Newsflash:  Try our new ReadingFreecycle MessageMaker to post your ReadingFreecycle messages!

Welcome to the "information-only support website" of the ReadingFreecycle group at Yahoo.  This website is not affiliated with Freecycle.org, only with the local independently-owned and operated Reading, Pennsylvania Freecycle group. This website is intended for the sole purpose of being an "on-line reference library" that provides support, training, tutorials and information for the members of the Reading Freecycle group. The website is available for public viewing (membership in the ReadingFreecycle group is not required to access this site).

No messages of any kind may be posted on this site; it's just a "public reference library" of sorts where people can read our policies, rules, formats, read answers to frequently asked questions, etc. In order to post a message to the group, or to read or respond to posts that other members have made, you must be a member of our group, and you must receive the posts via email from Yahoo, or read them at our Yahoo website (see below for a link to our group's Yahoo website).

We need this "information-only support website" because of Yahoo's limitations - the most aggravating of which is that Yahoo only allows 2,000 characters on our home page, including HTML markup (simply put, HTML is the "language" that is used to tell your browser which colors or fonts, etc to use). 2,000 characters may seem like a lot, but it is not - for example, the Rules and Policies page of this website is over 70,000 characters.

We're not complaining about Yahoo - overall, the Yahoo Groups program is terrific and we are very happy to be one of their millions of groups, just as we are very happy to be one of over 4,000 local groups in the world-wide Freecycle.org movement.  We're just saying that "cookie-cutter formats" and "one size fits all" programs are rarely a perfect fit for anyone, and rather than gripe and complain about it, or try to squeeze into the cookie cutter, or wear an ill-fitting garment, we created this "information-only support website."

• Read Posted Freecycle Messages At Our Yahoo Groups Home Page  If you are a member of our group, you can read posted messages here.
• Write A Post With Our MessageMaker    If you are already a member of our group, here's a link to our ReadingFreecycle MessageMaker so that you may post a message to the group.  Once you have filled out the MessageMaker form, you can choose your personal preference of posting options - you can submit it by email, or you can submit it directly to our Yahoo groups site.  If you are not yet a member of our group, please refer to the page below ("Not A Member And Want To Join?").
  
  Important Note:  If you have more than 1 email address, and you submit a post via email, be sure to send the email from the same email account that you use for your group membership.  If you submit a post using an email address that Yahoo does not recognize as belonging to a member of the group, Yahoo will automatically reject the post.
  
• Our Rules And Policies   This is a pretty comprehensive document.  Yes it's long, but we're a big group with almost 9,000 members, and we average about 75 - 100 posts every day.  Having good rules helps us to run more fairly and  efficiently, and knowing what you can and cannot do makes everything easier for everyone.
• Not A Member And Want To Join?   Instructions for folks who would like to join our group.
• Frequently Asked Questions   If you have a question, chances are someone else has already asked it, and you might find the answer here.  If the answer is not here, then send the Owner/Moderator an email (see below) and we'll get back to you.
• We Get Letters  Lots of members have sent us emails at one time or another, about many different subjects.  If we think a letter would be interesting or informative to the rest of the group (or funny), we'll add the letter to this page.  Of course, we'll protect the identity of the member.
• Links To Websites We Like  Here are links to recycling organizations that are both interesting and informative - and maybe even helpful!  We also have links to other websites that members have recommended because they found to be very helpful.
• Footer Yahoo Adds To Emailed Posts  This is the text of the footer that we have Yahoo add to the bottom of our emailed messages.  Since our many of our members do not get posted messages or daily digests via email, we encourage them to read this page as a reminder of our "basics" - it's a quick outline that probably can be read in 60 seconds or less.
• Send an email to the Owner/Moderator of ReadingFreecycle  If you have a comment or suggestion, or constructive criticism, or a problem or complaint, I'd like to hear from you. Drop me an email and I promise to get back to you as quickly as I can.