SharingIsGiving.org Survey Revision by FcRCheck March 29, 2008 Earlier this month, the Nexteritis blog published a survey using two sets of randomly selected samples from the SharingIsGiving.org (SIG) freecycling group directory run by Ken Hedden, Sr., a former early activist with The Freecycle Network, Inc. (TFN), now an anti-TFN activist, a moderator of the FcNext Yahoo! Group, pastor of Believers United Christian Church and proprietor of the Wayfarer Motel in Schroon Lake, NY. The first data set (“Cycle One”) in the Nexteritis study was a sample of all U.S.-based listings in the SIG directory.  The second set (“Cycle Two”) was a sample of only those U.S.-based listings bearing the SIG brand name.  This report is based on a revised version of the “Cycle One” data set surveyed by Nexteritis. Why the revision? In the Nexteritis survey conclusion, they noted that although they performed an objective analysis of a random sample, their conclusion for each group evaluated sometimes involved a subjective decision.  They called their conclusion “viability” with a yes/no rating and a comment explaining when the rating decision was not for obvious reasons shown in their data, or involved subjective criteria. To avoid subjective observations about viability, we used a proprietary mathematical formula to establish an objective numerical rating for each group in the sample.  The formula calculated a viability rating based on several criteria normally associated with an effectively functioning freecycling group. Five of the 76 randomly selected samples used in the Nexteritis survey were removed from our revision.  See notes below about why we did that. Our survey sample consists of 71 links evaluated.  Our sample represents approximately 15% of all the SIG directory U.S.-based listings. How did our results compare with Nexteritis? The Nexteritis “viability” rating (see the “V?” column in our table below) concluded that of their 76 groups sampled, only 51% appeared to be what they called “viable, legitimate, active freecycling groups, or at least marginally or potentially so.”  Of our slightly smaller sample of 71 links evaluated, 35 of them (49%) had the Nexteritis “Yes” rating for viability.  We found this to be an inaccurately high number of truly viable groups. Nexteritis reported that they “tried to be liberal and generous about what we counted as viable groups.”  We found that in several cases where Nexteritis gave a group a favorable rating on a subjective basis, our objective mathematical formula did not. We found that all of the links deemed to be non-viable by Nexteritis earned numeric ratings of less than 10.  We found that 13 of the links Nexteritis reported as viable or marginally or potentially viable also earned numeric ratings of less than 10.  Looking at these sites from a subjective standpoint, they do appear to be either inactive or barely so, or not viable. Summary of Findings: Among our sample of 71 links … 13 links (18% of the sample) earned a rating of 0, either as dead groups, invalid URLs, or disqualified for not being truly freecycling groups by conventional definition as we understand it. 31 links (44% of the sample) earned a rating of 1 through 6, in all cases representing inactive or possibly illegitimate or non-viable groups. 6 links (8% of the sample) earned a rating of 7 through 10, representing questionably viable groups. Only groups that earned a rating above 10 appear to be viable, active, legitimate groups.  There were only 21 of these, or about 30% of the sample. FcRCheck’s Conclusions: 1.  Only 30% of the groups listed in the SIG directory are meaningfully established, reliably active, fully functioning freecycling groups. 2.  About 8% of them appear to be questionable, borderline viable, possibly having a chance of becoming viable, though not likely. 3.  The remainder (62%) represents entries that should not qualify for listing in a quality-run directory.  We agree with the Nexteritis conclusion that these are “junk listings.” 4.  SIG lacks effective quality control, and is not reliable as a tool for seeking a local freecycling group. Notes: 1.  WE REVIEWED YAHOO GROUPS ONLY.  Custom designed web sites and bulletin board services were removed from the original random sampling of groups made by Nexteritis.  These non-Yahoo groups were not evaluated because they do not make readily available the raw data needed for an accurate analysis.  However, these represent a statistically insignificant minority of groups.  Excluding them does not have a statistically significant impact on a directory’s overall quality assessment. 2.  Bucks County PA “Recycle It” group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BucksCounty_RecycleIt/) was removed from sample.  Their posting activity rate is inflated beyond reasonable usage for statistical purposes by loads of junk postings, commercial promotions, calendar reminders, etc.  We will post a separate blog entry reporting on this. 3.  “Texas Free Stuff” (http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas_Free_Stuff/ pointer to http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Just_Free_Stuff/) was removed from sample because it is not a geographically localized group link.  By conventional definition, freecycling groups are LOCAL.  However, if SIG wishes to include such things in their directory, we chose not to count it against their rating results by counting this as an illegitimate freecycling group. See survey data table below.

TABLE 1 – SIG CYCLE ONE SURVEY RESULTS.  Random sample of all U.S.-based entries in the SIG directory.  Fifteen percent of the U.S.-based list sampled.

