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Just a quick heads up in case you are not commuting this AM…or following this thread.

The portal bridge was open this AM…and it caused delays.
Montclair-line riders knew about an issue at 6:48 AM (but NJ Transit sent their first alert at 7:02…which did indeed identify the Portal Bridge as the root cause)

Some ideas and feedback for you:

• I’m looking at ways to cross-share the news I see about delays (because “Clever Commute” receives the mails from all lines).
• You should all sign up for NJT alerts (go www.njtransit.com for more info). I give people advice to not simply re-forward those NJT alerts to this group…as there is strong risk of those being simply redundant or stale by the time they gets to us
• Encourage your fellow commuters to sign up for Clever Commute.
  The Montclair line has 4-5x as many people as this community. Don’t worry – it’s not chatty…but it’s a great network
• Lead by example when it comes to sending alerts
  I’m sure a lot of you are reading this mail from the comfort of your homes today. But, the point remains that the info FOR this group comes FROM this group…so it’s up to you to share and help each other. Some days, you may feel like the you are the only one sending mails…but take it from me: people appreciate it
• We are working on ways to recognize the people on each line that have helped the most. Like many places on the web/internet, experts can emerge and be “rewarded”…and we are looking at such models here on Clever Commute.

My in-box is always open to the wisdom of this crowd…as I am a just another commuter.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

The irony is that the news story on this event that was easiest for me to find came from the Long Island newspaper (Newsday). But nonetheless, we asked Clever Commuters for feedback on how our service worked…and here is what we heard:
[some responses edited for clarity and privacy]

[Read more…] about What you said about the Oct 30 NJT derailment

What an exciting day yesterday was! We processed so many requests to join…and expanded tremendously.

Now that we have taken care of the lion’s share of the “adds”…there remain some that need extra attention. Most of them fall into these categories:

• People who did not share their full name when they registered (e.g., “J Smith”, “Morristown Commuter”). Remember, we are a community of neighbors helping each other. While Clever Commute may mask your “real name” on some lines when you send to the list, we do expect you to register as who you are.
• People who did not (1) receive or (2) respond to the mail we sent asking people to confirm their address. This step is required so that we can validate that you entered your address properly…and that you do indeed want to join.
• Some mail systems may treat first-time Clever Commute mails as unsolicited/junk mail…so please take whatever steps you need to on your side to allow mails from Clever Commute. You can find more info on the FAQ site (see “My spam filter is preventing me from getting the alerts”)

Even though you may have received a “Welcome” mail with instructions on how to communicate via these new lists, not all are ready / populated yet. Please bear with us. Today was definitely a huge day for us. The story from the NY Times was a giant catalyst which generated interest from 1010Wins, NY1 News, ABC news, plus others…as well as many bloggers. So…here is the scoop:

• All NJT and a few other lists are now ready to use. See clevercommute.com/blog/ready-communities for the full list.
• We are working hard to process all the new entries. Please give us a few more days
• We’re still following up with people that had sign-up issues (e.g., incomplete, erroneous). If you know of anyone who signed up with a nickname, initials, or any other special case, please help set their expectation that the necessary follow-up may delay things.
• As the folks on the Montclair line know, this service is all about people-helping-each-other. Certainly there will wind up being some people who post and share more than others…but please don’t always rely on them. It works best when we all participate.

I guess that’s it for now…but please remember that we are neighbors trying to help each other. With all this growth, there will be some growing pains I’m sure…but we’ll get through it together.

A few quick notes:

• Thanks to all those who signed up. The response has been extraordinary.
• I’ll update the site to add links to all of the great mentions we got today (NY Times, 1010Wins radio, etc).
• We’re working through the process of adding all the new people to the lists and being sure that people are comfortable with the rules of the road. Once that’s all done, we’ll be “open for business’.

As the veterans of the list know, the technology is just one piece of Clever Commute. Now, it becomes the role of the members to keep their eyes open and share info.

Thanks again to everyone for making it an exciting day.

Back to school time means time to get more Clever!

Go to www.clevercommute.com to see all that is new.

We initiated several changes…and you’ll see them implemented over the next few months. Here are the highlights of the first phase of changes (in place now)

(1) New and improved CleverCommute.com web site
• a new look-and-feel
• a streamlined and enhanced sign-up process
  (for example: new “auto-suggest” feature for station names when you sign-up)
• A overall new structure which positions us well for neat new features
(2) New coverage (see “Find your line” sign-up page for options)

• Complete New Jersey Transit commuter train coverage!
• Pilot programs for Metro North and Long Island Rail Road
  (know anyone on the Harlem line [e.g., White Plain] or the LIRR Port Washington Branch? Offer them the opportunity to sign up!)

(3) Increased privacy and ease-of-use

• A big change:
  All mails on a given train/bus line will show in your inbox as From the same ID (e.g., Clever-Montclair-Boonton-Line).
  This way, you can still filter and sort messages, but it also shields your email address from the rest of the list.
  Note that your e-mail “signature” may continue to disclose information about you…but you’re in control.
  This also means that that there is no “Reply to” address…and I think that’ll be fine. As always, the name of the proper e-mail address for mails to the list can be found in the footer

(4) This new blog – For now, we’re using it for announcements…but we’re looking at new ways to make this forum interactive beyond the Alert mails

(5) Does it bear repeating? – Clever Commute is a way for people to help each other. So please be sure to help your fellow commuter

What is in the works

• A better text-messaging experience – You can be Clever without a traditional portable e-mail devices. (many people do this today!)
• Broader coverage – We’d appreciate it if you could introduce us to friends / siblings / coworkers / neighbors that’d like to get his/her peers connected. We’ll provide the technology. It’s OK if it’s a small group…that’s exactly how this started.
• Ability to set “blackout” dates / times – Are there times when you would like to not receive messages? We’re working on that plus other personalization