Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Welcome!


Welcome to the official blog of The Benevolent Postcard Society — thanks so much for being a part of the project! This is the place for members to find out what's new, post comments, ask questions and share info. And now — here's the detailed info (in a question and answer format) on the project as promised! Leave a comment if you have any questions and I'll respond as soon as I can (or someone else might be able to help you out, too).


Q. How exactly does this work?

A. Send a happy postcard. Get a happy postcard. That's pretty much it. Each month you'll send a postcard to a different person — and each month a different person will send a postcard to you. At the end of the year, you'll have 12 postcards from 12 different people.


Q. How do I get a mailing address to send my postcard to each month?

A. Towards the end of each month for the next 12 months, I'll email you the randomly selected address of the person you'll be sending your next postcard to for the coming month. For example, towards the very end of this month (August) I'll email you an address for the September 1 mailing.


Q. When do I send my postcard?

A. The postcards should go out on the first of each month, starting September 1 2009. If for some reason you can't make it to the mailbox until the next day, that's fine — just remember that some postcards have quite a distance to travel, and the sooner they go the faster someone else will get your amazing postcard!


Q. Should I write something on the back of the postcard besides the address?

A. Sure! But keep it short and sweet, and of course positive. The point is to bring a smile to the face of whoever is lucky enough to find your postcard in their mailbox. So, it could be a simple "Hello!" or "Have a great day!" or a friendly short poem or haiku, or a cheerful quote that you'd like to share. Add your name and you're done! If you're still uncertain about what to write, you can even do a little drawing or a smiley face, which would be nice to get, too! The one thing I would ask you to bear in mind is that we are a diverse group from all over the world, so there should be nothing overtly religious or political in your message. But you know that already.


Q. When will I get my own postcard that month?

A. It depends on where your postcard is traveling from! Our members are scattered all over the world, so if you're in, say, Canada and your postcard is traveling from Estonia, you may need to give it an extra week or so. If you don't receive anything by the end of the month, though, let me know and I'll look into it. Sadly the mail system isn't perfect, so there may be the occasional postcard that goes astray. If that should happen (and I certainly hope it won't), I'll make it up to you and ensure that a replacement is sent.


Q: Any dos and don'ts about the actual postcards?

A. If you're making your own postcards (or are embellishing found ones) and are gluing things on — such as adding collaged photos, wax seals, or even sparkles — I highly recommend sending it in an envelope. The automated sorters that the post office uses are really good at tearing off anything like this, as they're designed to process plain flat envelopes and not anything with interesting contours.

Also, be sure to check with the post office if you're sending a postcard that isn't the usual size or weight — either of which will mean you'll need to add extra postage. It would be so disappointing to have a postcard returned to you just because you're a few cents short!

The subject matter of the postcards is entirely up to you. I know some people are doing beautiful handmade postcards, others plan on sending antique postcards, some are busy collecting postcards from museums and art galleries, while others have gathered together quirky or amusing postcards that they've found at flea markets and souvenir shops. Again, bear in mind that it shouldn't be something that could easily be taken the wrong way (i.e. something rather risqué) unless you know well the person you're mailing it to. I don't want to act as a censor, so again use your own excellent judgment.


Q. What happens after we've sent and received our postcards for one year?

A. The original plan was to have a gallery show locally of the postcards after the project wraps up in September 2010, which is still something I plan to do for those members who live here in town. But because this has become such a large and diverse group (thank you all!) I'll also be doing a book that will feature all the postcards that were sent and received throughout the 12 months of the project. To that end, I'll ask that you hang on to all the postcards you receive, as I'll need you to mail them all to me once we're done for inclusion in the book. You will of course be both credited in the book AND will have your postcards returned to you once I've photographed them for publication. Please note that all personal info such as mailing addresses on the postcards will be electronically removed by me from the final photographs to preserve the privacy of our members.

I hope that's been helpful — leave a comment if you'd like a little more detail on anything, and thanks so much again!

35 comments:

Daniella said...

This is going to be fun!

Belen said...

