Brazil Postcard Exchange Update

A quick note for BPS members participating in the Brazil postcard exchange with Hane — she's had a bit of a setback as she didn't get the financial support she'd hoped for, but this month Hane's changing to a new (and better!) job and will be looking into starting the exchange at her new workplace once she's settled in. I'll update you again once I have more news, too.


(vintage brazil postcard via miludica on flickr)

What's Next

We're gearing up for the very last mailing on September 1 — and once the addresses have been emailed, we'll be sending out another email a week or so after it with info on what to do with your collection of postcards. Basically, if you'd like the postcards you've received to appear in the book, you'll need to send them to me. If you'd like them returned once I've scanned them, I'm happy to ship them back to you — all I ask is that you send me a small amount via PayPal to cover the return postage. I'll have more details in the official email about this, but I just wanted to give you a bit of advance notice so you can decide what you'd like to do. Thanks so much again for making the BPS so much fun — I couldn't have done it without you!!!

:-)


(postcard wall photo from homelife, via from the right bank)

No May Mailing!

The warm weather is finally here, and with the change in season comes a change for many of our BPS members — a new home! Recently we've received a lot of change of address emails, which isn't surprising as many BPS members are students — the end of term means many members are busily moving right now. With this in mind, we've decided to take a little mailing break in May while everyone gets settled in. So, there'll be no BPS postcard mailing in May.

This pause in mailing is also an opportunity for us to update the database and confirm that everyone currently listed on there is still an active member. So, in a day or two you'll be receiving an email about our May break, with a request — if you plan to continue participating in the BPS, we'll ask that you respond to the email by May 15 to confirm you'll still be a BPS member when we resume in June. We want everyone to be a happily participating member — and rest assured that if you do decide to withdraw, you'll still be a valued member for the time you were with us. Thanks!

Have a wonderful spring — and thanks so much as always for your fantastic postcards, your enthusiasm and your support. There would be no BPS without you!

Best,
Lori

(photo by Jackie Rueda)

The Strange Case of the Missing British Postcards

With a few months of the BPS now behind us, certain patterns are beginning to emerge regarding mail delivery — and the most striking has been the ongoing issues we're having with postcards going to (or out of) Britain. It's quite extraordinary — nowhere else (and we mail all over the world) has there been such a problem getting postcards to or from one particular destination. As there's nothing we can do about a postal service that appears to be so lackadaisical, the next best thing I can do is let everyone know the situation and be aware that if postcards don't show it's not the senders — it's the mail. Thanks for your understanding!


(photo of silent film actor William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes via Scott Monty)

Follow Ups

A quick note to say thank you for all your emails about not receiving postcards for various months — I'll be busy following up on these over the next few days and will respond to each of you individually when I find out where they are (or aren't, as the case may be). Hopefully through this process I'll be able to sort through and remove the non-senders, so we can be sure that the BPS is a collection of happily committed members!

xo


(lovely photo by Cori Kindred, via Beauty in Everything)

Getting Ready

The October mailing is coming up soon! Before we gear up again, I'd like to go over a few things with you. Read on for more ...

1. We're putting the finishing touches on our shiny new app that will randomly select and email addresses for the monthly mailings (huge thanks again to my amazing bro Greg for designing and building this)! We'll be testing it this week.

2. Some members are still waiting for their September postcards. If you're one of them, please bear in mind that many are being mailed from quite a distance, and give the postcards until this Friday (September 25) to arrive in your mailbox. If you haven't received yours by then, let me know and I'll follow up as best as I can. Which brings me to:

3. I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to mail out your postcards on the first of the month. As some of you are discovering, mailing to another country can take weeks, since the postcards are being sent by regular mail, for great distances, through several postal systems. Please don't disappoint another member (and I've been getting some very forlorn emails indeed about this lately) and make them wait any longer than necessary. The whole point of this project, after all, is to make someone happy! If something serious comes up and you can't make it to the mailbox on time that's fine — life happens. Just let me know so I can let the recipient know there'll be a delay. Which brings me to:

4. A membership amnesty. If you've recently realized that you'll be unable to commit to the monthly mailing schedule required for the BPS, please let me know right away. Whether you're on the road a lot traveling or just trying to deal with your own hectic schedule — no matter what the reason, rest assured that no one will get mad or be disappointed if you decide to gracefully bow out. It is a commitment to participate in this, and being able to both recognize that and be honest about your ability to adhere to it is really appreciated. You'll still be welcome to hang out here!

5. The next mailing is just over a week away ...

Please feel free to comment on the above (or to email me privately if you prefer), and thanks so much again to each and every one of you for making this such a great project — it's so fun to watch it grow!

:-)


(lovely Polaroid photo by Marta V. on Flickr, via carrots and peas)

The BPS Button

There's now a member button for the Benevolent Postcard Society! Shown above is an enlarged version so you can see the details — to place it on your own blog or website, simply drag the blog-sized version from the "BPS Button" section in the right hand column onto your desktop. Don't forget to link back here, too! Thanks so much to Katie (KLBK) for her great suggestion!

Readymade or Handmade Postcards?

I've recently had a few people ask me rather worriedly if it's okay for them to send store bought postcards rather than making their own — so I'll just say here and now that of course it is! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the lovely handmade ones, but what members choose to send is just as interesting — and makes the final mix of postcards that much more varied and wonderful. So relax, enjoy the project and — most importantly — have fun!


(photograph via we heart it)

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!