Servas: the very best Master list of NS email adresses

0 views
Skip to first unread message

Jonny Sågänger

unread,
Nov 18, 2013, 11:26:19 AM11/18/13
to Michael Silbert, servasinternatio...@googlegroups.com, Servas NZ
cc: Exco (Ann Greenhough), Marijke Batenburg NS New Zeeland

Hi Michael, 
I hope that you've been having many, many nice cups of tasteful Espresso since we last spoke!
My new favorite is a mix of beans from Tanzania, Peru and Mexico. Wonderful taste and - as you know - I look forward to invite you for a cup on site, here in Stockholm.

Anyway, this is my main purpose for writing to you this time:
I would like to create the Very Best Master list of NS email adresses.
What do I mean by Best list?
This:
1: A list that contains email adresses to NS's that don't bounce
2: A list that contains email adresses for NS's that we know are physical persons actually receiving the emails.
3: A list that contains email adresses of NS's who not just receive the emails, but also read them and react on them.

Are you possibly the right person to get some advice from on how to create this list?
Alan Stone wrote to me:

On final approval (of SI News) the next steps are:
1. sending the final PDF to the Servas Webmaster for upload to the site
2. creating the Email promotion and sending it on to Michael Silbert for distribution to all National Secretaries
3. posting notices and links on Servas Facebook groups and pages

The sentence in red indicates that you are sitting on such a sending list. 

Thanks in advance (this english expression you taught me, thank you)

All the best,
Jonny 

Jonny Sågänger
 

Jonny Sågänger

unread,
Nov 19, 2013, 6:09:46 PM11/19/13
to Michael Silbert, servasinternatio...@googlegroups.com, Servas NZ, Servas ICT-Tech Team, DOLPHIN
Thank you Michael,
please find my 
* comments on VBML in red.
** comments on my new coffe mix favourite in lila.




2013/11/19 Michael Silbert <msil...@tetraplex.com>
Hi, Jonny. I have, indeed, had many delicious espressos since we were last in touch.

Let my try to illuminate what you are asking so that we're on the same page.

You're defining a Very Best Master List (VBML) as a list that:
  1. Consists of only email addresses;
  2. Is derived from the list of all individuals tagged as National Secretaries in the dolphin system;
  3. Includes only those email addresses that do not bounce when the list is subject to verification;
  4. Includes only those email addresses hat are regularly monitored by one (or more) individuals who read the messages they receive that are sent on behalf of Servas International; and
  5. Includes only those email addresses that provide verifiable follow up to actionable requests made on behalf of Servas International.
Does this fully define your VBML, Jonny?

* Yes, and thank you for trying to develop the concept for my wish list with more detail and nuances. 

Currently, we are able to meet the first three requirements in the creation of your VBML. Mark Hahn and I have discussed ways of meeting the fourth requirement although we have not done any development of the approach we've discussed.

Initially we shouldn't spend time on evaluating if somebody is actually reading the messages. It's enough to get a rough idea about how many are actually reading the emails. 
A next step could be to track down which email adresses actually generate satifactory answers. 
 

As for the fifth --- and last --- requirement, we need to understand what you would consider satisfactory evidence that this requirement is being met.

At this point I think we should concider 5. as superfluous (for the time being). 
 
 

I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask you and/or Exco, Jonny.

While it appears quite straightforward to establish a list of National Secretaries using the criteria outlined above, there is also a "Key list" that we've been working with.  I know who is responsible for ensuring that the listing of National Secretaries is accurate and up-to-date, but who is responsible for this "Key list"?

My guesses: 
1/ Dolphin Team (I have added Rita, Pablo Colangelo and Burlando in the Dolphin Team, so we will hopefully get an answer shortly)
2. Arnoud Philippo who is Host list administrator in Exco might feel that this is part of his responsibility, but I'm far from sure about this.

 
We have been using this key list for SI Newsletter distribution, for example. I would assume that we would switch to your VBML if such existed, although I defer to Terry and Alan Stone as this is really not our area of responsibility.

