Message Maker
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What is it?
Message Maker is a general term for something which helps you construct a post in the right format to send to a Freegle or Freecycle group, and then helps you send it.
Do I have to use one?
No - you can submit posts via Yahoo or email if you like. These are just a way to help you get those posts right.
Are there different ones?
Yes, there are actually a few, and not all of them are available on all groups. So it can be a bit confusing, but the upside is that you may have a few different choices to find the one that suits you. Read on.
Ok, what are the different ones?
First, there's the Message Maker, which is a page which looks like this one. This is used on some Freegle groups.
- That lets you send a message either via email, or by posting via Yahoo.
- Not all groups have these, and most that do are in the UK.
- These have been around for a while.
The Freecycle website also provides two, very similar, Message Makers:
- When you search for groups from http://freecycle.org, there's a Post tab - for example this one. Let's call this the Public My Freecycle Message Maker. All Freecycle groups have one of these. It lets you construct a post and then send it via email.
- If your group uses My Freecycle, and you've registered with it, then you can also post from in there, once you've logged in. Let's call this the Registered My Freecycle Message Maker. Again, this lets you construct a post and send it via email.
Finally, the Internet Explorer and Firefox plugins (i.e. what this website is all about) are a kind of Message Maker.
- Your group has to have opted to enable use of this plugin.
- Once it has, and you've installed it, you just go to Yahoo's Post page as normal, and the plugin helps you construct posts which are of the right format for Freecycle.
What are the pros and cons of each?
Message Makers are great tools, because they help you get your messages right, which means they get approved sooner. So that's a big pro for all of them. The different ones have different pros and cons.
Message Maker
Pros:
- It's been established for a while, so it works, and lots of folk use it.
Cons:
- You have to remember to go to that web page and use it, rather than just use Yahoo, and it has a different look and feel, which you may find confusing.
- If you choose to send by email, it relies on your computer being set up properly to send emails when web pages ask it to (via the mailto: tag), which some computers aren't.
- Because of the way it works, it often leads to people posting messages twice.
Public My Freecycle Message Maker
Pros:
- It's easy to find - just search on the group from freecycle.org.
- It's available for all groups automatically.
- It's under active development, so you're likely to get extra features in future.
Cons:
- You have to remember to go to that web page and use it, rather than just use Yahoo, and it has a different look and feel, which you may find confusing.
- If you've not registered with My Freecycle and logged in to it, then it relies on your computer being set up properly to send emails when web pages ask it to (via the mailto: tag), which some computers aren't.
Registered My Freecycle Message Maker
Pros:
- It integrates with other My Freecycle features - for example, you can easily see a list of your own posts.
- It's under active development, so you're likely to get extra features in future.
Cons:
- Your group may not use My Freecycle, so it may not be available.
- You have to be signed in to My Freecycle, and go there to use it, rather than just use Yahoo, and it has a different look and feel, which you may find confusing.
Internet Explorer and Firefox Plugins
Pros:
- Once installed, you don't have to remember to use them - just go to the Post page on Yahoo.
- They work within Yahoo, so you're working in just one place, and have a Yahoo look and feel.
- You can see and work with your own posts.
- It greys out posts that are no longer active.
- They're under active development, so you're likely to get extra features in future.
Cons:
- Your group may not have opted to use them, so they might not be available.
- You have to install some software on your machine, which you might be reluctant to do.
Which should I use?
Which of these you use is your choice. Broadly speaking:
- If you're happy with Yahoo but just wish it was a bit more friendly for Freegle, you should use the plugins.
- If you don't mind using a separate website that feels a bit different, you might like to try My Freecycle or the Old Message Maker (if your group has them).
If you find it confusing that there are so many ways of posting messages, then just pick one and stick to it. Obviously I like the plugins :-).
