Siblinghood of the Traveling Greeting Card
welcome to the siblinghood of the traveling greeting card.
originated on the fediverse with an idea from noctiluca@scholar.social.
objective
send a greeting card around the world. maybe more than one. we'll see.
outline
from a group of participants, a random list will be formed. every person is given the address of the next person in the list (the last person receives the first person's address). first person picks a greeting card, signs it, and sends it to their designated recipient; that person receives, signs, sends on, etc.
this continues on to the last person, who finally signs and sends back to the first, closing the loop and ending the adventure. the first person gets to keep the card they originally sent out.
if we want to, this can be easily re-run - add folks who want to be added, drop folks who want to be dropped, scramble the list, and start again.
timeline
applications for round one closed on . You may still put in for future rounds, but be aware future rounds are not confirmed yet and will not be confirmed for at least 6 months.
assignments (recipient address, order in loop) have been sent out as of .
participants
any number, but in the case of signups reaching 26 or greater people, the cohort will be split. Why 26? I'd like this to not run significantly longer than a year, and I'm very loosely estimating that each person will add 2 weeks to the timeline.
for the round beginning , we have 32 participants and will have two cards in circulation.
on randomization
I will edit the list as needed to accommodate any mailing restrictions. I will also re-roll if I am placed first on the list.
card guidelines
4x6 inches/10x15 centimeters minimum size recommended so there is space for everyone to sign. Must not require an unusual envelope e.g. square or similar.
address privacy
the only people who will see your address are:
- me
- the person who is sending directly to you
- if you put a return address (which I really would recommend), your recipient
what I'll need from participants
signing the card
sign in any way you find meaningful. Please don't hog the card space - remember that as many as ~2 dozen people will be signing it!
IMPORTANT! Only put a name, nickname, doodle, fedi handle, etc. on the card that you are comfortable having displayed publicly. In any posts that I make, it will not be directly connected to you. However, as there are only 16 signers per card, please be aware that how you sign could be tied back to your fedi account.
mailing the card
this will require a fresh envelope and stamp(s) as needed for postage.
status checks
this is, at the end of the day, pretty flexible, but what I would really, really like is:
- 2 emails, one on receipt and one on re-sending. This allows me to check in on progress and ensure the card doesn't get too stalled, or lost.
- more optionally, but fun for seeing how things are going: a picture of the card (not the envelope!)
feel free to post your card pictures using the hashtags #siblinghoodOfTheTravelingGreetingCard or #sottgc.
what I'll send participants
guidelines
summary/highlights of these guidelines will be repeated over email. Full guidelines will always be available here.
recipient and loop order assignment
each participant will be sent the name and address of the next person in the loop. They will also be sent their place in the loop, numbered from 0.
reminders
I'll be doing my level best to track the card's movement, so as it is sent around (assuming I get check-ins from y'all! please help me out here!) I will send out reminders to folks to either check their mail or make sure the card gets sent out again. Some folks have specifically asked for this support and I don't want to let them down, so more communication is always better.
I want in!
as stated above, signups for the round beginning are closed. However, you may still sign up in case of future rounds.
sign up for the siblinghood of the traveling greeting card.
if airtable is in any way inaccessible to you, please reach out directly to lee.