As a social media manager, I keep a personal Facebook profile in order to manage the pages under my purview (as well as this blog's!), and for one other reason: groups.
I'm a member of a few different Facebook groups that I love and check in on every day:
- One for women who are in same-sex partnerships and trying to get pregnant (this was a wonderful resource and support when we were trying to conceive a few years ago)
- A knitting group comprised of 90,000 people around the world!
- A group for parents of toddlers who are all Miles's age
- Our local Buy Nothing group
If the Buy Nothing Project is new to you, I'm excited to be the one to make the introductions. It's a network of hyper-local gift economies that use Facebook as a platform – and I love it. In the group, members post one of two ways:
- A request (an object they're looking for)
- An offer (an object they no longer need, want, or use)
Other members leave comments on the post either offering to fulfill the poster's request, or stating their interest in picking up the offer. The original poster picks a recipient and then communicates with them via private message to coordinate gifting of the item. Sometimes gifts of time or service are also offered. And that's the best part – everything offered in the group is free. No money, no trades, no bartering.
If you were to come to our front porch on an average day, you'd see all kinds of things sitting out on the bench waiting to be picked up and taken to their new homes. We've benefited so much from this group; not only do people come and take the things we don't want or use anymore (for free), keeping them out of a landfill in a lot of cases, but we've picked up some beloved toys, books, and more! Just off the top of my head: a jogging stroller, a rocking toy that looks like a cow (it lives on the front porch; see above!), a magnetic doodle board, a tricycle, lots of hand-me-downs for Miles, a sweater for me, dollhouse furniture, and a Kelty hiking backpack.
I love feeling like I'm saving something from being thrown away – and obviously saving money doesn't hurt either! This Facebook group, and the others to which I belong, also help me feel connected to community. That's a really good feeling.
