Author Topic: Before Posting a New Topic / EVENT / Tournament - Read ME FIRST //  (Read 93786 times)

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Offline X_A

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Welcome to the Tournaments & Events forum for gamers in the Oklahoma area!  Let's cover a few quick frequently asked questions:

Yes - it's totally free to post on the site about your gamer related event (Games as in Console, PC/LAN, Collectible Card Games and RPG / Tabletop gaming).
Yes - this site is E for Everyone.
Yes - Gamers, Businesses, and Event Coordinators posting events are covered by our "NO FLAMING/RANKING" rule - we do our best to provide a safe forum for you to place your content.
Yes - The Tournaments & Events forum uses a "form" to submit Events into the forum.

BEFORE YOU POST: you MUST fill out every required field (noted by the *'s) on the form.  These are required content to post on OKgamers - simple things like at least one gaming title, a location, etc.  DO NOT POST TBA / OR AVOID THE FIELD BY ENTERING SIMILAR CONTENT, WE WILL MOVE IT TO THE "PLANNING/HYPE FORUM" where unfinished events can be placed.

WHAT THIS READ ME COVERS:
 - What this Section is NOT
 - Intro and WHO IS POSTING - Anyone with a gamer related event
 - How to Post your Event - Details
 - PRO TIPS: What should I include in my event?
 - EDITING YOUR EVENT: Should you need to / choose to
 - Tips on getting the word out about your tournament [[Flyer location suggestions here]]
 - RSS feed for this forum
 - Finale, Why to use OKgamers.com on a Flyer


WHAT THIS SECTION IS NOT: 
STILL PLANNING?
If your tournament isn't fully put together, or you don't have a date or specific's locked down yet, maybe your looking for feedback / interest first - please post that in the Tournament Planning and Hype forum.  If your looking to have general chat, find more information out on a gaming community, or so forth - please visit those sections.

LOCAL PLAYERS TO COMPETE?
If your looking for competition - check out the Local Competition section

This is a LOCAL based site - Oklahoma area.  Want another state?  Check with the NVGA Online, the National Video Game Association.

Know of or POSTING an Online event
 - If it's for Oklahoma residents only, then post it in the proper Local Competition forum (There's FPS, Fighting, Tabletop and then general). 
 - If it's not OK focused, for now, please post it in the Chat forum.

WHY NO ONLINE THREADS IN T&E?
The most important forum on the site would be over-ran, and be useless.  There are plenty of Online Tournament Solutions, just google your favorite games, etc.  This site is for OK area focused events, aka IRL.  :D


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Intro -

WHO IS POSTING - Anyone with a gamer related event
OKgamers.com is Oklahoma's only gamer focused resource for keeping everyone up to date about what's going on in the Oklahoma area.  Where do you find that - the core of the site, the Tournaments & Events forum, it serves all forms of gamer related events and tournaments in the Oklahoma area.

 - if you have a a card game tournament, console based game tournament, a tabletop tournament - whatever GAMER related, it can go here. 
(Why all together?  Gamers are LAZY!  Quick easy titles mean fast skimming, so you can review what's going on; all together so you can let your other gamer friends know too.  We know you know plenty of types of gamers, so we keep everything together, to help with networking!)

- Got a gaming match coming up - and want to publicize it?
 - You hosting the next big multi-day event, and want people to know about it?
 - Want to know when the next Magic the Gathering tournament is in your area?
 - Know a friend hosting a smash tournament?

Pretty much any Event or Tournament having to do with gamer interests in the Oklahoma area - goes in the "T and E" forum.


WHO SHOULD POST: COMPANIES / BUSINESSES / VENUES / TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERS - READ THIS
Anyone can post an event not already posted.  However, all info needs to be present.
In order to post in THIS forum - YOU MUST HAVE a set date, a confirmed location, and at least one game - before posting in this forum.  PLEASE DO NOT POST half planned, or vague threads.  Only finalized tournaments and events are allowed to be posted here, thanks!  See "what to include" to get more details on some suggested content.

NEW VENUE?  Not on a map?
We may have a local supporter or TO confirm your venue.  If we find it's not real, we put it in Planning and Hype.  PLEASE only post REAL EVENTS - that are fully planed out!



