Building community in your area? Check out the newly-launched Community Organizers Handbook! Everything you need to start and grow a NetSquared Local group or any other community-powered program.
NetSquared is an initiative ofTechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
Freecycle
Supporting organization:
Freecycle
URL:
www.freecycle.org
Project Description:
Participants begin by joining (or creating) a Freecycle list focused on the area where they live. If they have something to give away, they post a message with the subject heading "Offered: Toaster Oven." If they are seeking an item, they post a message with the subject heading "Wanted: Toaster Oven." When members of the list find a match for themselves, it's up to them to take it off-list and arrange for a pick-up; various guidelines are in place to ensure that this is done in a manner suitable to civil society.
Points of interest:
Freecycle uses relatively simple online tools: it has one central web site, and thousands of intensely local email distribution lists. While the technology is unremarkable, the social implications are exciting; the world does not have to be divided between beggars and donors. Tt can be divided between those who have a spare toaster ovens today and those who need them now.
Tomorrow - or five minutes from now - these categories will be completely different. We all have needs and surpluses, but it's hard to arrange for easy redistribution of goods on the scale of a cupboard rather than a planeload. Although the ideal situation is predicated on intenet access for everyone (a goal that is far from being realized) a project such as Freecycle hints at the possibility that nearly everyone in the community can both offer and receive resources seamlessly.
Subscribe
NetSquared Newsletters:
>>Subscribe to NetSquared News and other email updates.
NetSquared Community Blog:
>> Subscribe to the Community Blog RSS feed.
>> Subscribe to the Community Blog comments RSS feed.