I'm so friggin' excited! I've already got 8 postcards I picked up from an antique store the other day. They're waiting for their addresses! :)))

A Life So Peachy said...

Thanks Lori- This is going to be great, thanks so much for the brilliant idea & organising! jess

Karyn said...

I'm so excited!! Really, more that I should be.

Unknown said...

I'm so excited~!!! yip yip yip!

Alicia Baker said...

This is going to be fun! I do have one question though: What if our address changes? Should we just email you our new address?

Lori said...

Hi Alicia! Yes, you can just email me your new address!

Lori
:-)

leah said...

I can't wait to get my first addess!

Casey said...

Wonderful! I'm very excited to get started.

Unknown said...

I'm so glad I got a chance to be part of this. My 7 year old daughter and I have put a bulletin board up in our kitchen for the post cards!

Anonymous said...

This is so exciting! My first post card is going to be from Peru beacuse I'm going there TODAY!

rachael said...

fantastic...such a great idea! i'm excited to be participating.

Beth said...

I've been doing a monthly postcard exchange with 2 friends and am excited about expanding to Society members! Big fun!!

Linda [Forever Champagne] said...

Thrilled to participate; thanks Lori for initiating the project... can't wait!

Anneke (Mudhooks) said...

Can't wait!

Casey said...

I'm so excited to start this! I really love your idea of doing a book also

Claire Mercado-Obias said...

I can't wait to start! I'm already sorting through my postcard collection =)

Teri said...

Hi Lori! This is great! I'm so excited that I already started designing my first! I'm glad you started the blog, that was a wonderful idea! Thank you for the fun! xo

Kelly said...

looking forward to getting my first address :)

xo
Kelly

Micaela said...

I'm looking at all of you and am excited that one of you may get my address.

I comissioned my favourite artist to make postcards for me of my favorite prints- i am THAT excited!!! and I'm so excited to see the book already. What a great idea. BRILLIANT!!!! it's wonderful to be a part of it.

Lori- just so you know, you were totally not overloading us on fb ;)

The Missive Maven said...

Thanks for the excellent project and the thorough explanation, Lori. I am so excited to participate! It's good to be warned from the get-go that I'll be sending the postcards to you at the end of the year; I'll know ahead of time to save them in a proper place instead of lose them. :-)

Rene said...

Thanks for organizing Lori! The San Francisco contingency is ready to go!

Lori said...

Can I just say right now how awesome you guys all are? Thanks so much — I can't wait for this to start, either!!!

:-)

Ellie said...

:D I'm SO so excited to be part of this!! There's nothing like having real mail to open :)

Hedy said...

Thank you Lori. I am looking forward receiving the first 'Benevolent Society' postcard.

Gave That said...

This is wonderful Lori and the blog is super helpful, have added it to my watch list and looking forward to sending people things once everything gets started. Will be super interested in getting sticky fingers on any book at the end. Wishing you much peace, M.

Donna said...

I share the sentiments of those that came before me here Lori, and I can't wait to begin! Thanks for including me in your beautifully inspired project - I am so excited!

Marie said...

Cannot wait to get started. This is gonna be GREAT!!

avant garde design said...

looking forward to sending and receiving. such old fashioned fun...cannot wait!

A. said...

Sorry if this is a silly question, but should we sign the postcard with our full names?

Lori said...

Hello A! No question is too small to be answered here — and chances are someone else has wondered, too! You can sign your postcard with your full name or with just your first name — it's up to you.

:-)

Taylor said...

This is such a fun idea! In the day of e-mail, getting a real, handwritten note is so great.

How does one get involved in the next round?
Thanks!

Benevolent Postcard Society said...

Hi Taylor,

Unfortunately we're just wrapping up the BPS, so we're not taking on any new members. Thanks so much for your interest!

:-)

Taylor said...

Will you be doing this again, then?

Benevolent Postcard Society said...

Hi Taylor,

At this point it seems unlikely. The BPS was conceived of as a one year project — one that's turned out to be a lot of work, too!

Thanks again for your interest,
Lori