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Thinking Day 2009 IMPORTANT INFORMATION


Registration is two part. First you use the submission forms (Sign Up Now!) on this website OR EMAIL your information (required info listed below). Secondly, you must create a yahoo ID if you don't already have one. A yahoo ID is free of charge and can be created at www.yahoogroups.com. Please read all the rules for the exchange.

RULES, ETIQUETTE & SUGGESTIONS - PLEASE READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY - it will answer your questions.  Please help us keep this project successful by following these guidelines. 

  • PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE UPDATED EMAIL VIRUS PROTECTION

  • PLEASE DO NOT USE LAST YEAR'S LIST - We have to start fresh every year asking for troops who want to participate.

  • PLEASE DO NOT POST MESSAGES TO THE OTHER LISTS asking for postcard exchanges. The postcard exchange is a very large activity and there have been complaints of cluttering the other lists. Please use the postcard discussion list to make inquiries. I will make necessary posts to the other lists on a few occasions when needed.

  • ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR STATE/COUNTRY WHEN EMAILING THE MODERATORS

  • CHOOSE A POSTCARD PERTINENT TO YOUR AREA - The postcard you send should reflect the area in which you live. Check with your local stores because some may be willing to donate cards to your troop. You should send one card per troop that you trade with. Each troop makes their own decision on how many cards they want to trade with based on the finances of the troop. Ask each parent to bring in 5 stamps (or however many you want) so that you can trade with more troops. For Examples click here...

  • SAFETY!! NO LAST NAMES - DO NOT put the last name of the children in your troop on your postcards. Only use their first name. Please use all areas of caution when kids are using the internet. Put something about your troop on the postcard and not just names. We all love to learn about other troops. (You could type up something on labels and put a label on each card then have the scouts/guides sign the card.) For Content Examples click here...

  • PRINT CLEARLY - in black or blue ink, the address the card is going to so that the postmaster can read it.

  • INCLUDE LEADER INFO - Make sure leader name and email address are on the card so you can be notified when the other troop receives your postcard. Also include your return address. There is nothing worse than getting a card and not knowing who it is from. Make sure your state is spelled out in full so that International Units will know where you are from. Our state abbreviations are not well known internationally.

  • RESPECT ADDRESS PRIVACY - If you decide to do a project where you make your postcards available to the public, through print, email or Internet web sites, blogs, etc... Under no circumstances should last names or addresses appear, please white out this information.  Please respect others privacy and keep address information between the agreed upon trade-parties.

  • A TRADE FOR A TRADE - Each person will be responsible for contacting troops by email then giving them their mailing address so the exchange can happen. This will ensure that trades have been approved by both parties.

  • ACKNOWLEDGE ALL EMAILS you receive requesting trades. Even if you can't trade please let them know so they don't continue to wait for your response. Lack of Response may be cause for removal :  if the moderators receive multiple complaints that a leader is not acknowledging emails, they may be removed from the database and lose access to the exchange site.

  • NOTIFY THE MODERATOR WHEN YOU REACH YOUR LIMIT - Once you have reached your limit please contact your State or Country's Moderator listed on the Contact Page and we will take your email address off the list.

  • SEND CARDS OUT PROMPTLY - Once you agree to trade, please send the cards out within a reasonable time frame. Make your trades and mail your postcards timely so that troops can receive their cards and make their displays before Thinking Day.

  • KEEP TRACK OF YOUR CARDS - For ease in tracking, keep a list of troops, with mailing and email addresses, that have agreed to trade with you. When you mail your postcard put the date you mailed it next to the troop info. When you receive a postcard from that troop put the rec'd date by the troop info. Templates are available at the TD Exchange Yahoo Group site.

  • US TROOPS SHOULD LIMIT INTERNATIONAL TRADES SO ALL CAN PARTICIPATE Units from other countries are listed in the main database. US Troops, please be on your Scout Honor and only trade with 5 international units so that others can have an opportunity also.

  • PLEASE LET'S ALL USE OUR BEST COURTESY. PLEASE HELP US TO HELP OTHERS.

TO JOIN THE EXCHANGE,  Choose your group in the SIGN UP NOW drop down box (above) and fill out and submit the completed form... OR contact your State or Country's Moderator listed on the Contact Page with the information below. If you choose email, PLEASE make sure to send the info in the exact format as below without the labels, just your information...

US Troops

  • Leader Name

  • Council Name

  • Troop Level and Number (i.e. Brownie 1138 or Juliette) or Boy Scout/Cub Scout Pack and Your Unit Number

  • Email Address

  • Leader Mailing Address, City, State, Zip

  • How many people will be participating from your group

  • How many years will you have participated (1 = 1st year)

International Units

  • Leader Name

  • Unit Name and/or Number

  • Age Level (i.e. 7 to 10)

  • Leader/Unit Email Address

  • Country

  • County (IF UK units) 

  • Leader mailing address

  • District, County, Province and/or Area Name with Postal Code if applicable

  • How many people will be participating from your group

  • How many years will you have participated (1 = 1st year)

Once I have received ALL of the information: Your troop will be added to the Postcard Exchange list and you will be emailed the web address for the list of troops participating. The exchange starts in September so that is when you will receive the web address. Once you receive the site link, check out the list of troops participating and start emailing troops you would like to swap with.

I have set up a discussion list for use during the trade. You will automatically be added once you join the exchange. This list is where I will post info that troops/units need to know during the exchange. Towards the end of the exchange, the list will be open for everyone to post the states they need to complete their displays.

As you will see, there are several states that do not have troops represented or just a few troops. If you know of someone or locate a troop from one of these areas, please invite them to join the exchange.

Due to the tremendous amount of work involved in running this exchange, I Jan will not be exchanging postcards this year. So, if any of you would like to mail a postcard out of the goodness of your heart, please email me, Jan, for my mailing addresses. J

AUSTRALIA'S SCHOOL BREAK INFO

Units in Australia will be on school Spring Break in early October - in most Australian states this will be until mid October.  Many units will not be meeting.  Response times may be affected.

MORE INFO ON JOINING AND WORKING WITH YAHOO GROUPS

First and most important: You MUST have a yahoo ID to get to the database.  To get an ID go to www.yahoogroups.com and sign in as a new user.  If you have more than one email address make sure that you have them all listed in your yahoo id setup.

Once you have your id, log in.  On the left hand side of your page you should see TDPostcardExchange listed under My Groups.  Click on that.  There you will see the list of states and countries.  Click on one then locate a troop you would like to trade with and email them asking them to trade.  DO NOT give them your mailing address until they have agreed to trade.

When you log in, if you don't see TDPostcardExchange listed then look for a place that says Don't see all your groups?  Click on that and follow those directions.

Once you are in the site please check your troops/units information to ensure accuracy.


 If you have any questions contact your State or Country's Moderator listed on the Contact Page.

HAVE FUN AND COME BACK OFTEN, THE LIST GROWS DAILY!