LostVault

I have HAD IT with inmates thinking they are entitled to special treatment and for their ads to get posted IMMEDIATELY upon receipt. It's a FIVE DOLLAR AD, what do they expect? This is a NICE thing that we do for inmates.

I do this virtually alone these days. I post the ads, approve 95% of them and have just lost the passion for it. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to post ads for ungrateful CRIMINALS who COMPLAIN about the time it takes to post their ad (less than a month since it was mailed) after they are offered a second photo on their ad for FREE. I don't want to approve ads for people who cannot follow the SIMPLE, SPELLED OUT RULES RIGHT ON THE ONLINE FORM when they post ads. It's literally RIGHT there...take a look - I'm not stupid.

I'm burned out and have better things to do.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh I'm so sorry Sewergrrl I wish I had time to help you with approving all the ads I really do but I find my hands full with the penpals I have now. I completely understand your frustration because you have put so much time and effort into LostVault...and this on top of a family, housework etc. You deserve a well earned break PM me if you ever need to talk and i'll send you my email/msn.

Thanks

I was just venting and I'm all better now. An inmate just really got to me and I had to let it out.

Hi - am I able to approve ads? If you send me a PM with how I do this I am happy to take some of the load off your hands.

Me xxx

Glad you are all better now, LV is still one of the best pen pal sites around, and the only good free one!

I can understand that you are fed up with ungrateful people, ... sometimes they can be so demanding.
It is good to vent!



I am now trying to pick up things again, but, I think that in a few weeks I have a better sight on the time available, and then I might be able to approve ads again.)

Anything I can do to help, Let me know....!

I am retired and have plenty of time on my hands...

I understand the feelings you get from ungrateful people,
but there are also good ones that can make all the difference...

John

*Crossing fingers* I hope I can get back to helping more soon!

(But I understand COMPLETELY that vent!)

Aww, thanks so much for the very kind offers of help. I'm OK now, I just needed to vent because it was one thing after another. I really just needed to get it out. I will definitely keep you all in mind if I become truly overwhelmed.

Sorry I've been out of touch for a while and just saw your post Sew...I'm willing to help with ad approvals too...just tell me what I have to do.

I do totally understand! I had about 20 ads to post or update and some of them I had almost 2 months. Now they get my name by word of mouth. I never said I'd do it forever. It was a beautiful day Sunday and I literally spent ALL DAY posting ads. I had to start by checking to see if they were transferred since it was awhile. I had one guy send me a plain envelope not a stamped envelope like that is going to help me? And with all the time on their hands many didn't even address the envelope to themselves. I ignored requests to look for their better photo on my space. I used to answer their letters ( including my penpals of course and husband) right away, but now, I put myself first. I need to take care of my own business first.

It is only a few letters, like one of just two lines thanking me for helping him, and another saying how many guys at Danville had gotten penpals and how it changed them, that keep me at it. Really wouldn't you think they'd write me and let me know when they get a penpal?

I had connection problems and lost a similar rant of my own two days ago. Many of these guys are sociopaths, and they are only concerned about themselves. Most of them are really not very nice people! Look at where they are!

I don't know about you Sewer but I find it takes at least a half hour on average to post ads for them. I type pretty fast. But I have to start going to IDOC to get photo and stats, have to decipher their handwriting, and the ones who DO send an envelope, I print out a copy and send it back to them along with their original ad to me so they can see exactly what I revised. Sometimes their sentences don't make sense and I admit to cleaning up the grammar. Sometimes they ramble on for pages about their case. Like I'm going to get involved in their legal case?

It's been interesting, but I get requests from a whole lot of different IL prisons and the word got around fast that I wouldn't respond without a SASE. I get very few without. I do post those but don't send a copy.

I can imagine you'd be reluctant to let someone else post ads after that one woman took their letters, photos and refused to give them back but that would be an idea for maybe a stay at home person.

These guys know darn well many of those penpal web sites are "fly by night" affairs and often they'll pay $40 and not even get a copy of the ad. In their requests to post on LV sometimes they say, please please look at this web site and see if I am really on there because I've heard nothing. You COULD raise the price to $10 each. It'd still be a very good deal. They come up with money for other things. You could let them know in the return copy that future ads would be $10 each maybe with free address changes.

Belinda, It doesn't take long to post ads, really. We have the 150 word limit and I've been doing this so long I have a speedy system to getting them done that hasn't failed me yet.

I can't raise the price because it's not about the money. The only reason it's $5 is to deter someone wanting something just because it's free. We don't get that many paid ads in the first place.

I would feel bad having someone approve ads. The reason is that I'm a perfectionist and the only person who can put up with how I like things is Motty. I've tried hard to relax about being "just so" but I've worked too hard on making things uniform to stop now. haha

I was just overwhelmed because in addition to doing LV stuff, I've been busy at home. Then on top of it that inmate just said the wrong thing at the wrong time. He's since apologized and keeps sending me emails asking random questions about LV and ads. I think he's just bored and really wants someone to talk to. At home I also have it all worked out. It seems like now that Hope is almost 2, that she's being really bad at times and is a total mess! Nothing can ever stay clean, which irritates me to no end. Also, with my husband and I working out a lot the laundry seems to multipy like sweaty bunnies. I've adjusted and have yet a new system to getting things done around the house. Everything takes a learning curve and adjustment period.

So I'm not done anymore. Thanks everyone for listening and offering your help, it really means a lot to me.

Well having just found LV i am happy to have read through and seen that you will not be going anywhere and i will hopefully get to meet some friends.

I can relate so much to the being busy and someone just say something to send you over the edge so to speak i went through it this week.
I have also thankfully gotten better at walking away Still have those times but I manage as best I can.

Hope to get to meet many folks here.

Bay

I knew better than to offer to help! lol I am sooo not a perfectionist! I'll blame it on my ADD.