How to Post your Event - Details

While we've covered the basics, we'd like to get into details.

Name of Your Event - while straight forwards, we do include a "Name, Games Initials" point for the very familiar point by now - gamers are lazy.  Throwing a convention?  Got a "name for your event" - that's great.  But if you don't also include after it some of the prime games you have at the event - people may never read it.  Period.  Also, never assume your title is "suggestive" - just go ahead and put in some initials for your game.   If you were throwing a Sci-Fi convention, you'd want to fill out the field like:

SCIFI CONVENTION NAME, Halo, CoD, SSF

For Halo, Call of Duty, and Super Street Fighter.

Of course, later you'll put in the game list, and the details about this game?  However, without teasing it in the title of your event, you may never even get readers to that point.  Help them read your thread, "tease" your major game titles being played, supported or provided.

Date your Event Occurs - Straight forwards, and we ask you to use the Month/Day/Year format - so 02/22/12, etc.  It's important to do that to keep things easy to read, etc...

Is your event WEEKLY or MONTHLY?
We do NOT want you to have to come back and post every week or month! (If you wish to, that's fine, but we do not require any sort of thing!)  SO, simply sub out the date area for frequency.  So your event title might look like:

Tulsa - Super Smash Bros Monthlies - Monthly
Norman - DnD casuals on Tuesdays - Weekly
OKC - Quake LAN gatherings - Fridays

etc.  Simply work in the frequency at the end, and feel free to put in the day of the week if applicable.

City - straight forwards, but MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS.

Name of Venue or Location - If you are doing it at a college, name that college.  If you are doing it at your house, you could simply state your name and house - like "Jimmy's House", etc.  (Keep in mind this IS THE INTERNET, and we do not encourage people to disclose personal information like your home address!  However, if it's going into the T&E forum, we need the info - consider creating a thread in the Local Players forum if you are just wanting to network with your friends, or find other players of your game.)

Venue Address - INCLUDE FULL STREET ADDRESS, ZIPCODE - Google Maps will do the rest. 

ONCE YOU POST YOUR EVENT - check the thread to make sure the info posted correctly, and that the MAP IS POINTING TO YOUR ACTUAL VENUE.

If you put in a street address and zipcode, you should be fine - if you have problems, simply contact us via our Contact Form on the main site.

Start Time - important so gamers know when to show up - if you have a sign up time, or some reason to be there earlier?  Post that here - aka, post your earliest reason to be there, here.  Post your full time schedule under Event Description.

Games to be played - ULTRA IMPORTANT - do not ASSUME people know what games you'll have at your event.  LIST THEM OUT FULLY, please.

Entry / Location / Tournament Costs - ANY and all fees associated with your event?  NEED to be covered in this box.  It's simple - sure.  However, if you do not fully educate a gamer on cost, it will affect your attendance next time around.  Please, get it right - post your details.

A word on entry fees - it's very important to warn people upfront if there is a location, and/or entry fee.  Be upfront, as you don't want someone traveling on a tight budget to get to your event only to find out they can't attend due to some unmentioned expense.


Event Description - whatever your write up is about your event?  Goes here.  Everything about it!!

Additional Details on your Event - a friendly reminder - to be thorough.  You can post all your content into the first box and leave this one empty, just know - if you leave anything out that a gamer might want to know, they might not ask you about it...  They simply may just skip the event.  Be informative, it's the internet, no one is charging you for space.

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PRO TIPS: What should I include in my thread?

CORE POINT - GAMERS ARE LAZY.  LAZY LAZY LAZY.

Never dealt with gamers?  Let's not beat around the bush - when you go to make a thread be thinking about the fact some people will have NO IDEA what's going on beyond what you've said.  They may be barely paying attention.  They've read your title, are interested, now you just need to get them the info they want, and get them in the know.
(KEEP IN MIND - if your title didn't include what GAME you are involved in, your interest / click through will be LOWERED DRAMATICALLY, please, try and include at least one game / gaming type.)

Here are our suggestions to filling out that "Event Description" box the right way:

A quick intro - a good idea just to get side items out of the way, and announce anything they might really be wanting to know right then, like mention the prize, or the format of the tournament, so on so forth.  Get to the point right off the bat however, and remember if people are printing this – they want all the MOST important info right up at the top, so they can get it and not all the random posts that may follow.

