Stamp Column Archives

The Glassine Surfer Column Archive

This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

July 2002

American Swiss

At first brush the site of the American Helvetia Philatelic Society is a simple one page design that you were used to seeing in 1997. The site's front page includes the requisite club sections: a membership survey, awards, officers, membership info, annual dues, and sales books, plus info on slide shows, and the bi-monthly journal, "Tell."

But if you turn the cover and click on the pictorial survey of Swiss philately, the site starts to bloom. This section is appropriately called "Swiss Fondue," and not only is it an in depth overview of the philatelic history of the Cantons, but it is a good introduction to the subject to non-specialists as well.

Fondue covers numerology, telegraph stamps, consular visa fee stamps, cinderellas, Liechtenstein, Atlantic mail, Zurich and Geneva cantonal issues, Rayons, and about 20 other topics as well.

Each topic is explained, illustrated in a straight forward, educational manner. The fondue is very well done and probably will take the casual reader two or three visits to digest.

American Helvetia Philatelic Society
http://www.swiss-stamps.org/

CCCC

The Cover Collectors Circuit Club has a simple purpose: to help members find contacts to exchange stamp and cover. Members sign up for cover circuits, where a member mails the circuit form to the next member on the circuit and tries to turn the envelope mailed into a collectable cover, using commemorative stamps, etc.

It's a pleasant and easy way to meet other stamp collectors and perhaps set up some exchanges. Their contact site has some basic information as well as sign up details.

Cover Collectors Circuit Club
http://www.geocities.com/coverccc/index.html

Third Reich Discussion

If you're thinking about starting a Web site for stamps, you probably know what options are open to you, but before you jump into it, you should look into Yahoo's "groups."

One stamp group on Yahoo is Jim Kellogg's "Third Reich Stamps," which is for the discussion of the stamps, covers, and postal history of the Nazi Third Reich (1933-1945).

Suitable topics also covered are occupied countries, Legions, propaganda postcards, revenues and dues stamps, concentration camp and Holocaust postal history, censored mail, and Fieldpost.

All Groups have sections for messages, chat room, files, and such things as pools and a calendar, and though the obvious limitation to using Groups is the lack of design freedom, if you're intent on gathering together people with like interests, using Yahoo as a base camp could be a good first step.

Check out Kellogg's group and see how it works for you, then decide.

Third Reich Stamps
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Third_Reich_Stamps

I Can't Get No

Back in May eBay, the Web's only real e-auction site, experimented with pop-up ads in an effort to make more money on their service. This, of course, led to criticism because pop-up ads are intrusive, annoying, and sometimes used underhandedly by some Webmasters.

People were talking of leaving eBay over it, but when their only alternative seemed to be Yahoo's auctions, they were left stewing. Then others theorized that there was an opportunity for another e-auction house to capitalize on the apparent dissatisfaction of once-loyal eBay users.

"Keep the Customer Satisfied" is an old Simon and Garfunkle tune that Webmasters should remember. In the early days of the e-commerce, a "positive user experience" was the mantra, and sites lured users with enhancements that would satisfy them. That is why Hotmail, Yahoo!, and eBay worked.

Now many Net businesses are in their "bleed everyone white and cash out while the going's good" phase (some are in their P.T. Barnum phase), which though bad for users now, might be the midwife of something better tomorrow.

Remember when Alta-Vista was great, or when Yahoo! was the center of the known Universe, or when About.com was wildly popular? Build it and they will come. Abuse them and they will flee.

If you have seen a site on the Web that puts user satisfaction first, drop me a line and we'll share it with everyone.

Surf Safely.

The Glassine Surfer archives and links are online at the Glassine Surfer Web site, and you're invited to the Sociable Stamp Society chats on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8pm. Come to the site and click on "chat".

The Glassine Surfer
http://www.glassinesurfer.com

Thanks for reading and for all your support. Have a safe and happy Fourth. And remember to support your local stamp club.