#	ST	YAHOO! GROUP (as named in URL)	Date Created	Members	Avg. Posts / month	FcRC Rating	V?
01	AZ	SharingIsGiving-Mesa	20051025	144	19	26	Y
02	CA	SharingIsGivingButteCounty_CA	20051015	34	1	2	N
03	CA	bfree4all	20040222	1601	222	64	Y
04	CA	california.recycle4free.com – invalid URL				0	N
05	CT	SharingIsGiving-Meriden-Wallingford_CT	20070328	53	2	7	Y
06	DC	SharingIsGiving-WashingtonDC	20060819	51	0	5	N
07	FL	SharingIsGiving-Tampa_FL	20070429	102	19	26	Y
08	FL	CocoaBeach-CapeCanaveral-Fl-rCycle – invalid URL				0	N
09	FL	Lakeland_alternative_freebies	20050525	279	111	105	Y
10	FL	PAFBFreerecyclers	20070420	148	17	31	Y
11	FL	TitusvilleFl-rCycle – invalid URL				0	N
12	GA	GlynnFreeShare	20050213	8	0	0	N
13	ID	latahfreeexchange	20040903	684	140	66	Y
14	IL	SharingIsGiving_Champaign-Urbana	20051122	69	4	5	Y
15	IN	Anderson-FreeGiveAway	20040315	438	44	20	Y
16	IN	LigonierRecycle	20040905	33	5	3	Y
17	IN	WarsawIndianaFoodshare	20050808	76	1	4	N
18	KS	GoodlandHand2Hand	20041129	71	0	3	N
19	KS	Hand2HandWichita	20031116	4835	1490	416	Y
20	KY	SharingIsGiving-SouthCentral-KY – invalid URL				0	N
21	ME	SharingIsGiving_Southern-Maine	20051027	55	4	4	Y
22	MD	SharingIsGiving-Gaithersburg_MD	20060816	59	3	7	Y
23	MD	Maryland-FreeGiveAway	20041110	86	0	3	N
24	MA	MVFreeStuffNetwork	20040423	620	23	21	Y
25	MI	chelsea_recycle	20040419	882	140	82	Y
26	MI	Recyclers_of_Belleville_MI	20070125	16	1	2	N
27	MI	Recyclers_of_Northville_Plymouth_MI	20070124	19	1	3	N
28	MI	Recyclers_of_waterford_whitelake_MI	20070124	37	3	6	Y
29	MI	stclaircountymi_free_recycle	20060530	22	6	0	N
30	MT	polsonfreeshare	20060304	98	6	8	Y
31	NJ	SharingisGiving_GloucesterCamdenNJ	20060223	307	29	0	N
32	NJ	GivingTreeNJ	20041029	531	40	0	N
33	NJ	SussexCtyFreecycle – pointer to: SussexCountyRecycle	20050818	396	63	34	Y
34	NY	SharingIsGivingBuffalo_NY	20050913	80	1	4	N
35	NY	SharingIsGivingClintonCountyNY	20050208	24	1	1	N
36	NY	SharingIsGiving_Fulton-NY	20051116	21	2	1	N
37	NY	SharingIsGiving-MadisonCounty_NY	20060309	14	1	1	N
38	NY	SharingIsGiving-OswegoCounty_NY	20060317	52	1	4	N
39	NY	SharingIsGivingSchroonLakeNY	20050211	44	3	2	Y
40	NY	SharingIsGivingTiconderogaNY	20040508	36	2	2	N
41	NY	SharingIsGiving-YatesCounty_NY	20060317	13	0	1	N
42	NY	RochesterNYReUseIt	20031124	5469	2442	1204	Y
43	NC	SharingIsGiving_UnionCounty_NC	20051015	108	14	11	Y
44	OH	SharingIsGiving-Cincinnati_OH	20060825	171	20	23	Y
45	OH	sharingisgivingknoxcounty	20080118	37	9	41	Y
46	OH	FindlayOH_FreeShare	20050409	39	5	2	Y
47	OK	SharingIsGiving-BethanyWarrAcres_OK	20060815	54	1	6	N
48	OK	SharingIsGiving-Yukon_OK	20060815	60	2	6	N
49	OK	LawtonFtSillOKFreebies	20050223	333	105	0	N
50	OR	East-Multnomah-County-Sharing-is-Giving	20050817	84	2	4	N
51	OR	RogueValleyRecyclers-Medford	20070518	1084	512	181	Y
52	OR	EugeneFreeRecycle	20031020	2370	259	55	Y
53	OR	NewportOregonFreeShare – pointer to: LincolnCountyOregonFreeShare	20040506	127	5	4	Y
54	PA	YCPASIG – invalid URL				0	N
55	SC	SharingIsGiving_Charleston_SC	20051008	126	6	9	Y
56	SC	BeltonHoneaPathFreeshare	20040829	138	6	5	Y
57	SD	SharingIsGiving-BrookingsCounty_SD	20060917	15	1	2	N
58	TN	SharingIsGiving-GilesCounty_Tennessee	20060831	18	2	2	N
59	TN	SIG-Savannah-TN	20070515	17	4	5	Y
60	TX	SharingIsGiving_Austin	20050525	255	5	15	Y
61	TX	SharingIsGiving-CopperasCove_TX	20070321	24	6	7	N
62	TX	SharingIsGiving-Hillsboro_TX	20070807	33	4	10	Y
63	TX	SiG-McAllenEdinburgMission_TX	20060807	28	2	3	N
64	TX	SharingIsGiving_Pearland	20050225	584	98	49	Y
65	TX	SharingIsGivingWichitaFalls	20070716	98	49	55	Y
66	TX	kaufmanrecyclers	20041129	278	6	14	Y
67	VA	SharingIsGiving-Woodbridge_VA	20070731	48	2	3	N
68	VA	H-burgVA_FoodShare	20070120	2	0	0	N
69	WA	SharingIsGiving-PierceCounty_WA	20060317	69	0	4	N
70	WA	FreeHuntNorthPierceCounty	20050101	9	0	0	N
71	WV	SharingIsGiving-Lincoln_County_WV	20061026	32	0	0	N