Thank you for agreeing to help the Freegive movement and your own community by volunteering to be a moderator. Your help is invaluable. Without responsible moderators, a list quickly gets filled with spam and inappropriate posts. Membership soon falls, and the list becomes a ghost town. With your help, this list will thrive, and everyone will benefit. Please read the Required Guidelines and Policies. Basic moderation requirements. What follows below are some additional tips to help you along the way.

It's a good idea to keep your own moderator account set to "Always Moderated" setting. That way you can stop a message from going to the group accidentally, for example if it was meant for one member only or another moderator.

Each moderator should be set to receive individual emails from the group and to receive notices of pending messages or pending memberships.

Please read each email (or you can read at the website, of course), and watch for the following things:

1. SPAM (any post that endorses a commercial product or is being blanketed across the Freegive). This includes posts for things like game pieces from McDonalds, links to websites where you can get a free iPod or some other wonderful item, offers that promise to show you how to save huge amounts on your grocery bill, World of Products, Network of Savings, etc. If you receive SPAM on the website, delete the post immediately and place the member back on moderated status. Send them a courtesy e-mail and let them know that their post has been deleted due to inappropriate content and that their membership will be moderated temporarily to make sure they post appropriately. On the second offense, they are out.

2. Messages containing stuff "For Sale" or offering to pay for an item. Immediately delete the post and contact the person who posted it to let them know that all things on Freegive must be free, and that their membership will be moderated temporarily to make sure they post appropriately.

3. Chit Chat. This one is a judgment call. If it's replying to someone else's post, delete it and contact the poster (or post to the list) with a reminder that responses MUST go directly to the person who made the post, not to the whole list. If it applies to the whole list, is Freegive-related, or in regards to list guidelines, you might want to let it ride for now. It can always be deleted in the future.

If others start jumping in, post something like, "It's good to hear your thoughts about Freegive, but we really have to keep this board on topic to keep from filling members email boxes with miscellaneous comments. Please direct your thoughts and concerns to the site owner (yourgroupname-owner@yahoogroups.com)" or something similar.

If it continues to be a problem (or is obviously off-topic chatter), let folks know that chit chat posts will be deleted and those responsible will be put on moderation. Do this with an ADMIN message.

Other than those three things (which will apply to most problem messages), you will also need to watch for illegal items or items which are restricted due to age, including alcohol, weapons, tobacco, and "adult" materials. You'll also want to look for posts that are antagonistic or inflammatory to other members, or those that may start a debate such as religious or political statements. Delete those posts, give a STERN warning to the poster, and put them on moderation.

Besides checking the posts made to the group by those who are not moderated, you will also need to approve messages by those folks still on moderation. Usually these are "New Members."

When a moderated member posts, an email will be sent to all moderators to let them know that a pending message needs approval. Although you can approve or reject via email (the instructions are on the email), if you have a minute or two extra, please do the following:

• Click on "pending messages" to view the messages needing approval. If the message is OK, you have
the option of changing the member's status from moderated to unmoderated at this point. ** Look for this message: "this member's messages are moderated.

To change the status, click on [edit]. Then you'll see a couple of options, and you'll want to click the first one, "change to group settings".

At the bottom of the page, click "Save changes".

Now go to the message and hit "approve". (There are actually two options you can click. The first option described ensures that all your members are put on the same group settings. If you click on "messages posted by this member are not moderated", and later need to bring your entire group back to moderated status, you will have some members outside the scope of your group settings. They would be free to post without moderation unlike the rest of the members who are back on the same settings.)

For a more detailed explanation, read the description given in the Not Moderated vs. Unmoderated file.

** (Check your group's policy to determine if the member needs to complete an Offer/Taken set of posts or even post a few series of Offers/Taken posts before removing the member from moderated status. Group policy varies between Freegive lists.)

