How does the Freecycle Network operate?
Its simple. People merely subscribe to the network by going to www.freecycle.org. This web-based service is provided through Yahoo, and you use your e-mail account to send and receive offers or to list items that you want. When you join, you become part of an e-mail group within the city/region you select. Youll soon start getting messages from other members looking for new homes for oldbut not necessarily worn outstuff. You can easily track items, because listings are identified in the message subject line as Offer, Taken, or Wanted. In fact, it seemed so simple that I subscribed to the Sacramento Freecyclers in early January 2005 to see for myself. (This year-old network has nearly 4,500 members.) Heres what I found, based on three full days of activity: • Listings included all types of items such as chairs, a piano, desks, kitchenware, a ceiling fan, a basketball hoop, a tabby cat, and much more. • OFFER ads averaged 25 each day; WANTED, 17 a day; and TAKEN, 16 a day. • A specific i
