NetSquared recently followed up with the N2Y3 Featured Projects to develop these short case studies, with the goal to expand the knowledgebase of best practices for applying social media in the nonprofit context. We interviewed participants from the N2Y3 Featured Project teams to gain a better understanding of the way they used social media to increase their reach and carry out their missions. We are very happy to bring you their stories!

Today's spotlight: Freecycle!

Did you know that reuse groups, like last year's 3rd place NetSquared Innovation Award winner, Freecycle, are the most trafficked on Yahoo! Groups?

Yesterday we launched our interview series with the 21 projects that attended the NetSquared Conference (N2Y2) by talking with Dan Newman of MAPLight.org. Today's interview is with Deron Beal, the Executive Director and founder of the Freecycle Network, a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free in their own towns.

That's what Fortune Senior Writer, Marc Gunther, wrote in his article for CNN Money, "The Amazing Freecycle Story," about the N2Y2 3rd place project winner.

In fact, Gunther is a Freecycle user himself:

The presenters at the July 10th Net Tuesday in San Francisco will be from the first and third top vote-getting projects at the NetSquared Conference (N2Y2): Dan Newman, Co-Founder and Executive Director of MAPLight.org and Ann Blocker, Moderator of the San Francisco Freecycle Network.

In this videoblog, Wallman of Freecycle.org describes how people use the web to keep "stuff" useful and out of the landfills. What started as a single local Yahoo group has mushroomed into a mountainous enterprise.