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How to Digg for News on Couchsurfing

After reading Mandys latest post on the present state of the communications systems in place on couchsurfing . I decided to write this how-to article.

CouchSurfing has morphed over time from a one-man gig to a volunteer-based community with people pitching in to help everyday. The problem is that no system has ever been developed to help those people communicate with one another.

That happened in 2006!!! But mandy makes it sound like it was yesterday.

I would love to think of myself as some sort of wonder-woman, but the simple truth is that I am not and my mere presence at this Collective doesn’t solve a problem that goes far beyond one person. But what I am trying to do is develop the system that will enable everyone to communicate with each other.

Once an actual system is in place, with each team understanding the communication channels that exist and how to access them and what information needs to go where and when, then I think we will see a dramatic difference in the way we all feel about communication within CS. But developing a system takes time, and that is what I have been working on

.

http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=3585&post=780947

The best places to find news

Closed to most

The most important group on couchsurfing.You need to be vetted to get in here.
Ambassador’s Private
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=1668

Member Disputes & Safety – Private 18 1 1340
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=6223
Ambassador Management Private 9 – 1310
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=3577

Important Orgs Groups

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=3583
Community Communications

Location: CS Organization >> >> MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS >> Community Communications
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=3585

[CS Tech] News Feed

Location: CS Organization >> Product Development Experts >> Technology Team >> [CS Tech] News Feed
(Notice the deeply embedded group )

Interested in being informed about many small changes happening on the website? In being up to date on what the Tech Team is currently improving? Then this might be the place for you!
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=7856
Open but difficult to find

Ambassador’s Public

Casey emails certain close ambassadors how share the news with other ambassadors.
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=2125
News from CSC Thailand, 2007-2008

CSC Thailand, 2007-2008 – Public

Location: CS Organization >> PROJECT TEAMS: Collectives >> CSC Thailand, 2007-2008 – Public (Almost a dead group right from the start of the collective )

http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=7944

CSC Thailand Public – Questions and Answers
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=8871 (Almost a dead group)
Location: The CouchSurfing Project >> QUANTITY VS QUALITY….IMPROVING CS THROUGH YOUR SUGGESTION. >> CSC Thailand Public – Questions and Answers

Discussions group with titbits of Information

Brainstorm – the old and original one….
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=429

The redefined same topics less feedback (People say techs implement stuff from here. Fact no they do not)

http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=7621
QUANTITY VS QUALITY….IMPROVING CS THROUGH YOUR SUGGESTION. (Almost a dead group)
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=1589
Thoughts from the General Manager (Almost a dead group)
The CouchSurfing Project >> Thoughts from the General Manager
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=7218
Public Comments for GM (Almost a dead group)
Location: The CouchSurfing Project >> Thoughts from the General Manager >> Public Comments for GM
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=7219

Present active groups /Groups with sprouts of activity.

Meetings upgrade team

Location: CS Organization >> Community Experts >> Events & Outreach >> Meetings upgrade team
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=4882

Translation – General

Location: CS Organization >> >> Translations >> Translation – General
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=3568

Finance

Location: CS Organization >>  >> ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS >> Finance Coordination
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=3593
Location: CS Organization >> Operations Experts >> Finance
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=6207
Location: CS Organization >>  >> MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS >> Community Communications >> CouchSurfing Newsletter MrRico
http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=518

8 Responses to “How to Digg for News on Couchsurfing”


  • Thanks Daz, looks like a helpful guide, especially for new CS members. I know I certainly learned from it.

    Personally, I reject the statement that “developing a system takes time”. I think that is true if you’re trying to re-invent the wheel. However, basic communication is very, very easy. I had a blog setup for the NZ Collective within hours of having arrived. I actively promoted it and encouraged everyone in the house to blog. It worked. Content was posted.

    Communicating effectively is difficult. Starting the process is easy.

  • I agree. Communication doesn’t need some big mysterious technical solution, it needs words and work. Also note that the difficulties in CS are *people problems* more than anything, even though Mandy seems disinclined to acknowledge that.

  • by Promitheus from Norwich, United Kingdom
    Location: The CouchSurfing Project >> Ambassador’s Private >> Ambassador’s Public

    Several times have heard from Ambs that they are learning very late about new Ambs being assigned etc.

    With some help from fellow Ambs the idea has come to open for public join the group:
    http://www.couchsurfing.com/organization.html?gid=7801

    Please keep in mind that this is not a discussion group but rather a notice board where the AMT is announcing the new Ambs etc.

