We have started a Freecycle mailing list focusing on The Colony, TX.

The Colony Freecycle(TM) is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself!

Non-profit groups are welcome and encouraged to participate! While businesses are encouraged to participate on the list, this list is not designed to completely outfit your new business. Please bear this in mind when making requests.

Everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages. The Freecycle Network is a non-profit organization and a movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills while building a sense of community. Check out The Freecycle Network for other cities and national Freecycle info at Freecycle.org

Email the Moderators for questions or improvement ideas about the The Colony Freecycle Group!

FREECYCLE MEMBERS USE FREECYCLE GROUPS AT THEIR OWN RISK. Please take reasonable measures to protect your safety privacy when posting to group lists or when completing a direct gifting with another member. By joining a Freecycle list, you agree to hold neither the list owners, moderators, nor anyone affiliated with The Freecycle Network responsible or liable for any circumstance resulting from a Freecycle-related gifting or communication.

Do not post your address in your post, please wait until you have received a reply and give your address only to those that have responded. Giving a general area in your post is encouraged.

QUICK GUIDE TO CORRECT SUBJECT LINE FORMAT: (Use ONLY one per message)

OFFER	- item -	location/zip code
TAKEN	- item -	location/zip code
WANTED	- item -	location/zip code
RECEIVED	- item -	location/zip code

Post messages to the list:	freecycle@thecolony.com
Subscribe in Normal Mode:	freecycle-join@thecolony.com
UnSubscribe from the list:	freecycle-leave@thecolony.com
To contact the Moderators:	ListModerator@TheColony.com

Site Layout Improvements

We have made a few changes to the page layout of the site. In the right column on the public (not logged in) home page you can now see the most recent message forum posts. We hope this will let more people know about this feature of the site and encourage them to participate.

We have also added this to the Members home page which is displayed once you login.

Additionally, we have added the most recent new members to the right side column on the members home page (Desktop). Use this to get to meet more members of the site. We will look to change this to show random members vs. just the most recent one. If you have any suggestions for improvements to the site, please let us know.

Remember this is a social networking site, so get social and meet your fellow residents!

TheColony.com

We have added a few new topic sections to the message forums, please check them out and give us your feedback. Additional sections can be added on user request.

Additionally, we have added the most recent forum message headings to the side panel on the main home page as well as the member login desktop page. That should make more people aware of the existence of the forums.

FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of
Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan peanut butter or Great Value peanut butter due to risk of contamination with Salmonella Tennessee (a bacterium that causes foodborne illness). The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111." Both the Peter Pan and Great Value brands are manufactured in a single facility in Georgia by ConAgra. Great Value peanut butter made by other manufacturers is not affected.

We have added a selection of Valentines Day eCards to the site. Send your special Sweetie an eCard today to show them how much you care!

And remember, you can schedule eCards to be delivered in the future. So get out your calendar and create your eCards today for delivery in the future. All for free!

We will be adding more cards in different categories as time goes on. We are interested in your pictures to add to the site in the eCards section as well. Contact us if you have some pictures or suggestions.

Regards,
TheColony.com

Welcome to your community home on the Internet.

We are still making some changes and tweaks to the site. There will be a few interface changes (shouldn't be anything too extreme!) as well as learning more about how some of the modules function.

At this time, the video upload feature is limited. Currently you can embed video clips from sites such as YouTube as well as upload small video clips. 

We are also developing a business directory (we have tons of information, just need to do the coding!). There will also be information about our Elected City officials. We are not sure if these folks will be interested in managing their own profile and information. We certainly hope they do. If not, then we will post their public bio and contact information on the site along with their official contact information.

We will contact each of them directly with a suggestion that they manage their own profile. Please encourage your elected officials to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Suggestions for Forum topics are greatly appreciated. We may be integrating a 3rd party message forum into the site shortly. We want to see how well the built in one works first. The developers of this software have announced the next update will include a poll feature as well as a number of other improvements. That update is expected to be released around April.

Don't forget to check out the chat and instant messenger features. If you are logged in and one of your friends logs in, you will be notified by a little pop-up window. 

As always, your suggestions are highly welcomed!

TheColony.com