User:Hexagonal
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About Me
I am a resident of the Southeastern U.S., and while I have been a One Laptop Per Child enthusiast for months, my only tangible involvement with the project started when I participated in the Give One, Get One program by donating two computers on Monday, November 12.
I am looking forward to introducing my children to the joys and worries of being beta-testers when they receive their XO's in, + or -, a month. Maybe they'll dip in and out of beta-testing for the rest of their lives....
I am looking forward to seeing how this wiki, the public listserv, and the underlying network of staffers and volunteers who comprise OLPC will adapt to the more active participation of G1G1 participants. For my own part, I don't see my participation in G1G1 as analogous to ordinary consumption -- I'm not buying two XO's, I'm helping OLPC help the world, and they're acknowledging my help with a reciprocal gift. But it may be the case that not all the other G1G1 participants will see it this way.
Leave me a message on my Talk Page if you'd like.
Give One, Get One Acknowledgment E-Mail
On Thursday, November 15, 2007 I received this e-mail acknowledging my G1G1 contribution. I thought folks might be interested in seeing what it says. It was sent from "OLPC Customer Care", which is what service@laptopgiving.org seems to be calling itself.
Subject Line: Thank You for Donating to One Laptop per Child
Thank you for participating in the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. Your donation of $798.00 will bring education and enlightenment to children of the developing world. $200 of each $399 "Give One Get One" Donation is tax-deductible (your donation minus the fair market value of each laptop you receive). With Shipping and Handling, the total charge to your credit card is $847.90.
As a "Give One Get One" donor, you will receive one of the first XO laptops to be distributed in North America. Laptops will be delivered on a first come, first served basis. While early purchasers have the best chance of receiving their XO laptops in time for the holidays, quantities are limited and we cannot guarantee timing. We will provide you with regular email updates.
If you have any questions about your donation, please contact OLPC at service@laptopgiving.org or call 1-800-201-7144. Should your employer wish to match your donation, we are a 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN# is 20-5471780.
T-Mobile USA is proud to offer you one-year complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot in recognition of your support to the One Laptop per Child "Give One Get One" program. As you help children in developing countries stay connected, educated and enlightened, T-Mobile is supporting you! You will receive an email message close to the time that your laptop ships containing instructions on how to begin your complimentary year of T-Mobile HotSpot service. Please refer to http://hotspot.t-mobile.com for additional information on T-Mobile HotSpot Wireless broadband Internet service.
To find out more about the mission of One Laptop per Child, please visit www.laptop.org. To review "Give One Get One" terms and conditions, please click here <http://laptopgiving.org/en/terms-and-conditions.php> .
Thanks again for your generous support, and welcome to the One Laptop per Child community!
Sincerely,
Nicholas Negroponte Chairman OLPC Foundation
One Laptop per Child Foundation is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law. This receipt is not valid if your donation is refunded for any reason. Additional information about the foundation is available from www.laptop.org or the foundations registration office of your State.
One Laptop per Child/P.O. Box 425087/Cambridge, MA 02142/U.S.A.
One Week Left E-mail
On Tuesday, November 20, I received the following e-mail from One Laptop per Child [LaptopGiving@mail.laptopgiving.org]. This is the first e-mail that I have received from having signed up to receive reminder e-mails; I've seen a flikr image of the initial "it's started" e-mail that was sent out, but I didn't get that one.
Subject Line: One week left to Give One Get One
<http://nurun.p0.com/1x1.dyn?1rAPYq_Q6jz9NzsNVhlD=0> view this email online <http://p.p0.com/YesConnect/HtmlMessagePreview?a=KB3vP-q7k1jThmRG4yq> one laptop per child <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?QmRG4yqANuI_Q6jt=1>
<http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?OmRG4yqANuI_Q6jo=11> One week left to Give One Get One <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?XmRG4yqANuI_Q6ji=31>
You are receiving this email because you signed up for a reminder about One Laptop per Child's "Give One Get One" Program. There is just one week left to participate. For a donation of just $399 ($200 of which is tax-deductible), you will be giving the gift of education to a deserving child in the developing world, and also receiving an XO laptop in recognition of your donation. Once "Give One Get One" ends, the XO laptop will no longer be available to the general public.