If the message is inappropriate, then you may choose to edit it if it's a minor error containing incomplete headings (they forgot to put OFFER or WANTED), or reject it if it's SPAM, for sale ad, or chit chat. A good habit to get into (depending on time available) is to send a very quick but cordial note to the poster to let them know that their messages was edited, or, you can add a statement to the bottom of the note, such as, "Edited by Moderator to add appropriate heading" or something similar. This can be very effective because it reminds the rest of the membership that they must do the same.

Occasionally, you may have to search the archives to make a determination on whether or not to approve a message. This is especially true when dealing with Wanted posts.

You'll want to periodically remind either individuals or the whole group about the policy regarding the use of proper headings and to include their location in the subject line. Be kind, but provide occasional reminders, and they'll gradually catch on. When you post a message like this to the whole group, start the subject line with "ADMIN".

To put a member back on moderation,
• open the members list (left hand column on the home page).
• Find the member's name and click on the little pencil in under their name.
• Under Membership Privileges, you'll see Posting Messages. Use group settings [edit].
• Click on edit.
• Click the circle for "messages posted by this member are moderated",
• then "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.

DON'T FULLY MODERATE YOUR GROUP. Full moderation of all posts is not allowed.
Moderation of new member posts is fine - just remember to take the folks off moderation after a week or two and/or after you are certain they are not spammers.
Important: The moderation of troublemakers is highly advised.

Freegive works best without full moderation. Empower your members to give directly to another member without moderator intervention, quickly, easily and enjoyably. Trust and empower your members directly as much as humanly possible and it'll pay out when your group gets really big.

Why? Because by then all members will know and use the rules correctly. You have taught them to fish rather than giving them fish for a day, right? This is why we don't allow FULL moderation.

It's like "Freegive Lite." It tastes kind of like The Freegive, but doesn't pack that caffeine punch, is slower, and more controlled. Be bold, trust, and educate members unless individuals give you a reason not to and moderate those individuals.

In choosing the New Member moderation remember that when removing the 'moderated' status from your members to check 'Use Group Settings'. This allows you to still resort to Full Moderation in case of an extreme situation. If you have checked 'unmoderated' then those member will still be able to post to the group even in the case of a required Full Moderation.

If you will be unable to moderate the group for more than a day or two in a row, please contact the other list owners and/or moderators to let them know, so that the site is covered in your absence.

Bouncing Members - How to Administer, Remove and Maintain

If messages sent to a member are consistently returned to Yahoo! Groups with an error, that member is considered "bouncing." Their Yahoo! Groups account is deactivated, and group messages will not be delivered to the account.

Once an account is considered bouncing, Yahoo! Groups will send a series of test messages to the member. If the test messages are returned as undeliverable, then the account will continue to bounce. However, if a message is delivered and not returned as undeliverable within five days after it was sent, the account will automatically be reactivated.

Please note: If Yahoo! Groups determine that an email address has been bouncing for more than 6 months, they may remove it from their system.

Where do I find a list of "bouncing" members?

A list of bouncing members is available to moderators in the Members area of the group web page. To reach the bounce area:

1. Visit the My Groups page.
2. Click the group name link.
3. Click the Members link in the left-hand bar.
4. Click the Bouncing link in the gray tab above the Search Members button.

What does the bounce information on the Bouncing Members page mean?

This page lists all the group members whose Yahoo! Groups account status is "bouncing." These members' mail accounts have been deactivated because they consistently reject email sent from Yahoo! Groups. Next to each bouncing address, you will find:

1. Bounce Status: Hard or soft bounce or date of status change.
2. Probes: Yahoo! Groups automatically tests bouncing accounts by sending "probes" (test emails). If these messages are not returned with an error, then the member account is automatically reactivated. This area lists the number of probes that have been sent to the member's account.
3. Joined: The date the member joined the group.
4. Edit: The Edit button links to the member's preferences page, which displays the member's information, privileges, status, and bounce history.
5. Remove: Check the Remove boxes for the members that you would like to remove from the group and click Save Changes.

What does the Account Status information on the Member Profile pages mean?

