Postcard Exchange!

[antda 13]

Ashenflowers-Good luck with the volunteer gig...It's really nice that you are helping the animals out there..

As for the August list...Can you start by posting that one...So that we can at least keep track of that before we move on to August?

Now as for the September list...First thing is first..We need to 'clean up' and decide as to who is participating or not...

We can't just assume that those who are participating for August will be participating for September.....

So we need to get this sorted out first, before we move on.....

As others have noted too..Those that aren't participating should be removed off of the list..

How about if we have September as a "new start", in regards to the exchange?

And yes, it would be great if you can provide a main list as to the past participants, to confrim whether or not they would like to re-join....

I would especially like to see those re-join, who have left because they were disappointed that they didn't receive their cards....As they need a second chance here to see that the postcard exchange really does work, especially under new guidelines where all is fair, fun, and safe for all that are particpating.....

As well, we need to figure out who is co-ordinating for future exchanges....

Again, I don't mind helping out with that, but as I mentioned before, I can only do so on a part-time basis, as I can't do everything myself (nor can anyone else for that matter), and I have other commitments too...

Instead would like to see some sort of co-ordinating team, of two or more persons to help out with the exchange...

That way, the co-ordinating can be divided equally and if there are any disputes, there is more that one person to turn to for help and further assistance....

So I can volunteer be one of the co-ordinators on a part-time basis, if you are all ok with that....

But I would need someone else to co-ordinate with me...

Two (or more) heads are better than one..

As for the responsibility of non-sent cards...

First of all, it is the responsibility of the sender to ensure that their cards make it to the reciver. If for any reason the cards should arive late, or not at all, then the receiver can PM the sender and inquire further....And replacement cards can be sent if need be for lost/misplaced cards...

If the sender does not acknowledge the PM, nor provides an explaination as to why the cards are not sent, and the card/replacement card is not sent at all....Then they are given a warning....Then if this happens time and time again, then the three strikes rule can be enforced by the co-ordinators....

This is outlined in guideline 6, as stated before.....

And to everyone-Again, this shouldn't be any problems if we all play fair and fun and follow the guidelines...

Send you cards...Receive a card......Simple, right?.....

Ant

Thanks for your responses everyone.

I have several meetings today for an animal shelter I volunteer with, so I will not be on the computer much (if anyone expects immediate replies to any questions).

This is the most recent exchange list based on August's draw.

1.* Ant+D+BabyA

2.* Canadiandggal

3.* Christi and Ian

4.* Colleens

5.* coraliesolms

6.* JLovesA

7.* Kathryn41

8.* Kayla*Mathew

9.* kizza

10.* lilacvioletiris

11.* OBX

12.* Pauley

13.* sdw

14.* SupportGeek

There is also Chickaflick, but she has stated that she is unable to participate in September's draw, so the new 'leader' may want to coordinate with her to see if she is ok to come back in going forward. I could also provide the main list of all past participants if you wish, in case anyone wants to follow up to see if people would like to rejoin.

If whoever decides to take this over could please email vjpostcards @ gmail.com, I will be able to get them set up with that email address, and make sure the contact information for the participants is made available to them.

One thing I'd like to note is that this all seems started under the assumption that just one or two people are responsible for all the missing cards thus far. I personally do not think that is the case (at least not by someone who just decided not to send the card on purpose), so perhaps that should be researched by someone who is concerned about this before conclusions are drawn.

Good luck with the exchange going forward.

[antda 13]

This is just getting out of hand. So if I choose not to pm the sender of my missing card I should not post anything on VJ about not receiving a card as that would be considered "complaining"! How about I post in the vent thread? Would that be okay and not contravene any of the postcard exchange guidelines?

I vote we adopt flames suggestions.

OBX-Ummmm...It was getting out of hand before when people were not sending and not receiving their cards..

Again, you can PM about your missing cards...

And if you choose to pursue such, then that is fine....And if you don't, that is fine too.....

Though I think that you are more likely to get to the bottom of the problem of your missing card, when you inquire further about it, directly through to the sender, via PM and whatever else, that's all....

The PM thing is more of a solution....Not an additional problem...

Also, further action taken by the co-ordinators is more of a solution too..Not an additional problem....

If you speak up about it through the sender and/or through the co-ordinator then you will find a solution to the problem....

Then who knows, maybe your missing card won't be missing too...

You can also post on the postcard exchange thread too.....

But if you want something done about it...Then speak up about it...through the sender and/or the co-ordinator...

Just like what we do here on VJ...when we are not happy about something...Post about it on the boards, send a message via PM, or if it gets really out of hand post to the moderators about it...

