resource July 2008

Norm's Notes

teresac — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:42:31 -0700

iWasteNot Systems Exchanges & Recycling Websites - a Green Community Resource

Most of us think of our materials exchange as a “green classifieds or marketplace” - such as a Green Craigslist or as the Freecycle Network ™ with essential software. But, when you stop and think, iWasteNot’s materials exchanges and recycling websites are actually a valuable networking tool and resource to your county, region, city, state or province, helping users work together to reduce their ecological footprint. This month’s issue of resource focuses on tweaking your website to engage your users and encourage them to think of your website as a green community resource. The articles and tutorials emphasize the importance of the decisions you make on your home page layout, the exchange information pane and the counters you display, how you use your news and email functions to reach out to users, as well as other tips to assist users.

Do you highlight how successful your exchange is by displaying the number of members, listings and exchanges?
Are you using the Recyclopedia to help users make good decisions on what to do with hard to recycle materials?
Can users reference the “Green Pages” Directories to find repair, reuse & recycling organizations or charities in their community, and hopefully close to their neighbourhoods?
Are your listings fresh?
Do you renew the NEWS?
Do you make suggestions through news and email to help users make the most of your green community website?
Do you ask for feedback from your users?

On another networking note, while the forum is a great place for discussion and brainstorming with other administrators, we are also beginning a monthly administrator spotlight. This month, meet Lorna Grube from Grays Harbor, Washington! As always, we value your feedback. Please visit the forums to share thoughts or suggestions on ways to improve the websites and continue to make them a vital green resource in your community. Wishing you success in reducing, reusing and recycling. Norm Ruttan

Home Page Layout

teresac — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:50:21 -0700

Because your Home Page is the first thing users see when visiting your exchange, it communicates a lot about the purpose of the exchange. By adjusting what content users see first, we can give them cues on how best to use the exchange.

Many exchange administrators tend to choose “Exchange News” as their first section of content as it gives the opportunity to communicate important or relevant information to users immediately. Some display “Free Items” immediately following their exchange news. This puts the focus on the exchange of free items that would otherwise end up in the trash, not necessarily on those items that are for sale. Some exchanges display a “Category List” which allows users to get right down to business if they are looking for a particular item or within a particular category. The “Newest Items” section may be useful if you have many daily visitors who only want to see recently posted items (you may also wish to highlight to your users how to set email alerts for specific categories – see July’s Tip of the Month). The focus of your exchange and type of users visiting your exchange are factors to consider when selecting which content to display on your home page, as well as the order and length of the content. You have up to 4 sections available on the home page in which to display the various types of content, and up to 9 possible types of content from which to choose.

Adjusting Home Page Content

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Layout Options

Then click Home Page Control Panel

Please note: not all the content options shown here are available on all exchanges. Also, while the “Listing Browser” option is available on all exchanges, it will not display properly on 3-column exchanges (i.e. Residential, Food Exchanges). Currently, only 2-column layouts can support the Listing Browser (i.e. Industrial, Biomass).

Streamlining the Content You Display

If you want to minimize user scrolling and streamline what is shown on your home page, you can do this in 2 ways:

Limit the number of sections by selecting “No Content” in one or more of the drop down boxes shown above

Adjust the number of news items and listings that appear in each section

News Items per Page

Using Maryland’s Agriculture Exchange (www.agtrader.org) as an example, you can see that they have chosen to only display 4 News Items per page. Users must click subsequent pages to see the rest of the articles

Listings per Page – Home Page

They have also chosen to display 10 Listings per page on their home page. This number will apply to any sections containing listings that you select to have shown as part of your home page content (All, Available, Wanted, Newest, Free). Users must click on subsequent pages to see more listings.

To adjust the number of listings or news items displayed on your home page:

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Main Settings (scroll down and you will see:)

Note: The “Listings per Page” option will determine how many listings appear in the listings browser and search results and specific listings pages, and are not reflected in your home page view.

Exchange Information Pane

teresac — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:46:11 -0700

The information you choose to display within your Exchange Info Pane can be a great indication to new users of how successful your exchange is. Users seem to respond better if an exchange appears 'busy'. When you first set up your exchange we suggest you consider this aspect and it is definitely worth review as your site grows in popularity. For example, you may wish to disable certain counters initially and then revisit these settings when more users have joined and successful exchanges have been made. You can adjust these settings as follows

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Layout Options

Scroll down to see the Exchange Info Pane options

Please note: Leaving all options blank will shut off the pane entirely. Can you think of any counters we are missing that might be useful in promoting the success of your exchange? Post your suggestions in the forum in the Features & Functions Suggestion Box.