This page lists provides a detailed view of a member's bounce history, including:

• Bounce Status: Date this account was deactivated for bouncing email.
• Bounce History: Weekly summary and details of recently bounced messages.
• Last Bounce Message: In some cases, you may review the latest error message sent to Yahoo! Groups from the member's mail provider. While these errors messages typically include technical information, you may find some useful information ("mailbox full," "mailbox does not exist," etc.).

How do I reactivate "bouncing" members?

Yahoo! Groups uses an automated system to test and reactivate email accounts that bounce. Also, users may also make a "Reactivation Request" to unbounce their account or an account in a group that they moderate.

Automatic Reactivation
Yahoo! Groups periodically send automated test ("probe") messages to bouncing members. If a test message is not returned to Yahoo! Groups with an error, the message was probably successfully delivered. The account will be automatically reactivated. This process does not require any action by the moderator.

Manual Reactivation

To bypass Yahoo! Groups automated process and manually reactivate a member account:
1. Go to the group home page.
2. Click the Members link
3. Click on the Bouncing link above the list of members.
4. Click on the Edit link next to the bouncing member.
5. Click the Reactivation Request button under the Email Account Reactivation section.
6. The recipient must then follow the instructions in the Reactivation Request email. If the email doesn't bounce after 5 days, then you can also go back to the Edit Members page and click the Reactivate Now button to manually unbounce the member.

Note: The automatic unbouncing process can take several days before a user is sent email again.

Unsubscribe Member

To unsubscribe bouncing members:
1. Go to the group home page.
2. Click the Bouncing link under Members.
3. Check the boxes in the Remove column next to the members that you would like to remove from the group.
4. Click the Save Changes button.

Before removing any bouncing member, it is a good idea to send a courtesy email first to let the member know you are removing him/her from the list. Send the e-mail from the web site via the post option (by clicking the envelope under the bouncing member's name). An example of a courtesy e-mail for bouncing members can be found under ADMIN Notices.

At this point, if the account has been disabled on the member's side or is otherwise not responding, you will receive a failed mail delivery notice in your personal e-mail. Once that is verified for the last time, you can remove the member from the group. DO NOT BAN the member. Removing the member allows him/her to rejoin at a later date. Banning disallows all future activity with the group.

Yahoo defines their timeframe for removal at 6 months. Give your group members the benefit of the doubt on bouncing accounts. Your group should determine a timeframe for manual removal and make it policy. It is suggested that you give you bouncing group members enough lag time to give them the opportunity to check mail in case they are out of town on vacation, on Internet downtime, or just plain remiss on checking their email account. That is just simple courtesy on your part as a moderator.

Several things can cause accounts to bounce, one of which is an inactive account in which the member fails to login to their Yahoo Account. If the member has their group settings on "No Mail", you will never see a bouncing account. That is why it's a good idea to have your members on "Special Notices" as a minimum email requirement. With this email setting in place, your membership list remains current, reflects active members only, and identifies accounts not responding to group email. Your group totals will also be accurate, since membership includes all accounts, active or not.

Moderated/Not Moderated vs. Unmoderated

Properly Changing Member Settings
The three Posting Options available for Moderation are "Moderated", "Unmoderated" and "New Members". When a group is initially set up, New Members are placed on moderation. When you click "New Members", it means that all new members will be moderated until you change that group settings option. The default, or flipside of this Group Setting is an implied "Not Moderated", which often gets confused with Unmoderated.

Think of your group as being in a giant sandbox. When new members join the sandbox we like to keep an eye on them to make sure they are playing nice with others. Once we find that they are following the rules, we can click on "Use Group Posting Setting" which takes them off moderation (the flipside of moderated for group settings) but still keeps them within the confines of the sandbox and its rules.

If you choose to "Override your group posting setting" by clicking "Messages posted by this member are not moderated", you are putting those members on separate rules that do not follow sandbox guidelines. While it's true you no longer have to watch these members, if an emergency ever came up where you have to put all your members back on moderation, those who you have allowed to stray outside of Group Settings cannot be brought back into the group without having to track each one down separately and manually changing their settings back to "Group Posting Settings". This can be an extremely time consuming task depending on the size of your group.

