SI MONTHLY NEWS September 2008 Editorial
From SI Exco News
21 September 2008?
What were you thinking on 21 September 2008?
What did you do on 21 September 2008?
How did you react with people?
Where did you go?
Why?
Looking back over the years that Servas Monthly News has been produced I seem to be asking the same question each year at this time of the year?
How many people know what I am talking about?
This, my final year, I am not giving the answer. I am waiting for it from the Servas community. Everyone should know the importance of 21 September 2008.
And to add to that, what is important about 2 October? Again as Servas members everyone should know.
Next month I want to fill one particular page with the answers. Perhaps if I get no answers I will leave that page blank, to emphasise what people should know.
Editor query concerning finance
The editor post is still up for grabs as from next GA. One point to clarify is finance. An enquiry from one member seemed to think this was a paid post. The answer is NO. Like all SI posts this work is entirely voluntary. There are no payments for services. Costs have to be kept to a minimum to ensure that there is enough money for the printing, packaging and posting. I have managed to bring the packaging down to the cost of 8 to 10 rolls of packing tape. All other packing materials are re-used envelopes, boxes, bags. eg: a number of fairly cheap cereals boxes in Britain are just right for packing 40 A4 newsletters. So those are the cereals that I consume when packing!! Postage has been a business deal with Royal Mail, who provide the sacks for the larger items.
Pictures
I much appreciate the pictures sent. However when sending please consider the size and shape into which it should fit. Composite pictures are often lovely. However they usually do not fit the page and have to be split. Also consider the resolution of the pictures. If they are too high a resolution then they fill up a large amount of memory and make the newsletter hard to send.
JG, Editor
Have you checked your emails?
Comments about emails come up regularly. About this time every year I seem to be writing about them.
A number of travellers round the world have been complaining that they send emails to hosts and get no reply. There are many reasons for this. Following are some of them: o the host is away with no access to internet (yes this is possible! I welcome 2 weeks away with no intention of accessing the internet, it is a holiday!) o the host's computer is broken o accessing internet is very expensive and is only done perhaps once a week - many people are on dial up o the only access is an internet cafe which is open at inconvenient hours o the email address has been given as emergency and NOT as the main contact o the email is not recognised by the server and is in the spam box. o it is an old email address no longer used o do not reply to bulk recipient emails o ..................................................
So do not expect a reply, be glad when you get one.
And as Michael Johnson of Canada comments - use the telephone. However I disagree with him that that is the cheapest way of contact.
And Hosts: Please reply even if only to say No.
Contact
We welcome articles coming to Servas Monthly News. We do not guarantee any article, part of it will be published. This depends on the theme for the month along with other articles available for publication.
Preferred method of contact is email at: newsletter(at)servas.org or jgiffould(at)aol.com
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