unexpected guests unscheduled tours was What is the Etiquette? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Ruth J Hirsch (heidinysearthlink.net) | |
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2015 05:35:36 -0700 (PDT) |
Hi, We schedule an 'open house'-- ie a tour-- before each monthly meeting. All the time I bump into people who want to 'just stop by and look around........' I clearly ask them not to. In a friendly, but clear smiling exchange, analogize it to our arriving and poking around their yard/house. That helps. (pretty much always.) I explain we have an open house once a month and to send me an email (giving them my email address) and I will happily send them upcoming dates. And something like this happened with someone from where I used to live. Now she is a neighbor. yep, moved in in May. But the drop-in, ann you are totally fine to not want that. It is also a liability thing, and I explain that to folks, and they get it. I include the term 'we are not unfriendly...........' and may go from there to 'it's like some of us showing up and poking around in your yard/house.' I think our website included the info that folks can schedule a visit on an Open House Day. A monthly open house day. If that doesn't work-- it often does not for out-of-town-folks-- we get an email from our contact neighbor, asking if someone is available to squire these folks around; someone often enjoys doing it. I think the paragraph below is brilliant: 5. Try to remember that each community has a life of its own. The day and hour that?s convenient for you to visit may find me and/or the community otherwise engaged: celebrating an important event, in the middle of a serious work day or memorializing someone's passing. thank you for that, Ruth Cantines Island Saugerties, where we are expecting cousins from Takoma Park this afternoon PS, adding different 'subject' line, might help when someone searches archives hope you do not mind Ruth One thing I know I dislike is people just dropping by and wandering around until they run into someone to give them a tour. While cohousers are a friendly bunch I think we forget that these communities are our homes. Here are some guidelines (not rules!) I?m thinking about for requesting a visit when I?m involved: 1. If you?re visiting from out of town and think you might like a tour ? give the me a few DAYS ? not hours ? to identify someone to give you a tour. 3. If you want to stay in the guest room ? I need at least 4 weeks notice. Our guest rooms are heavily used. 4. If you leave a message do leave your full name and contact info. It helps to be able to return a call. 5. Try to remember that each community has a life of its own. The day and hour that?s convenient for you to visit may find me and/or the community otherwise engaged: celebrating an important event, in the middle of a serious work day or memorializing someone?s passing. 6. And on the other side of the coin ? one of the frustrating things I find about trying to make an appointment in advance is NEVER getting a call back or an answer to an email request. The phone number or email address on your website goes to that great black communication wastebasket. If you don?t want people to visit don?t put contact info on your website. You might ask: why didn?t you look for someone else to squire them around today? That?s a good idea except I would still have to drop what I?m doing to accommodate someone else?s schedule. I?d either have to make phone calls or write an email and then follow up to make sure the connection was made. What do you think? Am I being over the top? How do you handle visits and tours? (BTW we have four HUGE formal tours a year ? 30-40 people per tour. Plus always happy to accommodate people w/ advance notice!) PS ? I finally did fill in the blank space on that sympathy card before I wrote this email. Now I think I?ll go back to pondering Life, The Universe, Death and Everything. Maybe I?ll ask Siri ? Best -- Ann Zabaldo Takoma Village Cohousing Washington, DC Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC Falls Church, VA 703.688.2646 PS: I have an intermittent e-mail glitch. If you write and do not hear back from me shortly, please call me or please re-send. Thank you, Ruth
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unexpected guests unscheduled tours was What is the Etiquette? Ruth J Hirsch, August 5 2015
- Re: unexpected guests unscheduled tours was What is the Etiquette? Nancy Baughman Csuti, August 6 2015
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Re: unexpected guests unscheduled tours was What is the Etiquette? Sharon Villines, August 6 2015
- Re: unexpected guests unscheduled tours was What is the Etiquette? Diana Carroll, August 6 2015
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