|
Interview responses are dated March 20, 2007. Some data, such as the number of groups
which continually join this network, change with time. Mr. Burke asks that you contact him at FreeSharing.org
for an update of such statistics, if you use this information in writing an article. Thank you, the TGU staff.
###
I don't know if this ever got published, but here are my replies to a reporter from the UK regarding FreeSharing.org. If any of this is useful in spreading the word about the website, then please feel free to copy. Eric Burke http://FreeSharing.org Hi Maeve, I'll do my best to answer your questions below, if you wish to contact me by phone I can be reached in the US at: 864-. It's 6pm local time now and I should be available for at least the next 6 hours tonight, or tomorrow afternoon. What is the philosophy behind FreeSharing.org ? The philosophy of FreeSharing.org is simple. To keep usable items out of the landfill by sharing them with your neighbors who can make good use of them. This both reduces consumption (the creation of new items) and helps out folks who may not have the cash on hand to buy a new couch or exercise bike and can get one from a neighbor who would otherwise toss it in the dump. The management philosophy of FreeSharing.org is even more simple, the site act simply as a directory of Free Recycling groups. It does not impose and trademark restrictions or complex rules upon it's group managers. Multiple groups are permitted in the same area, which eliminates 'control issues' over who 'runs' a certain city and also allows group members to choose the groups that they like best. By permitting multiple groups per location, the system becomes self regulating and eliminates the need for a complex management structure to determine who should run a group and to settle disputes between members and moderators. In the very few cases where a member did complain to me about a group owner, they were advised that they were welcome to start a group of their own and share equal billing in the directory. Everything at FreeSharing.org is 'open source' and public domain, and the site works in cooperation with other free recycling websites, such as SharingIsGiving.org and Recycle4Free.com. My entire database of over 630 groups is freely available to anyone who asks for it, with only one restriction that it must remain in the public domain for all to use freely. How did it start and where do you see it going in the future? FreeSharing.org started on Feb. 8, 2005 as a result of The Freecycle Network accepting corporate sponsorship from Waste Management in the amount of $130,000. Waste Management is the largest landfill operator in the US and has a reprehensible environmental record. Prior to starting FreeSharing.org I was a 'New Group Approver' (NGA) for The Freecycle Network, but due to what I saw as a huge conflict of interest I started FreeSharing.org to act as a directory for any free recycling group that chose to be listed, within or outside of TFN. The directory started with about 20 groups, and has since grown to over 630 groups serving over 240,000 members in 10 countries. Due to ever growing restrictions upon official TFN groups, and what is seen by some as corruption in the upper management of the organization, there has been a steady stream of TFN groups that have left the network and chose to act as a non-corporate, independent free recycling group and be listed in the FreeSharing.org directory. To date, The Freecycle Network has received $230,000 in grant money from Waste Management, it has shut down over 700 independent free recycling groups for alleged trademark and copyright violations, and has disenchanted many of it's most loyal moderators by imposing a draconian leadership style upon them. TFN has one New Group Approver and one Group Outreach person per state who determine if a new group should be added to the network and mediate disputes between members and groups, as well as the President who collects a salary for running the organization. FreeSharing.org is programmed, updated and managed by one person, in my spare time after work and on weekends. There are support groups where moderators can assist each other, and the new group submission process is simple: If its a free recycling group, it's added to the directory. Because FreeSharing.org is such a streamlined and self regulating system, I predict it will continue to grow at a rapid rate in the future, and believe that we are just one good press release from breaking out into the main stream. Originally most of the groups in the directory were former TFN groups, but now we see more original groups being formed. How have you promoted the network? Promotion of the network has been primarily thru sharing web links, online newsletters from sites such as TheFreebieCafe.com, and the web equivalent of 'word of mouth'. There are occasionally press articles that mention FreeSharing.org that greatly boost traffic to the site. The most recent was in Readers Digest, and the first ever was in the online magazine Grist.org. Also, local moderators promote their group in a variety of creative ways with flyers at the dump, local news articles, and even in envelopes along with county workers paychecks in one case. Most of the local promotion also includes mention of the directory site. Google ads were tried for a short period of time, but the cost per click simply made that approach ineffective, especially when a single press article can generate as many visits as $50 worth of Google ads. What characteristics of the site are most appealing the people who use it? FreeSharing.org is more than just a directory site and if someone requests a feature that is within my technical ability to provide I'll do what I can to make it happen. In addition to having a very easy to navigate directory of over 630 free recycling groups, there is an online forum for moderators to assist each other, the GreenLite.org Green Tips, which group owners can display on their websites or groups with a simple IFrame command, a Wiki and most recently a chat room, as well as a directory of environmental resources and other free recycling websites. How does it fit in with other trends for ethical consumption currently in evidence world-wide? Quite nicely --- If there is any other information I can provide, please just send me an email or feel free to call me at home at 864-. Best Regards, Eric Burke http://FreeSharing.org |