FreeRRRs

Freecycling, freeregiving freereusing

TFN goes prospecting

Very recently the Des Moines group decided that its disillusionment with The Freecycle Network had gone a step too far, and so they have broken away. It hasn’t take long for TFN to create an AstroTurf group. As I look the new group has just 94 members. A long way to go to catch up with the real Des Moines group which has over 6,000 and which has now affiliated itself with the free-thinking ReUseit Network!

February 6, 2008 - Posted by andyswarbs | freecycle | | 4 Comments

4 Comments »

  1. I recently took the decision to unsubscribe from all of the modsquad type groups that I was a member of.

    This was partly because I have other priorities looming which take precedence, but also because it was clear to me that my view of the best strategic direction for freecycle in the UK was not shared by those making the decisions - and that they weren’t about to debate it.

    As far as I’m aware, none of my co-owners/moderators are members of those groups either, so I guess we’ll remain blissfully unaware of any ‘developments’ or ‘progress’, and we’ll just carry on doing what we set out to do from the beginning - providing a free community forum for people to pass on their unwanted stuff.

    I’m sure that the members of the groups I’ve left are as relieved at the decision as I am!

    Martin
    Ipswich
    UK

    Comment by Martin Pike | February 7, 2008

  2. I’m one who helped mod the Des Moines group for a while in the early days. Now I’m part of the ReUseIt group. I’m as pleased as can be that control of the group is back in the groups hands.

    Comment by Dean in Des Moines | February 8, 2008

  3. I am the actual original owner of the Des Moines FC group.. We were the biggest FC group in the statem BTW… I gave them my heart and soul the early days when they were still grassroots. From owner to NGA to database help..etc. Not anymore. not by a mile.,. When my Co Moderator Scott brought all the OMG stuff to my attention how FC works in the background. the data mining, the spys on every large group, the money issues,the lawsuits, I was flabbergasted. Took me a week to think about it and pulled the entire group over to ReUseIt. Ohh there was some people crying foul.. well. I don’t make the Yahoo group rules.. The owners of the group can do what they want with their own group. It was in FC name only.. thats all. So heck.. why not?? So we did it. I have to admit was a wreck that day.. I was so afraid would lose our members in droves. Happily to report that only a handful actually left.

    Oh the bliss.. No more org rule.. no more GOA to deal with, no more TM crap, rules how the members want them.. not as how org wants us to do them.. More and more I read on the web about FC.. the more and more I wholeheartedly believe we did the right thing.

    Just sent my local press release out.. gonna sit back and watch us grow!

    Comment by Jane | February 21, 2008

  4. I think Jane has a very good point when she says “rules how the members want them”. Recycling is by it’s nature a local activity and it makes sense for local groups to be run, for the large part, locally by it’s members who will understand the needs and culture of the local area.

    Comment by Will | February 26, 2008

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