Otherwise, if you are happy with not receiving your cards, and are content with that...Then don't say anything......That's all...

Ant

Edited August 19, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[antda 13]

Everyone-

If you are participating in the postcard exchange and are sending and receiving your postcards on time...

Send 1 postcard a month, Receive 1 postcard a month.....It's not that hard, really......

The you are already responsible and showing the commitment to be in the exchange by doing that and are following through with what you signed up for here...

And yes, those type of people are always welcomed in the exchange.....

And there shouldn't be any problems if you are playing this way....

But if this is not your purpose, and you can't participate...Then maybe this postcard exchange isn't for you...

Participating is optional....But if you want to stay, fine....Play fun, fair, and safe.....

Remember...The guidelines are there to help, and to make the postcard exchange more fun, fair, and safe for everyone....

That's all....Happy postcarding, everyone!

Ant

Edited August 19, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[ashenflowers 5]

Ok, not to digress too much, but I just got back into this thread today, and there's a lot to read since my last post this morning. First I can say LMAO @ Flames, and @ Kayleigh+Kyle: Sorry I didn't have you in the list Kayleigh, but I have you in my contact sheet. My bad, but you're not forgotten!

Anyhoo... I was in a car accident this morning (I'm fine, fender bender) so I'm like... uh.. yeah.. It's been a busy day. LOL So I will respond asap to whatever I see in here that I need to address, but asap might mean tomorrow. Just a heads up. lol

(edited to add: you might see my posting elsewhere on VJ tonight, but it'd just be mindless dribble that doesn't require a lot of thought. I want to be able to really read and process what's going on with the exchange and reply properly, and right now my brain is a little mushy... haha.. which is also why I might wait til tomorrow)

Edited August 20, 2010 by ashenflowers

[antda 13]

Ok, not to digress too much, but I just got back into this thread today, and there's a lot to read since my last post this morning. First I can say LMAO @ Flames, and @ Kayleigh+Kyle: Sorry I didn't have you in the list Kayleigh, but I have you in my contact sheet. My bad, but you're not forgotten!

Anyhoo... I was in a car accident this morning (I'm fine, fender bender) so I'm like... uh.. yeah.. It's been a busy day. LOL So I will respond asap to whatever I see in here that I need to address, but asap might mean tomorrow. Just a heads up. lol

(edited to add: you might see my posting elsewhere on VJ tonight, but it'd just be mindless dribble that doesn't require a lot of thought. I want to be able to really read and process what's going on with the exchange and reply properly, and right now my brain is a little mushy... haha.. which is also why I might wait til tomorrow)

Ashen-Hope you are ok from the accident.....Lucky it was just a minor fender bender and nothing more than that...

No problem if you need to take more time to respond...Better late than never, as I like to say.....

As yes, there are lots of things to read about and consider on this message thread too...

So don't worry if you need more time for that....

Again, we all want to work together to make this postcard exchange a success...

Let's see a "new start and a postive change" for the postcard exchange!

Ant

P.S. Btw...I sent you an e-mail...heads up on that one too....lol....

[ashenflowers 5]

First of all: August's List

Sender......... Receiver

* Ant+D+BabyA .....* Christi and Ian

* ashenflowers .....* Colleens

* Canadiandggal .....* Chickaflick

* Chickaflick .....* Canadiandggal

* Christi and Ian .....* coraliesolms

* Colleens .....* JLovesA

* coraliesolms .....* Kathryn41

* JLovesA .....* Kayla*Mathew

* Kathryn41 .....* kizza

* Kayla*Mathew .....* lilacvioletiris

* kizza .....* OBX

* lilacvioletiris .....* Pauley

* OBX .....* sdw

* Pauley .....* SupportGeek

* sdw .....* Ant+D+BabyA

* SupportGeek .....* ashenflowers

Second, I'd say the list is pretty current actually. It changes monthly. That said, for September: I am out, Chickaflick has said they can't participate in Sept. and Kayleigh+Kyle is in. See? Changes already.

Other than that, I really think that aside from me asking everyone individually to tell me if they are or aren't in (and frankly, I have done that via this thread, and when I send the draw results monthly) there's not much I can do to keep it more current. If someone wants to email all the other people who've participated in the past and see if they want back in, go ahead (see list below). lol But I figure if people want back in badly enough, they'd say so.

Also, who are all these people who have dropped out specifically because of not getting their postcard?? I know of ONE person who said that... and they were actually someone was only interested in participating for one month anyways, so that's not really why they dropped out.

