Third Taiwan Postcrossing Meetup / 第三次臺灣Postcrossing聚會

Taiwan postcrossing community held the third meetup on 23 April 2011. 23 postcrossers attended the meetup. Everyone enjoyed a day trip arranged by Taiwan Postcrosser Club on Facebook and National Taiwan University Philately and Penpal Association (NTU PAPA).

Because most of postcrossers in Taiwan live in Taipei, the capital city in the north of the island, it was not easy to organise an activity out of the city, and this discouraged some postcrossers in the south. To give everyone equal opportunity, the organiser of the meetup designed a day trip and hired a coach to take Taipei postcrossers to Taoyuan and to pick up other attendees from south at the Taoyuan Railway Station. The day trip consisted of visiting Taoyuan mail processing centre, a lighthouse sightseeing (the lighthouse was on the stamp issued last summer), the farmer cuisine lunch, and sharing postcards in the farmhouse.
The first stop of the trip was visiting the mail processing centre. It was the first time for the post company hosting this kind of internet base club. But with good communication in advance, the post company let us learn a lot in the centre. Everyone was so excited at seeing the backstage of the post office because every postcrosser was postal service heavy user. The amount of the postcards was a minor in the postal system and postcards were usually deal with hands, not by machine, though.

Chunghwa Post Company established five mail processing centres, Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung in 2000. Each centre cost the company NT$2 billions. The centres deal with ordinary post, while express posts go through local post offices directly. Therefore, all machines did not work on the meetup Saturday. Luckily, the Taoyuan Centre arranged a machine test. There were Culler Facer Canceller (CFC), Optical Character Reader / Letter Sorting Machine (ORC/LSM), Flat Sorting Machine (FSM), A/O Sorting Machine (AOSM), Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM), Material Handling System (MHS), and Management Information System (MIS).

The coach headed to a sunflower farm after the processing centre. Everyone enjoyed the lunch before going to Baisha Cape lighthouse. The lighthouse was the second tallest one in Taiwan. It was the historic site on Taoyuan county heritage list. The post company issued a set of lighthouse stamps last summer, and it was one from the set. The post company also issued a new postal card and the postage mark was it, too.

After all sightseeing, all postcrossers were ready to share postcards. There were too many things to do in the rest of three hours. They sold and bought nice stamps, exchanged postcards, printed date mark on the souvenir postcards, appreciated others postcards, passed and signed postcards, and talked, talked, talked.

Three hours happy time flew fast. No one had time to go to the flower field and it was time to go home.Hope to see you in the next meetup in Taiwan, and wish to have another meetup soon.

臺灣明信片交換社團在2011年四月23日舉辦了第三次聚會，共有23位玩家與會。透過臉書「臺灣Postcrosser明信片交換玩家社」與國立臺灣大學集郵筆友社的安排，每個人都度過了愉快又充實的一天。

因為多數的臺灣明信片交換玩家都住在臺北，所以要把聚會辦到臺北之外略有難度，前兩年的聚會儘管有中南部的朋友，最後也都還是辦在臺北。這次聚會的主揪特別費心把活動辦大，包了一輛遊覽車辦一日遊，終於把臺北人載出市區，也順利的吸引更多外縣市的片友。聚會行程有：參觀桃園郵件處理中心、民國99年版燈塔郵票主角之一白沙岬燈塔，最後於向陽農場花田小屋分享、交流明信片。

遊覽車在接到所有與會者後，第一站是桃園郵件處理中心。雖然風景明信片的處理多以手銷為主，和郵件處理中心中的機器關係不大，但是由於每位Postcrossing明信片玩家都是郵務的重度使用者，所以能夠一窺郵局的後臺秘密，大家都非常興奮。事前聯繫時，中華郵政公司表示是第一次有網路社團洽詢參觀，正因為是第一次，所以我努力扮演好認真的網友，跟郵政公司再三確認，讓每位片友都賓至如歸，也對郵務更加了解。

中華郵政公司於民國89年斥資新臺幣近百億成立了五間郵件處理中心（臺北、桃園、台中、台南、高雄），主要處理普通函件與包裹。因此聚會的週末日子，並沒有運作。不過處理中心特別安排了作業員進行測試，讓每位片友觀摩到郵件處理的流程。郵件在進到處理中心後，先經過分類理信銷票機CFC銷戳分類，再到光學辨識分揀機OCR按照郵遞區號分揀，一小時就可以處理完三萬件的郵件了。包裹類的郵件，則是在下一樓分揀，經過人工鍵入郵遞區號後，會以輸送帶送上傾斜式(Tilter)轉盤，再分到四十格集貨區。分揀完畢再沿著滑道滑入一樓的箱框裝載系統，送上籃車完成整個流程。每位片友對於郵件在機器中咻咻咻的運作，都驚嘆不已。除了找到自己家鄉的信件分揀格，也不斷地拍照、留念。一個小時的簡報、參觀時間一下就過去了，每個人都意猶未盡。
不過不管在怎麼沉浸在郵局中，也要趕往下個行程。大家先在農場用過農村風味餐後，先去欣賞白沙岬燈塔，這是全臺第二高的燈塔，也是民國99年版燈塔郵票的主角之一，更在當時被選為郵政明信片的郵資符誌，因此參觀這座燈塔，是個很棒的選擇。可惜事前沒有確認過參觀方式，沒有預約到團體入園，大家就只能在外圍欣賞拍照。

