Saturday, April 24, 2010

Message for Jor El members

Hi everyone (a translation volunteer for this message would be great),

1) I'm with my family and their gorgeous but very active 13-month-old baby here in Santo Domingo. I've got only intermittent Internet access, so it's tricky to keep on top of everything. I'm still very much alive, though, and fascinated by all the new comments on the Facebook Wall, so keep them coming.

A few reminders:

1) Would everyone please remember to give the new website a test-drive and let Hilary Chan know how that went for you?

2) We'd like more feedback on the results of our USHAHIDI trial run last week. Was the system clear? Easy to use? Why do people think so few volunteers did the mapping -- was it too complicated? How would you suggest it be improved?

3) Don't forget to check the discussion tabs on fundraising videos and our legal status, where we're debating the merits of becoming an NGO or some other kind of formal organization. We'd like your suggestions and thoughts.

4) New members: Please introduce yourselves on the Wall and let us know what skills you might be able to contribute -- are you an architect, a translator, a structural engineer, a crisis-mapping specialist, just someone with an interest in this issue? The better we know you, the better we can put your skills to good use. Remember, this is a working group, not just a "show your support by joining" group, and we need everyone's participation to make this work. Right now, about 10 people are the really active members who are making things happen. I'd love to see this number double by the end of the week.

Want to become a member of the Jor El elite? Start by introducing yourself, then just dive in: If you see something that needs doing, don't bother to ask; we're not hierarchical or formal here, just jump in and do it. Don't worry, no one will get upset if you do it wrong -- you can't screw anything up. (I do recommend reading through the Wall, though, to get a sense of what's been done and what still needs doing.)

5) If you haven't secured your heavy items to your walls, arranged your furniture so that things won't fall on your bed if there's shaking, filled your apartment with food, water, flashlights, batteries and whatever medication you'd need in an emergency, and made an emergency contact plan with your family, do it today. And spread the word on your Facebook page. Remind another family to do it. Don't wait even another day. We need to be a group that walks the walk as well as we talk the talk. It keeps coming up that many of us know how important this is but still haven't done it. What use is Jor El if it's leadership is decapitated in an earthquake? Go on, do it today.

All my best from sunny, humid, tropical and slow-moving Santo Domingo,

Claire

8 comments:

  1. I'd like to join, but can't see where.

    After Haiti, we know earthquakes are no joke.

    - Denyse O'Leary, Toronto

    ReplyDelete
  2. Click on the link to the Facebook wall. We'd love to have you in the group.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mustafa Ozan TuncanMay 4, 2010 at 8:34 PM

    Herkese Merhaba;

    Ailemle beraber ( bide sirin mi sirin 13 aylik bir bebek ile beraber ) Santo Domingo'da yasiyorum. Internete erisimim kisitli, surekli gelip gidiyor
    bu yuzden herseyin basinda olmak biraz zor. Ama tabi hala hayattayim ve aktifim :). Ayrica Facebook Duvarinda ki yorumlardan cok etkilendim, devamini bekliyorum.

    Birkac hatirlatma

    1) Herkes yeni websitemizi test edip goruslerinizi Hilary Chan'e iletebilir mi?

    2) Gecen haftaki USHAHIDI denemesi hakkinda daha fazla geri donus almak isteriz. Sistem acik ve anlasilir miydi? Kullanimi kolay miydi?
    Sizce neden insanlar cok az kisinin esleme yaptigini dusunuyor -- cok mu karisikti? Gelistirilmesi icin bir oneriniz var mi?

    3) STK (Sivil Toplum Kurulusu) veya diger resmi kurulus tiplerinden biri olmamiz halinde ki haklarimizi tartistigimiz Yasal durumumuz ve bagis arttirma videolarimiz hakkinda ki tartisma sekmesine bakmayi unutmayin.

    4) ( I'm just c/p ing the related previously translated text, cause its slightly different )
    Grupta bir çok yeni üye görüyorum. Hepiniz hoşgeldiniz! Lütfen grubun duvarında kendinizi tanıtın ve bize hangi açılardan yardım etmek istediğinizi yazın: programcılar, çevirmenler, mimarlar, mühendisler, kriz yöneticileri, sismologlar, şehir planlayıcıları, çevresi geniş olup da bizim için yararlı bağlantılar kurabilecek olanlar.. hepinize ihtiyacımız var, ama ne açıdan yardım edebileceğinizi bilmezsek yeteneklerinizden faydalanamayız. Muhtemelen siz de gruba katkıda bulunmak için üye oldunuz, dolayısıyla hangi yönlerden katkıda bulunmak istediğinizi yazarsanız sevinirim. Şimdiden teşekkürler

    5) Duvarinizda ki agir esyalari sabitlemediyseniz, mobilyanizi sallanti esnasinda yataginiza dusmeyecek sekilde ayarlamadiysaniz
    Evinizi yemek, su, fener, piller ve acil durum da ihtiyaciniz olabilecek butun tibbi esyalar ile donatmadiysaniz ve ailenizle acil durum iletisim plani
    yapmadiysaniz bugun yapin ve facebook sayfanizda bunu yayinlayin. Baska ailelerin bunlari yapmasini saglayin.
    Baska bir gunu beklemeyin. Aynasi istir kisinin, lafa bakilmaz demisler bizim butun bunlari uygulamamiz lazim. Cogumuz bunun ne kadar onemli oldugunun farkindayiz
    ama hala yapmadik. Hem zaten, Jor El deprem sebebiyle dagilacak bir lider grubuna sahip ne ise yarar? Hadi, Bugun bu eksikleri giderin.

    Hantal, rutubetli ve gunesli Sanyo Domingo'dan iyi dileklerimle.

    Claire.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Volvo S80 Turbo

    I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
    its nice to read a useful article for beginner like me. Some of points from this article are very helpful for me as I haven’t considered them yet. I would like to say thank you for sharing this cool article. Bookmarked and sharing for friends.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you are the great blogger.What a great article have you written.I really enjoyed reading your post.This info is really very useful to all.
    Thanks.... Keep Posting!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. frequently. I am quite sure I’ll learn many new stuff right here! SEO Expert

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome info! I am looking forward to see more postsby you!
    Poker Online

    ReplyDelete