T-Mobile is generously offering everyone who participates in "Give One Get One" one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot broadband Internet service, available at more than 8,500 locations throughout the United States. This complimentary year of service is valued at over $350! Just use any Wi-Fi enabled device, such as the XO, your laptop computer, or a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone, and you can connect and communicate your way. Find out more at www.laptopgiving.org/en/t-mobile-hotspot.php <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?dmRG4yqANuI_Q6j9H=91> .
To donate, or to find out more about the XO laptop, please visit www.laptopgiving.org <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?NGRG4yqANuI_Q6j9-=41> . You can also donate by calling toll-free 1-877-70-LAPTOP (1-877-705-2786). We hope you'll join us in our mission to bring education and connection to children in even the most remote regions of the globe.
Thank you.
XO laptop <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?LGRG4yqANuI_Q6j9z=51> laptopgiving.org <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?HmRG4yqANuI_Q6j9Y=101> | privacy policy <http://link.laptopgiving.org/u.d?GmRG4yqANuI_Q6j9W=121>
If you have already participated in Give One Get One, thank you very much for your donation.
One Laptop per Child /PO Box 425087 /Cambridge, MA 02142 /USA
You have received this email because you requested a reminder from One Laptop per Child. If you no longer wish to receive emails from One Laptop per Child, unsubscribe here <http://mail.laptopgiving.org/laptop-unsub.jsp?s=5Vx9&i=xxxxxxxxxxx> .
Clues about G1G1 Sales Volume
From the four pieces of evidence listed below we can say that the public's response to has been "incredible," with a very strong start, that the first day went very well, and that at least two shipments are planned.
I'm still curious as to what the G1G1 volume has been each day. I'm also curious as to whether it has been higher or lower than the key folks at OLPC expected. Naturally, I'm curious too about why the organization has not been more forthcoming with these numbers. It's not keeping me up nights -- I just am wondering why they haven't felt like letting us know how many have been ordered?
1. First Day "went very well"
On Tuesday, November 13, I sent an e-mail to information@laptop.org and to press@laptop.org. information responded with a boilerplate "Official OLPC FAQ" which points to various parts of the laptop.org site; if you have any interest in that e-mail let me know on my talk page and I'll post it.
Here's what I sent:
- Subj: g1g1 ordering
- Hi -- we're wondering:
- how the first day of the g1g1 program went
- if phone orders have been processed yet
- if phone orders will be charged the same shipping fee that online orders are being charged
- Can you send out a clarifying press release? When you do, what's the website for olpc foundation press releases?
- Thanks~
A few hours later Racepoint responded with this:
- We're not disclosing the number of orders. First day went very well.
- Orders are charge the same shipping fee whether entered online or via phone.
- The website address is www.laptopgiving.org. There is no web site for press releases.
2. "Fastest ramp-up"
Walter Bender's 11/17/07 Community News tells us that "eBay reports the fastest ramp-up they have ever seen."
I suppose this means that the first derivate – the increase in the rate of orders – was notably high. Which says nothing about the absolute volume of orders, only that orders went from /no orders/ to /lots of orders/ very quickly. Which would happen if, say, orders weren't being processed, then they were, at the very time that lots of folks were trying to place orders.
I'm not sure any actual information is being conveyed by this one, except to say that online ordering was very front-loaded.
3. At least two sets of G1G1 shipments planned
Look at the two separate nuggets of info on the XO_Giving page, at the When will the laptops be delivered? section:
According to this CNN article, it will depend on the order date, where the first 20,000 ordered are estimated to arrive before Christmas and the others later. However, point 5 of the Give-One-Get-One Terms and Conditions expressly states that delivery may be subject to delays, so there are no certain delivery dates. —Joe 11:48, 15 November 2007 (EST).
As of 11/19, the donor service line indicated that orders placed on Friday, 11/16, at least, are part of the 'second shipment.' There's no indication of when this second shipment will go out, but it will be later than the first shipment scheduled, as of 11/19, for mid-December.
Assume that both nuggets are correct. Together they imply that at least 20,000 were order by close of business on Thursday, 11/15.
4. Response to G1G1 has been "incredible"
Discussing an 11/19 phone conversation with a donor services supervisor, one G1G1 participant reports here that
She also told me that the response to the G1G1 has been incredible.