UK Freecycle renamed "Freegle"

WallyBird

Users of freecycle sites will have heard about problems between the UK and US versions. The upshot is that several UK sites have left freecycle and formed their own network called Freegle.

As far as I know, it still works in the same way - you can offer anything you don't want, and if someone else wants it, it saves the thing going into landfill. Also you get a warm glow from knowing you are giving something to someone who will use it! Or you might find something you just need - which is great for money savers.

More details from The Guardian newspaper here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/10/uk-freecycle-us-network

This is the new address for the Trafford one:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trafford_freegle/

And this is Manchester, which is now called Greencycle:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/ManchesterGreencycleUK/

I am sure there are others, but I don't know their addresses.

Happy recycling! WallyBird.

shandypants5

Ahh so THATS why my freecycle no longer works.:mad:

I remember it took about 3 weeks to get my freecycle login to work when I first joined.

Now it looks like I will need to jump through all those hoops again.:rolleyes:

Yesterday my account was fine, today I have to re-register and wait for them to send me a confirmation Email.

Change the name by all means but WHY does it have to be so difficult at the users end.:mad::mad:

soolin

Mine is still freecycle, wonder if they will jump ship as well?

isme_2

Hiya.. I had just arrived to post this,

As you may or may not know I am a moderator for my local Freecycle group - something I feel passionately about. There have been serious issues for many years with the way in which the UK groups and volunteers are being treated by the founder of the movement in the US. He has refused to listen to anything that anyone has had to say and therefore after a huge decision the UK freecycle group owners and mods (a significant amount of whom have been delisted and asked to give up what they have spent many many hours working on) have decided that the only way forward for freecycle in the uk is to change our umbrella name and move forward together to support each other locally under the new name of Freegle. I have copied part of the admin email that those who use freecycle will be receiving. In this part is the link to a media article which should help a bit more to explain what has happened...

>> What's changed for you?
>> ======================
>>
>> Nothing much. The home page looks a bit different, and the email address is
>> new (and you have seen it at the top of this page) but other than that - all
>> the rules are the same, all your moderators are the same, and our group is
>> still GRASS ROOTS and LOCAL.
>>
>> We're still dedicated to keeping things out of land fill, and the same
>> moderation team are still here beavering away in the background helping to
>> keep the group running smoothly.
>>
>> The main reason for our move is simple. While Freecycle is a GREAT idea, all
>> our UK groups were basically forced to work under a system devised in and for
>> the United States. Leaders of Freecycle in the UK spent more than two years
>> talking with the main Freecycle Network trying to get the freedom to run
>> things in a way more suited to our own country and our own laws. Nothing
>> changed.
>>
>> In July four leading members of our National UK Freecycle team resigned.
>> Moderators around the country then formed an Independent Association of
>> Freecycle Moderators and again tried talks with The Freecycle Network. But
>> again to no avail.
>>
>> Since then an increasing number of Group Owners and Moderators have been
>> SUMMARILY DISMISSED from Freecycle including the former (volunteer) UK
>> Director of Freecycle UK.
>>
>> <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/10/uk-freec
>> ycle-us-network>
>>
>> So the volunteers have elected to go our own way.

shandypants5

isme wrote: »

Hiya.. I had just arrived to post this,

As you may or may not know I am a moderator for my local Freecycle group - something I feel passionately about. There have been serious issues for many years with the way in which the UK groups and volunteers are being treated by the founder of the movement in the US. He has refused to listen to anything that anyone has had to say and therefore after a huge decision the UK freecycle group owners and mods (a significant amount of whom have been delisted and asked to give up what they have spent many many hours working on) have decided that the only way forward for freecycle in the uk is to change our umbrella name and move forward together to support each other locally under the new name of Freegle. I have copied part of the admin email that those who use freecycle will be receiving. In this part is the link to a media article which should help a bit more to explain what has happened...

OK so HOW do I get back in??

I have followed the instructions on the page and entered my Email addy, but I have had no reply??

The Email addy I am using is actually LISTED on the page asking for my Email address.

Please tell me its not ME being stupid here.

mttylad

Hello, I dont mean to be insulting and call you stupid but...er.um...:p lol

You have likely not left your group & dont need to re register.

Go to a Yahoo group page and top r/h corner - select "my groups" and your freegle group will be listed there, the name has been changed is all, the group remains the same. (files & look will be different).

You may also find some relaxing of some of Freecycles rules too, dependant upon your local group.

I justr woke to find the Bury group had gone & been replaced with a dummy/marker group - but found the real group in a few mouse clicks.

Power to Freegle (what a daft name!)
Deron Beal is a pratt! :p

soolin

My freecycle group is still there..I sppose I should wait to see if it magically disappears.

Biggles

mttylad wrote: »

Power to Freegle (what a daft name!)
Deron Beal is a pr***!

I agree about the name, I should have thought at least they could have made up one that seemed to mean something. Stiil, where I am it's still Freecycle.

Who the hell's Deron Beal and what's he got to do with it?

steveeeee

I'm all for it if it means the network can keep going. Reading and Basingstoke's Freecycle groups have both changed to Freegle.

angelatgraceland

shandypants5 wrote: »

Ahh so THATS why my freecycle no longer works.:mad:

I remember it took about 3 weeks to get my freecycle login to work when I first joined.

Now it looks like I will need to jump through all those hoops again.:rolleyes:

Yesterday my account was fine, today I have to re-register and wait for them to send me a confirmation Email.

Change the name by all means but WHY does it have to be so difficult at the users end.:mad::mad:

No need to reregister-they keep the member list-they just renamed the group to cause member as less disruption as possible. Visit the homepage-it is still a yahoo group. You will need to bookmark it again. Same yahoo id and password-it realy should work ok. Im sure you will hear from your mods soon if any problems or contact them via their homepage email addy.
your mods will be the same and for the present time your rules will probably also remain-only the name and logos are different. It really does free the UK from the US "rule". Please do not worry about it and keep your membership with Freegle as many groups are joining this network on a daily basis. I have not yet "jumped ship"-the night is young!
Be assured that you sign in as normal and post as normal. do have a little extra patience if your mods appear to be slow and do not reply-they do have a lot on their plates at the moment to keep things running with as little disruption to the members as possible. do spread the word that it is Freegle!
Choosing a name was a bit of a pain and some are happy with it and some not but choosing one with no trademaks associated with it is important.
Stay with it-it is growing fast!

angelatgraceland

Biggles wrote: »

I agree about the name, I should have thought at least they could have made up one that seemed to mean something. Stiil, where I am it's still Freecycle.

Who the hell's Deron Beal and what's he got to do with it?

Deron Beale is the Founder who started Freeycle in the U.S. A brilliant concept which has gone off course some would say. Of course-many groups who did not get such publicity were already recycling in this manner anyhow.