If you take a look at a new member on your list under "Members", their status shows [Moderated]. This is located on the same page to the right of their name and appears under their email address, and above their method of delivery. If you click on "Use Group Settings" to change their moderation, you will see nothing for status unless you export your member list. In the exported member list their status shows up as "Normal". If you "Override your group posting setting" and click "messages posted by this member are not moderated" you will see their status as "Unmoderated" which falls outside the boundaries of Group Settings.

Hopefully that clarifies the difference between using the "Group Settings" Moderated option versus the "Override your group posting setting" unmoderated option. It can be a little on the confusing side at first but you should see the practical application of Group Settings as a benefit to your group as a whole.

ADMIN Notices - Bouncing Member

***Replace all XXX references with your local group name***

Example #1 - Bouncing Members Hello,

We noticed that your account has been hard/soft bouncing for quite some time now. Can you please check and ensure that you are receiving mail correctly from the XXX Freegive Group? If you think this message has reached you in error or you no longer wish to be a part of this Freegive Group, you may send an unsubscribe message to XXX-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

For any further questions you may have, please feel free to drop us a line. We'd be more than happy to clarify any additional issues you may have on this subject. Thank you!

Your XXX Freegive Moderators
XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com

Searching the Archives
Searching the archives is useful when you need to check on Offers and Wanted posts previously submitted by a member. In the case of a Wanted post, you can verify that the member is not posting more than your group guidelines allow. There are two methods used for searching the archives. They are described below.

The archives also maintain a permanent log of who is doing what on your group. Whether it's membership applications, incoming messages, or moderator activity, this is good tool to use for checking behind the scenes.

Wants and Offers by Members Post - Method 1
Go to the main front page and click on Messages. Type the member's user name or email address in the Search window, and click Go. If there are a lot of messages posted by the member, click next until you find what you are looking for. Sometimes you have to go back pretty far, or click on a specific message to check for items listed to verify what you are searching for. This method is limited because it only finds what has not been deleted from the message board. In other words, the message has to exist in order for this search to find it.

Wants and Offers by Members Post - Method 2
Another way to search is to again start from the main front page.

1. Click on Management.
2. When the page loads, click on Message Posts.
3. Type in the email address of the member in the Search logs window then click Go.

You will have to sort through the info that comes up to see what the member posted and when. This method lists every single message the member has sent whether it was approved or not. If it was posted to the community, it will read, "Approved message" next to it. If it was rejected or edited, it will read, "Moderated message". Members who are not moderated will have messages that read "Accepted". The downside to this search is it is VERY SLOW (some people have trouble with their computer timing out), and even though you can see the post, you can't see the whole message... just the first few words of the message.

The second option accesses the archives and shows every message ever posted by the member, even if it's been deleted from the message board. This is particularly useful if you regularly purge messages from your group to keep your message board current and uncluttered.

Web Activity
To browse member and mod web activity to include posted messages by a member or rejected messages by a mod, click Management >Web Features.

Email Commands
To show web activity ranging from unsubscribes, membership requests and message approvals, click Management > Email Commands. This shows all group activity.

Moderator Activity
Click Management > Mod Activity to find out who is doing what as a moderator. This is helpful to check moderator workload for message approval, or who booted a member or approved another. It's a good snapshot of the behind the scenes work. In the case of figuring out who changed your work on the front page, this is the link to check site policy changes and such.

Memberships
This gives a running log of members both approved and denied. Click Management > Memberships. This is also helpful to check on membership in the case where a member is having troubles posting to the group. Verification of membership can be checked here and researched accordingly.

Letter for New Members

Sometimes it's a good idea to poll your members on their reason(s) for leaving. It could be for something as simple as relocation, but perhaps there are underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Here are a few examples you can use for your files regarding Farewell Letters for your Freegive members. Simply copy and paste... and feel free to edit as necessary!