Below is the 'main' list of everyone who's participated in the past (including a couple who mentioned interest but I didn't hear anything further from thme when I contacted them individually). As you can see, it's already been 'cleaned up' quite extensively. It's not like the current draw list is horribly outdated and in desperate need of cleaning up, like is being implied. Because I DO assume, and I think it's quite fair to assume, that unless someone specifically tells me they don't want to participate for a certain month or at all any more that they are in for the next. That is the exact point of asking if people want to participate ONGOING. They know it's a monthly, recurring draw. It was everyone's responsibility to inform me (and going forward the new 'team') if they choose to not participate any more. As said, the monthly email of the draw results is a reminder as well, in case they forget they didn't want in. I like to think people have been very good at informing me if they want out of the exchange.

Full list:

Ant+D+BabyA

ashenflowers

Bern.

Canadiandggal

CdnMN

Chickaflick

Christi and Ian

Colleens

coraliesolms

Dan and Ali

Hugglebuggles

JLovesA

Kathryn41

Kayla*Mathew

kizza

Leonsgal70

lgg

lilacvioletiris

LilMermaid

Marilyn

OBX

Pauley

sdw

SupportGeek

steflovesbran

tHund3r

Y&E

I don't want to say much more on this topic, other than I need to know who to send the contact information to. I also find it amusing that I was somewhat ridiculed for not having time to add extra responsibilities with enforcing the guidelines, but now a team of 2-3 people is going to be required to run this exchange. Does that tell anyone anything? Just putting that point out there....

[Flames9_RN 358]

For the record, i wasn't ridiculing anyone!! Sorry if you took it that way

[JlovesA 109]

And on a totally different topic...I mailed my postcard today from busy downtown Toronto. So if you receive a postcard with a scene of Toronto on it...it's from me!

[ashenflowers 5]

And on a totally different topic...I mailed my postcard today from busy downtown Toronto. So if you receive a postcard with a scene of Toronto on it...it's from me!

hahah that's more like LOL

[Marilyn. 340]

oh Ashen I wasn't trying imply anything like that.. sorry if you took what I sad the wrong way

[antda 13]

Sdw-I just received your August postcard today....

What a surprise it was, indeed, as I really wasn't expecting a card from you (I thought you sent your card to someone else, when you mentioned recently that you were going to send a card..)...

Thank you for sending such, and yes, I did enjoy it....

I like it too, that it was homemade and showed a photo of Niagara Falls on it....

(it was a scene of the rapids/whirpool and the rocks below.....)

What a great scene...

And yeah, the swirly blues and white colours of the rapids mixed together makes for an interesting postcard too.

The scene of Niagara Falls reminded me of the recent VJ meetup too....(which I think you took the photo from)...

It was nice to meet you and your family there that day for the meetup...

Good luck with the football coming up for your son! Go NT (insert name of team here)! And hope your daughter and the rest of your family enjoy the summer and visiting Canada too, before back to school time coming up....

Thanks again for your August postcard....

And yes, people like you make the postcard exchange fun...By sending cards and by the receivers getting their cards....Thanks again...

Ant

And may the rest of you too, receive your August and other postcards in the postcard exchange! After all, what is a postcard exchange, without postcards....lol.....

Happy Postcarding, Everyone!

Edited August 22, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[antda 13]

P.S. Ashen-Thanks for posting the August list and for posting the complete postcard participants list...

I'll reply more to your post and other posts on VJ in the next few days or so, as right now there is a storm/flood watch headed our way, and I'm going to be losing my dialup internet connection again, until the storm lets up.....

Nevertheless, hope we get this all sorted out.....So that we can continue on with the exchange....

Ant

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Ant, it sounds to me like you would be the most appropriate person to take over this responsibility from Ashen. She has said she isn't up for continuing it and it is obviously very important to you, so I 'nominate' you as the new Postcard Director.

(That's actually how I inherited a position as Chair of a specific committee that I actually held - and enjoyed - for a number of years. I made suggestions that I thought would help out - and found myself handed the 'job' I felt it was only fair under the circumstances to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak ).

[Chickaflick 0]

Hey guys =)

Yeah with my interview in a few days, I'm probably safer staying out of Septembers draw because I'll either be moving to GA or crying in my cereal because I was denied lol! Either way I'll hop back in for October with a new address!!

Also Kathryn! You are so terribly adorable! Thank you for sending me a card for my missing one in June. Not necessary but completely thoughtful and appreciated!! How sweet of you and thank you!!

[Canadiandggal 49]

Hey chickaflick

Did you get my august postcard yet?