    Another group dug!

    we´d like to gladly announce that Fenix Lashimi has consented to replace Moksha within the Ambassador Management Team as Moksha had the desire to leave our team due a pretty busy schedule

    Aint we happy we never gave moksa (emily scott) the importance here!!

  • here are the Key recommendations for member communications posted by mandie communications director.
    http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=3585&post=802014

    After 6 months of the collective they have just come to a recommendation stage!! wonder when they will reach the brainstorm and implementation stage

    Contact Us Questions (CUQ)
    Public Groups
    Text in groups and elsewhere on the site will give clear expectation that questions, complaints, ideas, etc. should be submitted to CUQ

    anything which is closed is bound to fail.If the answers are not incorporated into the FAQ.
    Bad idea the blind leading the blind. Also the answers are not documented and are copied and pasted by the drones who sit and waste their time answering these question like the csc thailand answers.

    - Develop communication tools for key groups in CS to share information, which will provide support to CUQ team by getting them timely information

    Again after 6 months of the collective they have just come to a recommendation stage!! wonder when they will reach the brainstorm and implementation stage

    Newsletters
    - CS newsletter – quarterly – focuses on organizational-wide news, inspirational stories, big news that affect members (focusing on member benefits)

    Umm I don not think Mandie has been in couchsurfing long enough!!
    quarterly?? the internet moves faster that that !!
    Internet time is maybe three times as fast as a normal year http://www.unitedbit.com/?p=116

    CS Leaders Blogs (once a month funny)

    - “Thoughts from a General Manager” to be updated monthly to provide voice of key leadership in CS
    And online general manager who updated his blog monthly!! Right now it is like never!!

    Internet time is maybe three times as fast as a normal year http://www.unitedbit.com/?p=116

    Wiki for Regions/Volunteers
    Volunteer wiki to give avenue for expert team brainstorming and documentation

    needs to work more on the wiki to understand its capabilities and viewership

  • Margaret wrote in the bsr:- I especially like your request for some kind of mechanism to deal with “opposition” or, if you like, constructive criticism. Right now, the method is to click on Contact Us and propose your request or idea. You will get a timely response from someone on the CUQ team (they are wonderful, really) but your request may or may not be forwarded/attended to someone who has authority.

    But this method is always flawed .The below quote shows you why

    MIKKY MOUTH from Linz, Austria
    it looks like response to contact us messages are going out again, if you or someone you know have sent in a inquiry during the last couple of days but got no response yet, then please make sure to resend your message.
    happy weekend
    Irie
    Mikky
    CUQ depends on email and 1-1 communication and when the email goes down it is useless.

  • today in the brainstorm by Lady Ri from Pretoria, South Africa
    Hi Steven
    Please remember that, like most Couch Surfers, all the members from MDST are volunteers. If you sent a Contact Us question to them, it will be addressed within a reasonable time

    Now it looks like even the MDST safety team does not know about the contact us problem or has it been fixed ? :)

  • Mandie had written earlier in the communication group as posted by daz
    Contact Us Questions (CUQ)
    Public Groups
    Text in groups and elsewhere on the site will give clear expectation that questions, complaints, ideas, etc. should be submitted to CUQ

    This is why it is such a bad idea

    Location: The CouchSurfing Project >> Thoughts from the General Manager >> Public Comments for GM
    I don’t know whether you, or other members of the LT/Tech Team have looked into the CUQ history in recent weeks to see just how many questions are coming in over and over on the same missing/broken functionality, or if you’ve actually bothered to look at Cockroach and see just how many posts have been made there, again on the same issues, or even looking through Mantis.

  • Now which of these members where HIDING the NEWS from the rest of the MEMBERS ? Some of these never ever post and are uknown Janna O’Shea ??Vanessa Mathias ??

    CouchSurfing News (CSN)
    Location: The CouchSurfing Project >> CouchSurfing Marketing >> Media Reports >> CouchSurfing News (CSN)
    13 Group Members

    Crystal Murphy Ambassador Joined: Dec 12, 2007 moderator
    Janna O’Shea Ambassador Joined: Dec 12, 2007 moderator
    Charish Badzinski Joined: Dec 12, 2007 moderator
    Shonali Shetty Joined: Dec 12, 2007 moderator
    Vanessa Mathias Joined: Jan 15 moderator

    MIKKY MOUTH Ambassador Joined: Dec 13, 2007
    Ginya Joined: Dec 13, 2007
    Jim Stone Ambassador Joined: Dec 14, 2007
    Lady Ri Ambassador Joined: Dec 15, 2007
    desaparecida Ambassador Joined: Jan 8
    ExplorerTurk Joined: Jan 15
    ShAi* Ambassador Joined: Jan 24

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