groups as they see fit. No, they are not owned by Yahoo, but yes they have absolutely gone to Yahoo and told them when they think groups are breaking Yahoo terms and conditions, which at one point clearly included having “freecycle” in the name and yet not being a TFN trademark compliant group. And to such groups TFN instructed Yahoo to delete the groups, which Yahoo did, instantly. These days TFN has a harder life getting groups deleted (because the trademark claim is contentious at best, I think), perhaps, but it still tries.

The bottom line is there is no charter of affiliation between any member or any group and The Freecycle Network, just some words on a home page that can change in an instant. Without that charter the only thing left is trust, a relationship built on trust. And trust to be effective must be mutual respect.

So umbrella organisations disassociate themselves from The Freecycle Network’s stance because they want none of it. If the money that comes in donations means that you seem to be focusing on the dollar rather than supporting your grassroots movement then it is a sad, no it is worse, it is a bad day.

Welcome to the Reuse It Network

The Reuse It Network is now running and is welcoming groups.