但也好在在白沙岬少耽擱了一下，接下來的重頭戲才能順利趕完。接下來就是各片友期待的交流時刻了。搭配餅乾與向日葵花下午茶，大家把想要出清的空白明信片拿出來交換，領取紀念明信片、加蓋日期與地址戳，欣賞他人的收藏、販賣購買可愛的郵票，分享明信片購買資訊、寄收明信片甘苦談等等。最刺激的就數最後壓軸的明信片傳簽活動，所有的片友座位上，依序傳簽所有人的聚會明信片，還有要寄給外國Postcrosser的PC官片，既熱鬧又有效率。

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• Nisan Design sponsored the meetup by many sets of their postcards. Thank Nisan.
  尼森設計贊助了本聚會數套明信片。感謝！
• 關於郵件自動化處理，可參見中山大學公共事物管理研究所民國91年，林鉛平碩士論文：《郵件處理自動化管理策略之研究》。
  For more information about automation of mail post processing in Taiwan, please refer to this master thesis from National Sun Yat-sen University. (in Chinese)
• 其他聚會記錄 Other attendee's Blog：艾希絲妮文件一、二。
• 與會者的相簿 Photo Albums：Wei-siang Jhan、Eric Deng、小田、杰哥臉書（限好友）。
• 關於主辦本次網聚的記錄。

臺北交換明信片網友聚會 / Postcrossing Meeting, Taipei, Taiwan, 2009

Postcrossing had started to be popular in Taiwan since last September. The web forum, however, was not a common disgussion place for Taiwanese internet users, so people here did not get to know each other as a club or a group. However, a diligent Dutch mother, who sent the most postcards from Taiwan, sent out a proposal through personal message one by one in March, 2009, and made people going to the forum to see what would happen.

12:00 noon, 18 April, 12 postcrossers met in Taipei Main Station without any detail plan but their favorite postcards. Although most people came from Taipei, there were a man from the northernmost city,Keelung, and a woman from the southernmost county,Pingtung, crossing over 400 km.

They went the food court to have lunch, but that was not important at all. Not untill everyone finished their lunch, someone already took out his/her postcards. Everything happened so naturally. They chatted about the experience of postcrossing, the interactivities with other postcrossers in foreign countries, the place to collect postcards, and so on. And the most important, writing postcards. A souvenir postcard was designed by a American designer who was asked by a Taipei postcrosser not showing up, to commemorate the first meeting in Taiwan.

Everyone wrote the postcards so hard and were very happy. At the end, they went to the post office to mail them out. Wait and see, maybe you will get one of the meeting postcards.

交換明信片自去年(2008)九月，被網友大量轉貼，使得這個活動一下子熱絡了起來。至今臺灣網友已成為第六大會員國家，寄出近五萬張明信片到世界各地。然而由於英語網站的論壇討論區使用與臺灣網友的習慣不同，所以並沒有一個很熱絡的討論社群形成。直到今年三月，台灣第一名的會員，一一向各個會員發送個人訊息，才把大家吸引到論壇去看看到底會有什麼活動。

經過近一個月慢慢的討論，12名會員終於在四月18日正午，在臺北車站聚首。與會者包含北中南的人士，包含基隆、彰化、屏東，跨越了整個臺灣達400多公里，實在是令人感到興奮。大家到二樓美食廣場吃吃喝喝，還沒全部結束，就已經有人自然而然地把明信片拿出來分享。話題也自動展開，包含大家蒐集明信片的經驗、旅遊中的明信片、如何逼迫朋友在旅遊中寄明信片，還有拿出同一套明信片來比較等等。

最重要的，這次有另一位會員為大家找了美國的設計師製作了聚會紀念明信片，可惜因故無法參加，不能詢問其設計過程。大家紛紛努力的寫明信片，興味盎然。最後在大廳的車站郵局，購買油桐花郵資票，投遞明信片，結束了這場充滿意義的網友聚會。

I got my souvenir postcard today. Joanna helped me to mail it. So I did not know what everyone wrote. The message was a surprise, like a three-day time capsule.
今天早上回家攔截了這個聚會明信片，收到了大家寫給我的小留言。雖然當時是當著我的面寫的，但是Joanna藏起來沒給我看到，幫我寄回來。好像一個三天效期的時間膠囊，真是驚喜。

My Mailbox / 我用的郵筒

在較大的地圖上查看郵筒地圖

今天有點無聊，所以在Google地圖上，把我生活中比較接近，比較常用的郵筒給標記出來。好像還有幾個漏掉了。不過原本覺得每個好像都隔得滿遠的，標到地圖上，才發現好像也滿密集的。

開始交換明信片後，會比較關心這些生活中的小細節，除了每個郵筒的截郵時間，還有郵差送信的時間。這些固定的時間，就像是這個世界有在運轉的證明。二月初過完農曆新年，本來市區航空和限時是三班制的，居然改成兩班，就讓我有種世界變慢的錯覺。改天更有空再好好探索住家附近的其他郵筒，還有標出收件的時間好了，也算是對社區環境的踏查。(郵局有郵筒(箱)設置地點查詢，不過沒有標示截郵時間)

I feel a little bored today, so I mark all postboxes cloesed to me which I use most often in Google map. The post office provides a webpage to check all postboxes online. However, this map is much meaningful to me and I think it a good way to discover one's community by making his own map.