In the best of worlds we will have a VBML and a quality checked Key list, but this might not be possible to get on short term. Let's aim at developing the VBML, and the we can develop the Key list as we move forward incrementally (I may well be using the wrong term her for "one step at the time"). 
If we some time in the future - when SI has the man/women-power to create and sustain more global support functions - we can also have good lists of Peace secretaries, treasurers, host register administrators, interviewers - you name it and I can go on dreaming. 
 
If there is to be your VBML or other similar lists, who will be responsible for maintaining them, updating them and ensuring that they are kept current?

My humble suggestion would be the Dolphin Team.

** 
Excuse me for being so stressed and superficial when I described my new espresso favourite, Here are some facts:
Producer: Bergstrands Kafferosteri (since 1891 in Gothenburg)
Mix of beans: 80% arabica from COCLA in Peru and UCIRI (cooperative) in Mexico. 20% robusta from Kagera in Tanzania. 
Taste: Body/fullness=6/10, Acidness=8/10, Roast=7/10.
Its taste has has a strong tint of chocolate to it.  
Roasted for 17 min to light roast.
KRAV and Fairtrade.

All the best,
Jonny 
 

Cheers,

Michael

---

Jonny Sågänger

unread,
Nov 19, 2013, 7:15:20 PM11/19/13
to Pablo H.Colángelo, Michael Silbert, servasinternatio...@googlegroups.com, Servas NZ, Servas ICT-Tech Team, DOLPHIN
Thank you Pablo!
//Jonny


2013/11/20 Pablo H.Colángelo <pcola...@gmail.com>
Dear friends
 
Thank you for copying me.
 
I would like to add my 5 cents. I remember that in previous EXCO we decided to use cou...@servas.org for any official communication from SI to the countries contact persons (regularly NS is listed on the email forwarding, but some more in the board may be included on the forwarding according NS wishes).
Every Nat board is responsible of email addresses update in dolphin or they can write us to request assistance (keeping the key list updated is a rule for every country to become or remain as a member of the general assembly) So the idea was, as email addresses can change regularly it would be easier for every Nat board to update emails (or ask HLC or Dolphin to do that) rather than giving a lot of work to SI Exco having to check hundreds of emails once or twice a year.
 
List of country@servas emails up to date till September 2012 (add any new country to the list):
 

Jonny Sågänger

unread,
Nov 20, 2013, 4:22:45 PM11/20/13
to Michael Silbert, servasinternatio...@googlegroups.com, Servas NZ, Servas ICT-Tech Team, DOLPHIN
Sounds great,
I look forward to the first version of the VBML in a couple of weeks.

Thanks in advance!

And now, dear readers who have got tired of reading the stuff written by coffee nerds, you may stop reading now, since I don't want to boor you with this:

The planning for the first Stockholm-Toronto-Auckland Coffee Klatch Meeting has started. I found this to begin with. I had never heard about a Coffee Klatch Meeting. Servas is amazing, you learn new things all the time.

Infogad bild 1
 

All the best,
Jonny 


2013/11/20 Michael Silbert <msil...@tetraplex.com>
Thanks for your response and for the more detailed coffee information. Perhaps we should establish a rotating coffee klatch meeting in Stockholm, Auckland, Toronto and elsewhere on an ad hoc basis. ;-)

As I stated previously, ICT-Tech can create the starting point for a VBML that satisfies the first three conditions. Mark and I will have to consider what can be done to effectively satisfy the fourth condition.

In response to Pablo's comments, while cou...@servas.org makes it very easy for the senders of messages, it masks but does not simplify the problem of getting these messages to the intended recipients. Cou...@servas.org is an email alias and not an email account. The problem still exists to ensure that mail sent to this alias is distributed to the real email addresses of the one or more recipients associated with the alias. If the individuals or real email addresses "behind" the alias change and we are not informed of such changes then we have no knowledge upon which to make changes. The only thing that we can do is, periodically, to use a tool that we've developed to see if all of the real email address are in active service and capable of receiving email messages.

While the cou...@servas.org can certainly be very useful, the VBML specifically targets only National Secretaries, the person(s) who are ultimately responsible for Servas in their particular country.

As soon as time permits, we will pull the needed information from dolphin and provide you with an initial version of the VBML.This will most likely be in about two weeks time.

Cheers,

Michael


---
image.png
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages