Grrrrrrr, freecycle being to PC!!

[smallblueplanet]

Read Peter's post, you're missing the point - can you not imagine that others might like to put please, but stick to the rules because it makes it easier for everyone not just themselves?

[BrideXIII]

Anything like Freecycle needs some rules, they are a standard to judge by.
Added to which there are only a limited number of characters allowed in Freecycle message headers, so keep it factual and brief, the courtesies can be reserverd for the body of the message.
When you signed up you would have been told the rules.
If you don't like them then leave.

Following the logic being expressed here to its logical conclusion could be fun, "I don't like the stupid rule that I should pay for goods in shops. My mates and I had a vote and it was 100% to not pay. No, honest, Officer....."

My three local freecycles are full of people who do not understand "Only one Wanted per person per month." and some of them are not easily pleased either .

We also had one person who offered the same item twenty-one times over nine months, together with a variety of Wanted's, DOH.

I fully agree that rules are needed, which is why i suggested campaigning to get the rules changed, i don't think that common courtesy should be against 'the rules' just that the rules should be adapted to allow them.

for instance, in my house its a 'rule' that if you don't say please or thankyou, you dont get what you asked for

[BrideXIII]

Peter, yes, I agree that it is a good idea to have rules, but surely a rule that states that you cannot say please incase those that don't say please are made to feel rude is just nonsense??

well NG i get your point, if the point was lack of characters, no room for the words, then maybe there would be a point, but to deny someone good manners in case they upset someone who has none IS ridiculous.

[Novice Gardener]

Yes, I can "imagine" that people might like to put please but dont, what I'm saying is that surely no one should be penalised for saying please. Its a basic surely that every person uses curtesy (I've probably spelt that wrong before someone pulls me up!), and I really can't see how a widely used site like freecycle would prefer people not to say please in the title of their posts.

[Peter]

well NG i get your point, if the point was lack of characters, no room for the words, then maybe there would be a point, but to deny someone good manners in case they upset someone who has none IS ridiculous.

If you please Bride, that is the main point, the body of your message can be as flowery, verbose and affusively polite as you please, but let everyone try that in the header and your web-mail inbox will be unreadable.

In mine there is room for
"[Group Name] Offered: Various pieces of chipboard / contiboard - Col"
which on opening up the individual e-mail reads
"[Group Name] Offered: Various pieces of chipboard / contiboard - Colchester"

Now do you want to scan your inbox and delete all the items you have no interest in, or do you have the time to open up each and every one individually to see if it is a/. something you are interested in and b/. where in the area it is?

One today had "Wanted" repeated three times so I missed the "eater sofa" after "Table and chairs and a 3s" until I opened that e-mail.

Thank you for reading.

[BrideXIII]

If you please Bride, that is the main point, the body of your message can be as flowery, verbose and affusively polite as you please, but let everyone try that in the header and your web-mail inbox will be unreadable.

In mine there is room for
"[Group Name] Offered: Various pieces of chipboard / contiboard - Col"
which on opening up the individual e-mail reads
"[Group Name] Offered: Various pieces of chipboard / contiboard - Colchester"

Now do you want to scan your inbox and delete all the items you have no interest in, or do you have the time to open up each and every one individually to see if it is a/. something you are interested in and b/. where in the area it is?

One today had "Wanted" repeated three times so I missed the "eater sofa" after "Table and chairs and a 3s" until I opened that e-mail.

Thank you for reading.

and i get your point, if it is a lack of space for characters then as you say, all well and good, but.......... that's not what NG was told was the reason for the deletion/edit, if it had have been maybe it wouldn't have annoyed so much
NG was told it was so that others that hadn't used 'please' wouldn't appear rude!
if it was due to lack of space, best to just say so, then NOONE gets offended.

[Snadger]

At least the Mod had the good manners to let you know WHY you can't use good manners NG!

[Farmer_Gyles]

relax NG, i got banned for trying to give stuff away on freecycle .........

[SlugLobber]

I actually had a nice FreeCycle experience, yesterday. Somebody was re-offering a Yukka plant, I asked for it (the only person to do so!), collected it in the evening from a lovely lady and came on to write a thank you message to see she'd thanked ME for being so prompt and nice! Can't fault that (and we used lots of pleases in our correspondence, so ner!).

I agree that for space reasons, it makes sense, but to say 'it makes the others seem rude' is just ridiculous!

[Alison]

A few things, firstly, how an earth did Farmer Gyles get banned? What on earth were you trying to give away?

Secondly, it's much better to keep the titles as short and to the point as possible, there is no need for please, thank you, eternally grateful or anything else there but plently of room in the message. Like somebody has already said, some of the messages can be very difficult to work out what they're about, there are simple rules for how you post, it's not difficult to follow. Am always amazed by the number of people who don't seem to be able to follow these, find the OFFERED - LOADS OF STUFF / VARIOUS ones particularly annoying, not quite the same issue but still annoying that somebody hasn't got the courtesy to do it properly.

[crazy_red]

Manners maketh man...and woman.

I couldn't not say 'please' and 'thank you'.....it just wouldn't be right to me, whatever 'rules' other people want to make up. If you have to be concise, fair enough, but to not do so in order that it doesn't make people who don't express common courtesy feel bad...pah!

Red x

[Alice]

I'm all for please and thank you Novice Gardener but I think you're misreading what the mod said.
What she said was the rules said there should be no please in the title and by puting it there it might make the people who stuck to the rules look rude. That's a bit different from the interpretation you're puting on it.
If you want to use Freecycle then I think you have to go with their rules.

[Ethansmum]

Freecycle drives me mad. I need a dishwasher, my kids need a laptop/ds lite/car/widescreen telly. As for lack of manners- don't get me started

[Finedon.Dandy]

I tried offering things on Freecycle a couple of months ago but my listings never appeared and when I tried to find out why, I couldnt get any response from anyone. Had to give up and took the stuff down the dump.

[RedThorn]

Me personally, I got a 6x12ft Greenhouse off freecycle, so REALLY cannot complain, However don't even get me started on the WANTED posts... (One of the better 1's was requesting someone give a new Megane to them as she was pregnant and wanted a bigger car...Doh) but if I wanted say a Sander, and I put:
WANTED Please - Sander any Type

I see no reason why manners cannot be there.... It's short, concise, polite AND to the point. If I can fit a please in there, why should that make a difference?