Postcrossing / 交織的明信片

明信片交換網站，是個創意十足，充滿驚喜的國際交流網站。

常有人說，網路的出現，讓人與人的距離更近了。隔著一個螢幕，一封封的電子郵件或是即時通訊的視窗，細明體或標楷體呈現的文章或字句，傳達了消息或資訊。但是我們的視野有更開闊嗎？從網路上認識的世界，都是上網的人自己尋找的，也就是依據本身的能力或知識，慢慢擴展開來的。有時受限於習慣、眼界或是同質性，總是在自己本來的世界中打轉。這個網站，透過隨機的分配，讓人有機會把自己介紹出去，同樣的，也會隨機有人自地球上的某一處稍來隻字片語，收信時的驚喜，則是絕佳的收穫。小時候曾經集過一段時間的郵票，所謂集郵三益「怡情、益智、儲財」。玩交換明信片不一定有這麼偉大的利益，不過在寄與收之間，可以欣賞世界各地的風光、閱讀不同人的手寫英文、學習圖面上的新知；重新認識臺灣之美，練習撰寫英文信件和介紹臺灣。

明信片這樣圖文並茂的型式，我認為和部落格有非常大的相似性，所以在玩了快半年後，決定一鼓作氣，連自己以前收到好友的明信片也整理起來，然後放到部落格來和大家分享。目前交換明信片網站上可以追到的第一張臺灣明信片是2005年8月24日寄往美國的。2008年九月底還不到八千張，等過一個月十月底我開始參加時，已經近兩萬兩千張了。前幾週還差一點點就要取得寄出台灣第四萬張的資格。所以，除了朋友的明信片外，接下來透過明信片交換收送的明信片，會越來越多。

希望可以像我對這個部落格的期許「連結全世界」。

Postcrossing is an international random postcard exchage website. The official site has already explained very well. Please click the link to see detail. I joined on 29 October, 2008. It expands my collection rapidly. Now I have more than one hundred postcards in total.

I organise and digitalise all postcards and start to keep the journal too late. Consequently, it is hard to catch up the coming postcards. But I think postcards are like blog very much. Both need good picture and text. I will try my best to catch up my collection and wish this blog can reach the goal, link to the world.

Introduce the new blog of Dodd for postcard /為您介紹Dodd的新明信片部落格

The postcards Blog of Dodd Lu is inaugurated today. Although I have joined postcrossing since 30 Octobor, 2008, I have been a postcard fan for a very long time. I try to traced back all my postcards, received and sent, but unfortunately, scanning postcards is not a habbit with me. Thus most postcards here are what I received. Well, let those sent cards be the special gift to the receivers. All articles before this announcement are recall of my collection. I shall share more postcards in the future.

Now I annouce my postcard blog is inaugurated.

今天Dodd LU的明信片部落格，正式啟用。雖然我從2008年10月30日開始參加交換明信片 ，但我已經喜歡明信片很久了。不過很可惜以往我都沒有掃瞄寄出明信片的習慣，所以現在這邊大部分的明信片都是我收到的。但是也沒關係，就讓那些明信片成為收件者的私人小禮物吧！所有在這篇公告之前的文章，都是回溯建檔，未來在和大家分享更多我所寄出和收到的明信片。

現在我宣佈，我的明信片網站，正式啟用。

Postcard Year, Lonely Year 2006 / 寂寞的一年，明信片的一年 2006

2006年，我自己一個人在澳洲生活，寄了許多明信片給臺灣的好友們。一個人生活並不困難，但是偶有孤獨之感。然而排遣孤獨不一定需要好友相伴，寫寫明信片分享旅遊時的所見所聞也是一種抒發。短短的隻紙片語，雖不知收到的人是否天涯共此時，但是可以假裝海外存知己。好朋友有時是聽他講，有時是講給他聽。而旅遊風景明信片，又總在愉快的時光中寄出，總覺得已經不負這些收信人。

至於是否真的是知己呢？在單方面吐露完心事後，可以再聽到這些人的故事，非常謝謝大家！

In 2006, I lived alone in Australia, and sent a lot of postcards to friends in Taiwan. Living alone is not difficult, but sometimes makes me feel lonely. To solve this problem, a companion is not always necessary, however. Writing postcards to share some experiences in travel is also a good expression. A piece of paper is probably not able to make the receiver to know the feelings, but I pretend they are my true friends and do know me. A good frineds is sometimes a listeners, and sometimes I listen to him/her. Travel postcards are always sent at happy moment. So I think I make them feel good.

Well, are all receivers really good friends? After my one-way expression, I can get all these postcards. I have to say thank you very much to all!!

posted on 19/03/09 19:00