[Ubuntu-be] 1000 install sets express shipment request

[Mark Van den Borre]

Cedric, other Ubuntu-be people,

The message below cost quite a bit of precious time to write, time
that I can't spend on improving technical or other things for
ubuntu-be. I consider it very useful as an investment into gaining the
trust of some people in the French speaking community that don't know
me so well yet.

> > And then I read a mail sent to ubuntu about the sent of cd in Belgium
> > for Flanders only.
> > I never talk about the map, I've talk about the contact to ubuntu
> > about the "flemish ubuntu users" asking to send cd to them, and then,
> > french speaking people will had to ask also a pack of cd.... What a
> > nice image sent to the outside.... (we are making a united ubuntu
> > group, but please, could you send your cd in two parts ?")
My message to the person responsible for shipit was clearly not
formulated very carefully. It was easy to misunderstand this way.

The message to shipit was not meant as an order. It was an inquiry. I
wanted to make sure there would be a batch of CD's available for
distribution within Belgium. The map just served as a quick way to
show some of our (ubuntu-be) critical mass. There was just no clear
numbers for me to point at on the fr_be side.

Please also note that most people on the map had already placed
individual orders with shipit. In that respect also, I had acted fast
to avoid a lot of individual shipments. Most of these individual
orders have now been cancelled thanks to the confirmation that we will
be elegible for a mass shipment.

The shipit lady has only confirmed to me that mass ordering will be
possible starting next week, and that we will be eligible. So the
actual order still needs to be placed.

Sharing whatever quantity of CDs ordered with the entire ubuntu-be
community was of course a primary goal of me asking for a big express
shipment.

> I agree Mark should have asked for co-ordination here first, so that we
> could order CDs together.
That was my intention when cc'ing the mail to the shipit answer desk
to this list. I was not going to order these CD's on my own. It was
always my intention of asking our FR_BE friends on this list how many
they would like to be added to the order.

> Now, I know that Mark has been disappointed about the lack of people
> _working_ (instead of talking) on ubuntu-be too...
Not disappointed at all. One just shouldn't expect many individuals
from such a loosely organised group to move early in a coordinated
way. In similar situations, I have frequently experienced frantic and
incredibly efficient last minute activity.

Mark
-- 
Mark Van den Borre
Noormannenstraat 113
3000 Leuven, België
+32 486 961726