Other points of consideration:

Your Exchange Administrator is...

Do you use your own name on the exchange? Sometimes it can make the administrator seem more friendly and accessible for user assistance. The Exchange Administrator name that appears in the Exchange Info Pane (which also links to the admin’s email) is pulled from the information entered in Main Settings.

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Main Settings

New Listings

How long do you have new listings set to appear? Are the same listings still showing up a month later? If you do not have frequent postings, would it be a better option to remove this counter until you have more users? You can change the time limit on new listings:

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Main Settings

Exchange News - Inform and Engage

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:54:51 -0700

The Exchange News section need not be limited to 'News'. Think of it as your means to broadcast information, invite participation and change minds. We'll get to the tutorial in a minute, but first, check out how other administrators are using this feature:

Welcome Message from the Administrator and/or Sponsor (see iWasteNot Davis for a great introduction for both users visiting your exchange and to send out to friends/family/colleagues to spread the word about your exchange. And, here’s another informative welcome message from Calgary Materials Exchange.)
Quick Start Guide containing rules of the exchange and reference to the help file (see Vancouver Reuses)
Your exchange in the news – share media coverage, press releases, awards announcement. Let us know too so we can highlight your success on our website! (See Pennsylvania’s Manure Trader)
Provide relevant information/articles on the environment, local programs, general tips (see Livingston Reuses and Hamilton Reuses)
Prompt users to spread the word and make use of the Tell-a-Friend Feature (see City of Newton Reusable Materials Exchange)
Invite users to submit newsworthy items or to be listed in your directories (see Maryland Agriculture Exchange)
Highlight members of your exchange in an article (see iWasteNot Davis, CA)
Cross promote other materials exchanges within your network and/or other types of sites within your state/province – for example, do the members of Pennsylvania’s Manure Trader know that there is also a Pennsylvania Material Trader? (Check out how the Columbia Shuswap Reuses site promotes others. And feel free to link to our Portfolio to show users a listing of ALL locations and types of exchanges.)
Share successes of other exchanges to trigger new ideas for items to be reused/donated (Check out these BC Industrial Materials Exchange success stories.)
Invite charities and non-profits to submit donation wish lists – create a separate category specifically for this and encourage users to check this for items they can donate (see Livingston Reuses)
Remind Users to post and search events for Yard Sales & Estate Sales (see City of Richland’s “We Reuse” Online Exchange)
Start a discussion forum for members of your exchange and let them know about it. Ask us about adding this feature to your exchange. (see Livingston Reuses)

How to post / edit news items:

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Manage the Exchange click News

When you click Add News Item you will see this screen below:

Be sure to check periodically and remove news items with outdated information or broken links.

To adjust the number of news items appearing on your home page:

Go to Admin Panel >> Under Configure the Exchange click Main Settings (scroll down and you will see:)

If you have any questions or suggestions about these features, please visit the forum to share your thoughts with us and each other.

Admin Poll - Spam Issues

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:32:25 -0700

Are you or your users receiving spam through the exchange? How much? How often? Please click HERE to share your experience so that we can gauge the extent of the issue.

Administrator Spotlight

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:23:06 -0700

Meet Lorna Grube< from Grays Harbor, Washington!

Administrator Since:		October 2007
Works with:		Utilities & Development Division
		Grays Harbor County Public Services
Exchange Website:		www.2good2toss.com/grays
Members:		3320
Listings:		1126
Successful Exchanges:		7001

My Experience as an Exchange Administrator

I have been employed at Grays Harbor County Public Services for 23 years, but transferred from Engineering Division to Utilities and Development in October 2007 as a Program Assistant - that is how I inherited the duties as Administrator for 2Good2Toss. This site was already up and running and very successful before I was hired on in this department. Advertising on radio, newspapers ads, local events and business cards at our local Grays Harbor County Fair are a few of the ways the public was notified of this program. Since this program was a new experience for me, I appreciated all personnel that could answer all my questions, no matter how small or complex, to get me ‘jump started’. I still depend on staff from all locations (in the 2good2toss network) to help me out and I seem to learn something new about the site’s operation and purpose on a daily basis.

