As most of you know, I'm a proponent of the Amber Alert System.
I get a lump in my throat every time I see the ticker at the bottom of the forums pages has turned yellow (usually meaning a young child has been abducted).

I know I would go out of my mind if my child was missing.

If you are not familiar with the Amber Alert system, please see this thread...
http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/10/5305.html

I heard on the radio the other day that MySpace (the huge community web site) has started sending out emails to all their members when there is a new alert.

I thought that was a great idea!

I'm probably going to do it anyway, because I think it's so important. But I thought I'd ask the members how they feel about receiving an email from us whenever there is an alert.

There will be NO SELLING in the email, no forums news, nothing but the Amber Alert information (it would be really tacky to advertise in an emergency alert).

If you live outside the U.S., the Amber Alert won't mean much to you, but I can't easily separate the emails so please just live with it.
Or, if there is some similar system in your country, by all means let me know.

This 3 year old child is missing in Montana right now (01/26/07)

I wouldn't want to receive these alerts because they have no meaning to me (I'm not in the USA).

But you asked for similar systems: I am subscribed to SMS Alert. The police has set this up in several cities in The Netherlands and it has proven very successful.

They send you text message on your cell phone when someone is missing, a criminal has escaped (happens occasionally), a factory with hazardous chemicals is one fire, and so on. They also let you know the outcome.

In my province, the system helped find 15 missing persons last year (not just kids) and actually prevented crimes from happening. So it seems to work, especially because everyone has a cell phone these days.

Thanks Matthijs,

Sound like a great system, I wonder if we have something similar here in the states.

As I mentioned in my original post, I'll ask our non-U.S. residents to bear with me when I send out alerts. I will eventually figure a reasonable way to separate out our email list.

The subject line will be Amber Alert, so you can just delete it for now if you don't live here.

Frank,

I usually visit the Forum every day and I always notice the Amber Alert crawl. I'm not sure what advantage there'd be to receiving an e-mail as well. But for people who don't visit the board often, it might have value. JMO.

One other thing: identifying an Amber Alert as being specific to a given state may mislead people who could help. I.e., a child abducted in CA could be in another state within a matter of hours; the state identification says to me, "Oh well, it's not in New York so I needn't be concerned." Whooooooosh - there's another license plate from MA or NJ or PA or wherever.

Good point Jim,

My intention is to just put "Amber Alert" as the subject, then include some details and a link inside.

I realize some people aren't interested because they don't live in the states, I'm asking those folks to just bear with us.

I can't begin to imagine the heartache of losing a child, so if there is even a tiny chance someone seeing the ticker or getting the email might be able to help, it's all worth it.

If you live in the U.S. and still don't wish to be notified, just don't bother to open the email.
They (I hope) won't arrive that often.

...

I do know how it feels when a child is missing. Granted, when my middle daughter went missing last year, she was an adult, but still, no one- and I do mean NO ONE- knew where she was. She turned up wandering the beaches in LA of all places, hungry, dehydrated and in need of a shower, but safe, thank God. She apparently had some sort of stress related breakdown and hopped a bus cross country- she remembers very little of what happened. At any rate, it is a heart-wrenching, impossibly horrible feeling to not know where your child is or if she is even safe. If getting the Amber Alerts via email will help even one child be returned to his or her family safely, then I am all for it.

Some people get email on dialup connections or even cellphones, and have to wait until it's in their inbox to delete it. Please don't send these emails.

I'm sure there are plenty of other places where people who want to get these emails can register for them.

I share your support for children, but by bundling Amber Alert emails with PianoWorld, you take away our choice to view them separately. It's the same as an off-topic post to the forum: each one dilutes the forum's value to piano people.

Thanks for your concern, and thanks for asking first.

--Cy--

I'm fine with receiving the e-mails (the minor inconvenience of deleting a handful of e-mails is worth it if there's even the slightest chance it could help), but I'm also sensitive to Cy's concerns. I don't know how feasible this would be, Frank, but is there anyway to set it up on a separate listserv, and let people opt out of receiving them? You'd want to have it as opt-out only, rather than opt-in, I think, to reach the greatest number of people.

I think I can set up a separate list, then send out an email explaining why I created the second mailing/list and giving folks the opportunity to opt out.

I do understand it's a diversion from pianos (the main reason everyone is here) and people have their reasons for not wanting the emails.
Still, I'm a little surprised it would be construed as an interruption some people don't want to be bothered with.
It isn't exactly junk mail.

That said, I do realize our members expect some control over what they receive from us, as they became members in the first place because they wanted to learn and talk about pianos.
[which is why the infamous Coffee Room went away]

I'm looking into creating the separate list/mailing, and probably won't mail anything until I resolve the issues.

In the meantime, please check the ticker whenever you visit, it only takes a few seconds of your time.

P.S.
God forbid your child or a child you know ever gets abducted, I guarantee you will want their information plastered everywhere it could possibly be, and you'll want every pair of eyes you can get looking out for him/her.

IrishMak:
but safe, thank God[/b]

Indeed. I remember your posts at the time she was still missing, and then I seemed to miss the rest of the story, as occasionally outbreaks of work and other things mean I don't get to follow every thread across all the boards. I am very glad to hear that nothing too untoward had happened to her.

Although not US-resident, I am a parent and share many of the concerns voiced by Frank and others, so personally I would have no issue with receiving the e-mails, though I would probably opt out if the choice were given.

-Michael B.

This would be why I say it's so important to get the word out fast, to everyone you can...

Amber Alert Canceled for 3 Year Old Montana Boy
Posted: Thursday January 25, 2007: 7:24 PM CST
Updated: Saturday January 27, 2007: 2:28 AM CST

The State of Montana and the Flathead County Sheriff's Department canceled the Amber Alert on Saturday morning after the boy's remains were found[/b]. No further information is available at this time.