Bash Prize winners, please read.

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ed4copies

ed4copies

Local Chapter Manager
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
24,753
Location
Racine, WI, USA.
This year the IAP has 178 prizes that will be awarded in the 8th Annual Birthday Bash!!!

Since I have started "distributing" the prizes a couple years ago, I have tried a few different "methods"---none were completely successful.

Both Andrew (MaxwellSmart_007) who GETS the prize donations and me, who gets OUT the prizes are looking forward to an unbelievable BASH for the TENTH anniversary, in 2014!! To that end, I am attempting to hone a "perfect" distribution model.

So, I decided to "distribute" all the prizes this year without additional help. My aim is to design a system and produce a guide so we can have 6 people doing this next year, each with 30 prizes. Hopefully, I will have a "chairman's planning guide" that is bulletproof.



To do this, I started an email address that has ONLY the winners' emails--with their names, IAP name and real address. SEEMED simple.

THEN I found out my new email (Win7) only searches by the title text. This has created a problem that I have solved by ASKING for your IAP name in the "subject" line.

The problem: I did not know about this wrinkle, so all of those who sent info, with their IAP name in the text do NOT show up on a search. So, when I get the screen name of a winner, I cannot quickly find that person to cut and paste his information to send to the donor.

HENCE, SOME of you are being asked for your name, etc more than ONCE!!

No, I have not lost your info. Nor have I lost my mind. But if I have your info and my search can't FIND it................... you get asked again.

The NEW request form tells you this---the OLD request form did NOT!!!
(As I said I am working on "honing" the system--I apologize for these repetitions!!!)


To those who have asked, here is "how it works": All the prizes are numbered (1-178). When YOU win, I put your IAP name next to that prize, and send you a request for your real name and address.

The donor of the prize is NOT notified, unless you are the LAST of the prizes that person or company has donated. (We only want to send the donors one or two emails---some donate over a dozen prizes, I don't want to ask them to "jump" a dozen times).

So, I encounter YOUR name again, when that donor's last prize is awarded. So, at that point, if my search engine does not find you, I figure you never replied. AND, I send another request (I do not keep a list of who has been requested or received---the fewer times information is transferred, the lower the probability it will be erroneously changed).

But that is WHY some of you are receiving MORE THAN ONE request.
I apologize for that, and if all goes well, we will correct it this year, so future years run more smoothly.

Comments are welcome---hope this makes the process more "understandable" to the winners.

The bash is supposed to be fun for the members---I'm really NOT trying to make it tedious for you!!

Thanks for your understanding and ENJOY THE BASH!!!
 
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Thanks, Derek!!!

(But IF I were doing a GREAT job, I would only ask for this information ONCE!!):biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
You're doing an awesome job Ed!

There should be an option that would allow you to search the bodies of emails and not just the title. What program are you using Outlook Expres, Outlook? Windows 7 should have nothing to do with it.

AK
 
It is Windows Live Mail, which came "with" my new computer (64 bit so Lots of stuff I had no longer works).

But, this solution will be good anyhow. IF the IAP name is in the subject line, the search will be fast and easy. Next year, I will have six guys doing this, and I will be here to answer questions. So, I hope to make it easy no matter WHAT email program you are using.
 
ed4copies said:
It is Windows Live Mail, which came "with" my new computer (64 bit so Lots of stuff I had no longer works).

But, this solution will be good anyhow. IF the IAP name is in the subject line, the search will be fast and easy. Next year, I will have six guys doing this, and I will be here to answer questions. So, I hope to make it easy no matter WHAT email program you are using.
Click to expand...


A copy/paste from here

First things to check are whether your store folder is being indexed and whether mail message files are being indexed with properties and content. In WLMail, locate your store folder by opening the Options sheet (Ctrl-Shift-O), opening the Advanced tab, clicking Maintenance and then Store folder. Write down the path.

Open Indexing Options in Control Panel (just type indexing options in the start search box). Click the Modify button, navigate to your store folder and ensure its box is ticked.

Click the Advanced button and open the File types tab. Check that the box beside extensions eml, nws and rss are ticked and that the filter description reads Windows Live MIME filter. Click on each extension in turn and check that Index properties and file contents is selected at the foot of the dialogue for each one.

If these settings are all as they should be and you didn't make any changes, try the Search and Indexing troubleshooter in Control Panel. Start typing search and indexing into the start search box until you can see and select Find and fix problems with Windows Search at the top of the results panel. Don't select the e-mail option; Windows Search regards Windows Live Mail messages as files, not e-mail.

AK
 
The people who responded TODAY did it FANTASTICALLY well!!!!!

If we get this perfected it will be "smooth as silk"!!!

THANKS!!
 
The only other thing I will add, Is on one of the online custom forms they asked for the phone number of both the person sending it and the person getting it. I email the party in Canada and got it before shipping it out. That was the second thing the counter lady looked for! :biggrin:
:clown:
 
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