Challenges & Successes

The most prominent issue I have is that members seem to ignore the ‘no animal listing’ rule. Although it is better than it used to be, there is still the occasional member that tries slipping it by me! I am blessed with support from ‘Department of Ecology’ and ‘iWasteNot Systems’ that assists me when I need to find information or solve issues.

Most Interesting Listing

There are so many unusual listings to sell, trade or give away, but so far my most memorable listing is a member advertising for a ‘female companion’. You can’t even imagine the pictures I had going through my mind – too good to toss and worth $99 or less!

On a Personal Note

I was born and raised in Grays Harbor County. I have always loved it here and consider it God’s country, even if it rains a lot. I enjoy spending time with my kids and grandkids supporting their sports activities and interests. My husband and I live in Elma with our little dog Beanie. I am known for my quick wit and comebacks - sometimes good, sometimes not so good! I have a joking type personality and use it regularly. Seahawks are my team of interest and can’t wait for the season to begin!! My goal in this life is to help make my family happy, make people smile and support my family and friends when they need me. So far so good!

New Exchanges

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:55:08 -0700

iWasteNot Systems is proud to introduce the SharedHarvest Food Exchange, a new online resource for communities to address issues related to food production, distribution and waste. This new type of exchange works like an online farmers' market and food bank rolled into one. By supplying a single donation point for what would otherwise be wasted food and a market-place to allow local producers to easily reach local consumers, the site can help to:

Reduce food waste
Benefit those in need
Catalyze a market for locally-produced food

Our FIRST SharedHarvest.net Food Exchanges are now going live in Maryland and Okanogan County, Washington. Contact us for details, if you think this type of exchange might help your community. Also, the iwastenot.com network continues to grow, with new exchanges popping up in:

Lane County, Oregon
Sacramento, California
Atlanta, Georgia
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

New Software Features

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:49:43 -0700

We are now operating on version 4.67.0 of the exchange software. A few new additions over the last month are highlighted below. Full detailed explanations can be found in the forum under Notices from iWasteNot Systems Staff (link). For exchanges utilizing the Interests & Reservations module:

It is now possible to view/edit/delete interests or reservations and whenever a request is made or changed, email notifications are now sent out to the appropriate party.

For exchanges that utilize the User County module, we added:

A new 'Counties' Administrator Control Panel
A drop-down list of counties from which to choose when users create an account
A browse by county drop-down in the Listing Browser that also includes a multi-county search option available through the Advanced Search interface.

For exchanges that utilize the Intended Use module:

A new 'Intended Use' Administrator Control Panel was added and a list of intended uses is offered through a drop-down to members posting 'Wanted' listings.

For exchanges which are focused on trading manure:

A new set of fields were added to the Post Listing form to capture 'Compositional Information' from chemical analysis of manure for display with listings. These new optional fields accept percentage values for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash.

And for those which use the Company Groups module:

A new report was added to give a list of member companies by the date the account was created, sorted by group.

Tip of the Month

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:35:07 -0700

Creating an email alert is an easy way for users to be automatically notified when new items in a category are listed. Alerts are sent by email on a daily basis. You may provide users with this link to download pdf instructions with screen shots: http://www.iwastenotsystems.com/user_guides/AlertTutorial.pdf Alternatively, you can give them this set of text instructions:

To Create an Alert

1. Sign in to your exchange 2. Click on My Account and you’ll see 2 tabs – Profile & Alerts 3. Click Alerts 4. Click Add New Alert 5. Select the Category for which you’d like to receive alerts & click Create 6. Click OK and you’re done!

To Delete an Alert

1. Sign in to your exchange 2. Click on My Account and you’ll see 2 tabs – Profile & Alerts 3. Click Alerts 4. Click the Remove Icon next to the Alert you wish to delete 5. You will receive a warning message, click Remove and you’re done!

Bits & Bytes

teresac — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:20:00 -0700

Check out this cool Eco-Minded Web Browser

Open your Flock: Eco-Edition browser daily for updated news, content, and media to feed your interest in global matters affecting our planet. Flock gives 10% of its proceeds to help the environment.