***Replace all XXX references with your local group name***

Example 1 - Letter

Dear Freegive Alumnus,

Thank you for helping to make The Freegive Group the special thing that it is. Now that you have unsubscribed, please realize that it can take Yahoo Groups up to 3 days to process. We apologize for the delay.

Trying to unsubscribe or switch to "special notices" or any other change generally delays the process even more (add a day for each additional change). Best advice: grin and bear it and you'll be free soon to continue your life beyond our little community online.

If there was something that we could have done to make your stay with us any better, please reply to this email and let us know. Your email will reach the group moderators.

May all your journeys be safe ones!

Your XXX Freegive Moderators
XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com

---

Example 2 - Letter

Dear Freegive Alumnus!

We certainly hate to see you leave the group. Is there something we can do to change your mind? If you could let us know the reason, maybe there's something we could do.

If you were getting too much mail, we want to make sure you know that you have the option of getting the Digest version (which brings up to 25 posts in one email) or the "special notices" version which would allow you to just read the posts on the home page (instead of receiving individual messages). If you would like to try one of those options, please rejoin and make the appropriate changes to your settings.

If someone said something that did not agree with you, we would like to know about it. Perhaps there's a problem that needs to be resolved. Or maybe you just didn't have time? We all seem to be so busy these days! If you'd like to come back to the group on "special notices" and just visit occasionally, you're more than welcome to do so.

Whatever the reason, we thank you for visiting us, and invite you back whenever you can stop by. The doors of Freegive are always open to you!

Your XXX Freegive Moderators
XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com

To rejoin XXX Freegive, follow this link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Your-Group-URL

---

Example 3 - Letter

Dear Freegive Alumnus,

We're sorry to see you leave. Thank you for having helped make The Freegive the special thing that it is.

We always wonder why people choose to leave the group.

Were you not sure what to give away? - Did you think you had nothing more to give? - Did you get frustrated?
- Were there too many emails?

We would love to hear from you what reasons you have for leaving. If it is something that can be resolved to maintain your membership, we would be glad to have you back.

For example, too many emails can be resolved by changing to Daily Digest from Individual Emails!! One email per day versus dozens!!

Please email us at XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com and let us know what prompted your leaving the group. If we can help you solve it, we will. If not, your feedback is still valuable to us.

Now that you have unsubscribed, please realize that it can take Yahoo Groups up to 3 days to process... our sincere apologies for the delay.

May all your journeys be safe ones!

Your XXX Freegive Moderators
XXX-owner@yahoogroups.com

---

Example 4 - Letter

I have received a request to unsubscribe you from the XXX Area Freegive, so if you received this auto-response email, your request is complete.

Please be aware that changes to your subscription, including un-subscribing, may take a day or two to go through the Yahoo system, so please be patient. Further attempts to unsubscribe may slow it down further.

If you are un-subscribing because you were feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of emails, remember you can choose the "DAILY DIGEST" or "SPECIAL NOTICES" rather than receiving individual emails. "DAILY DIGEST" gives you one email with all the messages for that day, and "SPECIAL NOTICES" means you only receive administration notices via email. Then you can just read the group messages on the main web page.

If you are leaving the group because you are moving away from the XXX area, please check www.Freegive.co.uk. You may find there is a group near your new home (or you may want to start a new group!)

If you did not request to be unsubbed, it was probably done because your email was "bouncing", meaning that for some reason, your email was not being delivered to the email account that you designated when you joined. Usually, that's because your email box is full. Check it, empty it out, and feel free to rejoin.

I hope you found the XXX Area Freegive group useful. If there was a reason you found the group not to your satisfaction, please let us know so that we may improve our service.

Thank You,

Your XXX Freegive Moderators

 Apply Now To Become Freegive Moderator

That's about it! If you have questions or problems that stump you, you can ask for help. Please feel free to contact us