This month's newsletter contains: * MOTHER HEN * A SUCCESS * A RAT IS A RAT * SPEAKING OF REPORTING * DID YOU KNOW? * SAVE YOUR GAS * CURRENT STATS MOTHER HEN As stated in last month's newsletter (http://www.raogk.org/newsletters/2005-09.txt) I became like a mother hen watching over her brood (both staff members and volunteers) worrying about the welfare of everyone effected by the two major hurricanes that had hit the gulf coast. Of course, now I'm concerned over those in Florida. Next month, it will probably be those located in another part of the world (nature of the 'beast'). I am happy to inform you that I heard from quite a few volunteers that have been/are still misplaced due to Katrina and Rita and I thank them very much for doing so. Our wayward staff member, who I was concerned about as well after getting away from Rita, also checked in a couple of days after the newsletter went out. Again, I appreciate it so much when Mother Nature has a temper tantrum in your area for you getting in touch with us and letting us know 'all is well' or not, as the case maybe. A SUCCESS I am not the type of person who toots her own horn. However, what I accomplished on October 19th was an accomplishment I never thought I would see or even get through. Most people can't tell from writing or talking to me on the phone that I am truly one extremely shy person. I have problems opening up my mouth, even if a room contains only 3 or 4 people who I've never met before. This past year I was asked and agreed to speak at one of the monthly meetings of the Greater Omaha (Nebraska) Genealogy Society. I don't know what possessed me to accept because after doing so, I questioned my sanity of it all. Hubby was going with me to be my backup in case I just couldn't pull it off. I am proud to say that I spoke for an hour, and that hour passed so fast that I had no time to worry about my "inability" to get in front of a crowd. I was approached my many of the society's members afterwards letting me know that I did a really good job (they had been forewarned that this is was my first time at a 'podium'). The next day I heard from the gentleman who had scheduled my talk, and he indicated that with a few more times of going before a crowd, that Doc and I could take our show on the road (this is NOT a hint, by the way). I met a few of the RAOGK volunteers while at the meeting, and would like to thank them as well for probably submitting my name as a possible speaker. And also to get you folks to pass on my thanks to those in charge for taking a chance with me. You folks are great. A RAT IS A RAT Every once in awhile a roar of discontent is heard on the RAOGK-L mailing list. Recently the roar was over, once again, about volunteers not acknowledging the receipt of a request. The members of this mailing list are volunteers themselves. I also heard a few say they hate to "rat" on a fellow volunteer to the staff as being non-responsive as per the FAQ's for Requesters. As a reminder to all of you, and to inform our new volunteers as well, we (staff) have no clue who is not following our minimal requirements of at *least* responding back to requests upon receipt of same (well, sit on it for 48 hours, but no more). We rely only on the complaints that are sent in by the users of our site. It is impossible for us to monitor all of our 4400+ volunteers to see if they are complying. Now what goes around comes around. When an area has more than one volunteer, many times these volunteers were bumping elbows doing the same request. Those volunteers asked if there was a way to stop the duplications. We have the ability to inform requesters that sending out duplicate requests is not an option on our site, and is frowned upon. But what do you say to that person when they come back and say "in the past, I've followed the rules and haven't received any response to my request(s), so thought I would write them all in hopes one of them would do what is requested?" Turns out that your fellow volunteers may have created the duplicate request problem in the first place. Please folks, the site could get a really bad reputation as being a dead end site by non-responsive volunteers remaining on the site. Don't feel like a 'rat,' don't let your own frustrations get the best of you -- report, report, report. SPEAKING OF REPORTING I know many of you are waiting in anticipation for the "Recipes from RAOGK Volunteers" cookbook to come out. I am still working on it and it is in its final stages. Start keeping a lookout for an announcement on the main RAOGK page no sooner than the 10th. Please be patient, this is the first time I've ever tried to put any type of book together, and it has been a learning experience, believe me . I won't know what the price will be for "Recipes from RAOGK Volunteers" until it is all put together, so please don't ask. DID YOU KNOW? You folks are the greatest? If not, let me repeat YOU FOLKS ARE THE GREATEST group of folks I've ever been associated with. Keep up the good work. SAVE YOUR GAS The holidays are coming up, time to think about gifts for family and friends. Save your gas for important things like work or requests and buy online at one of our shops. Remember any proceeds made from sales goes to the support for RAOGK. However, CafePress has given RAOGK the ability to obtain more revenue by becoming an affiliate. By using one of the links below to get to a shop, if you don't find something there, you can visit one of the thousands of shops on CafePress and we can still get revenue from a purchase you make. To get to other shops, just click on the CafePress logo in the upper left hand corner of the webpage. The RAOGK logo store: http://www.raogk.org/store?pid=2851439&tid=news10 Genealogy For You Shop (general genealogy): http://www.genealogyforyou.com/shop?pid=2851439&tid=news10 Christmas Shop: http://www.genealogyforyou.com/shop/793923?pid=2851439&tid=news10 Calendars: http://www.genealogyforyou.com/shop/864785?pid=2851439&tid=news10 CURRENT STATS Last month: 4495 This month: 4459 New: 72 Left: 42 Staff removals*: 35 October Requests (through October 30, 2005): 7,694 USA volunteers received: 6,651 NON-USA volunteers received: 750 *Staff removals are those folks whose e-mail address has been reported bouncing and confirmed or volunteers who, over the course of trying many times, did not respond back to requesters or staff. Kudos for October: 106 (http://www.raogk.org/thanks/) The STAFF thanks you for volunteering and until next month. . . . . . . THE STAFF Bridgett, Michele, Bill, Anja, Terri, Nancy, Bobbi and Doc, the Tech Guru