Net Tuesdays or Net2 Local gatherings provide a chance to connect locally with all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change. There are new groups forming every week: Join in!
NetSquared is an initiative ofTechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
Freecycle.org Global Smartphone/SMS Gift Economy
The Freecycle Network / Freecycle.org is currently keeping over 700 tons a day out of landfills via gifting on it's *website* -- individuals, organizations and companies post used items otherwise headed for the landfills to the local Freecycle group for others in the community to acquire and use. That's five times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone if you were to stack this tonnage in garbage trucks.
Our incredible growth rate has been mirrored in every country with good internet accessibility. Our growth rate has been limited in those countries where people don't have computers as we are currently only available via the internet and our website.
Twice as many individuals own mobile phones versus computers. One in three citizens in the developing world owns a mobile phone. We need only provide the wildly successful Freecycle tool within a format and technology which already exists in the respective communities. It's not about sending assistance from the first to the third world, it's about empowering individuals in their own communities to help themselves and each other.
All items posted in a local Freecycle group must be absolutely free with no strings attached. Such informal societal, tribal and cultural gifting ties are much stronger in the developing world than in the developed world where we are much more apt to discard used items as consumers. Thus, making such reuse/gifting possible via SMS or smart phone would nicely augment an existing mentality to re-use items which already exist and still retain some usefulness, regardless of any lack of monetary value.
We shall begin with smart phone compatibility and then tackle the greater challenge of SMS capability. We have a potential mobile handset producer interested in partnering with us and an award would no doubt be viewed positively by such a potential partner.
Normal 0 It
Normal 0
It seems that people can't live without having the mobile phone .The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging, with 74% of all mobile phone users as active users (over 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion total subscribers at the end of 2007).Indeed, there are growing numbers of individual using mobile phone; it's not just an accessory but also a necessity in transacting wit business. Anyway, Cinco de Mayo has been the tradition among the Mexican, A lot of Mexican food gets sold on May 5th, but the day is not actually Mexican Independence Day (September 16th, for interested parties), but rather a remembrance of a Mexican victory over a French army invasion. The holiday is mostly celebrated only in the state of Pueblo, and is a minor holiday, not dissimilar to St. Patrick's Day outside of Ireland. Still, you won't need payday loans for these Cinco de Mayo recipes.
Sometimes new software is not needed...
Here is what I think of the TFN proposal:
1) To date TFN does not have a very good track record of developing new systems and using funds productively. It's initial idea of freecycling and having a directory to such sites was done before any funding occurred and these 2 can be self sustaining and not need funding (freecycling because it's easy to do and anyone can set up a freecycling group, directory because there are many free ones that could be used and a central one can be supported by ads as is being done now).
2) I don't think the proposal is very viable. Smartphones are already capable of sending/receiving emails and browsing websites so new development is not needed for them to do freecycling. Freecycling style messages do not seem to fit very well into the SMS space due to their size (some freecycling posts are quite long) and frequency (some freecycling groups get 100's of posts a day). A lot more work would need to be done on locality and setting up a new freecycling system beyond Yahoo Groups to make this work. TFN has been unable to create such a new system despite repeated attempts even on regular computers let alone a mobile platform.
3) The long term sustainability of the proposal is doubtful. If a commercial sponsor really is interested (as is mentioned in the application) and the proposal really is commercially viable than funding from USAID is not necessary.
Great idea!
This is a very exciting project. I hope you win and are successful with this. Freecycle is a GREAT concept and one I have participated in since 2005. Great job Deron and Richard!
Freecycle
The Freecycle interactive website is NOT working and hasn't been operable for years. Give the money to orgs that actually follow through on promises made to members. This org does not. Thousands of viable groups have left this org and another ghost one is just put into its place. Much disenchantment exists with this org. It was a wonderful diea until money came into play. Give the money to another org for an idea that will really see daylight!!
No money for a non non-profit
There are way to many needy corps in this competition, why would anyone want to support one with no real BOD. The BOD is mr. Beal, his wife and her buddy, what a laughable BOD.
No accountability to anyone but his wife, lol. Yes, dear go ahead and spend that for the new curtains.
What a foolish concept on top of the non accountability, why would anyone need to freecycle from a mobile phone. Come on let's be real and support the real deal.
Stop the madness hear and now.
Another help for monopolisation
I have no problem with someone trying to help eleviate landfil problems, but I do have a problem with a few people lining their own pockets. All these volunteers in all these other Countries do what they do out of the goodness of their own hearts. Not for Deron and not for Freecycle. These people are trodden under foot. Deron is trying to automate Freecycle, therefore eliminating the volunteers a few at a time. After all these years and the call for a proper committee, it still is only Deron, his wife and a close friend. All the money that has been given to TFN to build a website, and 4 years down the line, this is still something that is waiting to happen. Inthe meantime, millions of other websites have been written for a lot less money. I feel that there are many great causes in your list of 15, but this time Freecycle isn't not a worthy organisation. Please do not fund another lining in Derons pocket.
Again?
This is something like the 10th time that Deron and Freecycle.org has asked for, and gotten, large bags of cash to "develop their website." So far, it is still a work in progress, 4+ years on and $100,000+ down. I cannot see how throwing another $10,000 to $20,000 at this organization will help.
Also, given the serious questions about their corporate governance (the entire board is Deron and his wife and a 'close friend' and the complete lack of transparency, this would be, in essence, a gift to Deron to do with as he pleases.
Until he drops his aggressive pursuit of complete control of the word 'freecycle' I would not vote to give him any more money. Certainly not until there is some transparency, true corporate governance, and some demonstrated progress from previous grants of money.
FreeCycle and E Waste
I too am active in Freecycling my excess stuff, but I was wondering given the serious problem of Ewaste that Freecycle could include in their work or the developing nations the issue of donated discarded electronics
Enclosed is some background below.
Most e-waste goes to Asia, especially India and China, but growing amounts go to Africa. Here are some sources, which describe the difficult situation in different countries:
Check out the following video to see how drastic the situation is and find out that in the US it is unfortunately still legal to export e-waste to other countries. E-Waste: Dumping on the Poor (Asia Society)
Freecycle/Smartphone
How exciting to see Freecycle move into this.
Thanks
Yes, it is a great opportunity to expand Freecycle's phenomenal, industrialized-world growth rate to those countries which tend to have more mobile phone accessibility than internet access. Can't wait to flip the switch! :-) Deron
Replies
Interesting to see that Deron replies to his fanbois, but refuses to address any of the comments regarding his (laughable) "Board of Directors" or his complete lack of transparency, or his attempts to OWN the WORD Freecycle, let alone this lack of progress to date on this "website" he has been collecting money for over the years.
When will you respond to THOSE issues Deron?