Freecycle

[biffvernon]

There has just been a major breakdown in relations between the UK organization of Freecycle and the American director and trademark owner, Deron Beal. Despite strenuous efforts to resolve differences recently, the UK Director, Neil Morris was sacked by Deron Beal yesterday. It looks as though an irreconcilable break will now occur with the UK groups going their own way. There is much discussion this morning about rebranding and a new name for the new UK organization.

Dicussion at Independent Association of Freecycle(R) Moderators - UK. Yahoo Group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/IAFCMods/

[Annpan]

I set up and run a freecycle group and I have to say that the I stopped paying attention to what other Freecycle moderators had to say a lo-o-o-ong time ago.

I run my wee group, with our team of 5 mods and we do just fine with out all the bickering and infighting that I had experience of in the wider UK mod circles. Everyone seemed to have an agenda when really we should all be concentrating in our local communities and keeping stuff out of landfill.

[biffvernon]

Yes Ann, that seems to be a sound strategy, (and the way I run my small group) so long as you don't publicly question the American control, muzzling of discussion and accountauility of the very large amounts of money involved.

[biffvernon]

This just in:

We the IAFCM Committee committee no longer see any way to negotiate with TFN or achieve our aims in the current Freecycle Network. Most of us are now moderated and believe we are targeted for removal from our TFN positions (and some are already removed). We are sorry we have failed to achieve our preferential aims..

We no longer feel we can ask you to stay in the Freecyle Network.

For this reason we will now focus the attentions of IAFCM Mods going alone, standing on our own two feet and launching a New UK led and democratically led successor Network. We have received many messages from member moderators urging us to prepare against this eventuality and have a successor Network ready to launch.

The proposed network will not follow the organisational model of The Freecycle Network. It will be led by a consensus, have free elections and polling of group members It will be looser than TFN and groups will be free to choose their own names for their groups, but may, if they wish, choose to use the the network name to increase their visibility in the search engines and have a higher profile as we promote it.

Thee may well be some groups that wish to stay in the Freecycle Network and if so we wish you well. We wish to be inclusive and we wouldn't mind you having a dual affiliation but it we know it would result in you being kicked out of TFN so we wish you you well for the future

There will be a short delay before full instructions on how to establishing full links with the Network and cut the ties with TFN are published We are aware this is a big step and is not exactly what we had in mind when we first started with IAFCMODS and though many members are "raring to go" others may feel a bit pressured and need time and space to voice any reservations. We wish everyone to feel comfortable and we are aware that the committee were working under constraints where we could not consult on this as much as we wanted.

However such constraints are now lifted and there can be open discussion on on IAFCMods in which committee can fully participate.

Fuller instructions as to how to safely rename your group will follow. Please regularly read messages on IAFCMods group for information. We will also be posting admin notices you can use to communicate with your group members. Now it's open to everyone can help modify and polish up admins etc. Please use this group as we used to use modquad in the past to develop best practise and to freely comment on proposals - but lets think outside the box as we don't want to repeat TFN mistakes.

Post here if you are asked to stand down or your group is threatened in any way and we'll support you in making the necessary changes.

Carol, Caroline,David, Edward, Mark, Saira and Seb
Your Interim Committee

[Annpan]

Sorry,biffveron but this is just what I mean...

I get these emails through all the time and ignore them... I have been a Freecycle Owner for 18 months and I don't understand most of that email.

It is fair enough if people want to object to what Freecycle is doing corporately, I do. But it is all so political, when really we all have the same objectives.

One of my mods is happy to follow all the ins and out of it but I lost interest a long time ago.

ETA.... having just received emails from what used to be freecycle UK HQ (as it were) I realise that the situation has changed... it is no longer bickering and in fighting, it does seem that UK has been kicked out of freecycle.... I apologise biffveron for not taking you seriously

[snapdragon]

One of my local groups has left the mothership because of undue pressure, and the other newer one never joined

[Annpan]

Well the proverbial has hit the fan today.... I'll post a copy of the email I have just had to send to my members

Hi everyone,

I am contacting everyone in the group with this urgent message.

It would appear that Freecycle UK has been kicked out of the wider international
freecycle group. At this moment we don't know what the repercussions will be but
we have backed up our members list so hopefully we will manage to get in touch
if we, for what ever reason are taken off of yahoo or off of the freecycle
network.

There is a lot of politics behind the decision, politics that we at Freecylce
Lanark have tried to stay out of.

We will always be available for contact at
freecycle.lanark.moderators@googlemail.com and we ask that if you are contacted
by anyone from freecycle other than our (Lanark) admin team that you forward
said message onto us.

At the end of the day we all want to do our bit for the environment, to save
items from landfill and to build our community spirit.

We will continue to run the group as normal, and hopefully we won't need to take
any further action.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our members for making this group
such a great group to be part of and to thank our wonderful small team of
volunteers who help keep the group running smoothly.

Thanks for your time
Ann, on behalf of the Admin team at Freecycle Lanark

I am not really surprised but this is a bit overkill... apparently some of the people who used to run Freecycle in the UK have been asked to leave all the groups they are members of... SO be prepared for your local freecycle team to change soon. I guess we won't be freecycle anymore

[biffvernon]

Important article in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/g ... us-network

Please spread it about cyberspace.

[biffvernon]

New name for new network has been voted for:

Freegle

[John Headstrong]

Freegle ? maybe the pub was not the best idea for that meeting

I was sent this the other day

http://www.realcycle.co.uk/

not sure if it is just a alternative or a spin off.

the problem I had with freecycle is that most stuff goes to the same people, and there are more WANTED posts than OFFERED, not really what it was about IMHO.

[biffvernon]

The decision certainly wasn't made in the pub! After tremendous discussion, there was a poll of moderaters yesterday and, following an almost tied result, a second poll using transferable votes today that established Freeble as the clear winner. This is a temporary name, chosen in a great hurry, leaving open the possibility of change in the near future if something better is found. Or sticking with it if it urns out to be popular.

Finding a new name has been very difficult. All the best words are already owned by somebody!

[MuddyWitch]

Our local lot changed to REALCYCLE just before the sh*t hit the fan & we continue to help each other out. (have just got rid of loads of stuff in readiness for the move )

MW

[MKG]

?????????????

What on earth is going off? Freecycle was an international organisation???? Why? Were there transatlantic swaps arranged? Now the breakaway UK group is haggling over a name???? Oh, give me a break.

Oh dear. Oh deary deary me.

Do I detect a jealous power structure within what is supposed to be one of those there greeny projects. Yep! I think I do.

How terribly, terribly sad.

My personal experience of Freecycle was the same as John Headstrong's - a closed clique who appeared to claim everything - so I can't say I'm too bothered either way. But international political in-fighting over what is basically a set of local exchange schemes is just beyond belief. There are better ways to spend so much energy.

Thank goodness the Global Human Manure Project hasn't been thought of yet. Whoops!

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

It's still called Freecycle where I live in France and they are having an open afternoon get together with people bringing food and drinks and stuff which I think is a nice idea. If it was local I might have gone but it's 30kms away in the city!

I was quite surprised to discover it was part of an international corporate structure.

[Rosendula]

Freegle ? maybe the pub was not the best idea for that meeting

I'm a bit bleary-eyed this morning so haven't read all the posts yet. A bit much for me until I've had a few more So sorry if someone's already said this:

Here in Hull we've switched to Freegle. Apparently the name comes from "FREEly Given, Locally, Easily". Other than the name, nothing else has appeared to have changed at all.