Location Details - You've given them the street address and now a Google Maps - give them any additional hints or tips they should know.  Also, consider adding in the phone number to the actual establishment if possible.

Rules and extra points - rules are important, and the way you'll handle the game, the brackets, and anything else that might come into play should be included.  Just being upfront and in the know also makes a event more likely to draw people to come out and play.  And, if you have any events or anything else associated with the tournament, that would be a good time to tell them.


**IMPORTANT - the calendar does not automatically add your event.  Once you post your event, go to the bottom of the thread, and click 'link to calendar'.  This will give you the ability to put the info about your event on our calendar.  If you realize you made any mistakes, you click the red star next to the calendar event to edit it.


A SERIOUS PRO TIP from a long time Event Coordinator and Promoter:
Include as much detail as you can IN YOUR FIRST POST, even if that means going back and editing often.


Sure, we have no problem with you simply linking to your thread or other website etc in the "Description"...

...however your website content won't show up on a search of this site.  It won't be in the RSS feeds that go out.  It won't be "skimable" by the fast reading, and often fickle gamers that exist ;) 

Please, post as much content to clarify as you can, even if that is just a copy and paste of your own website, etc.

Gamers OFTEN will not post a question (as sad as that is); they'll just move on and perhaps never consider your event.  Cover all the content you can in your event post, and your that much closer to great attendance!!


EDITING YOUR EVENT: Should you need to / choose to go back and edit your thread
**Anything posted in this forum goes on EVERY page on the main site***.
This is why we use our form to create the title - please do not try and go around that system - fill out each field as it requests.  The form takes info and creates your thread title in a clear easy to read format

NOTE:  Once you post, your content goes LIVE.  If you need to edit your thread afterwards, you'll affect the "Google Map" placement; make sure you take time to delete the "< div >" code out from around it, else it will show up in your post; sorry for this inconvenience!

PLEASE DO NOT EDIT YOUR TITLE - however, if you do PLEASE INCLUDE THE DASHES - it helps for legibility :)

MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTENT EDIT - post to your own thread to "bump it" so that gamers know!


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What can I do to help my cause beyond this site?

Well first off - PLEASE DO NOT POST AND FORGET THE THREAD - you may have questions, people needing additional details, or asking to promote it in their stores, etc.  Make sure "Attachments and other options" below your type box?  Is opened up, and "Notify me of replies" is  checked, with your OKgamers Forum account having a GOOD EMAIL.  When you get a response - it'll let you know, the first time.  Return to the forums, and then the email cycle repeats - no spamming of email that way!

...seriously Event Coordinators and Businesses - keep tabs on your thread, it'll pay off!


Our number one result producer with getting people to the events, beyond word of mouth, has been the website and creating flyers to work hand in hand with other efforts.  The WHOLE reason okgamers.com got started was flyers couldn't say it all, rules sometimes need to be changed [especially on brand new games], and printing out flyers only to have them not know everything, is useless.

Print flyers.  Point them to a website.  Have it all there.  Spread flyers out like mad.

It's a simple formula, but the truth is in the results.  From a handful of people to hundreds of people - the events get additional turn out by these fliers too.   

When making that flyer - space is PRECIOUS - so please consider using OKgamers as your website!    As mentioned before, any current event thread is spread across the main site, and Google loves OKgamers :)  So, consider pointing people towards OKgamers for your more info, and feel free to use resources from our Media section on the main site!

(What's a 'current event thread' - any thread that has been created or posted to in the last 14 days - aka, if you post it 2+ weeks out, don't feel bad about "bumping" your thread with the occasional in thread update post, etc.)

Get the flyer together.  Make it eye catching and simple.  Get them interested through a graphic associated with their game then leave the details to the site.  More and more the okgamers.com homepage will be focused on getting people STRAIGHT to the forums.  So rest assured, they'll get to OKgamers.com if you let them know it exists.  Use the site, that's why it's here, that's it's main purpose of helping to spread the word and being one big source of info for people to find out about gaming events, and become more in the know.  Keeping to only the essentials on the flyer - the event, the date, perhaps the contact info and then the OKgamers.com url keeps it easy to read - and MOST IMPORTANT - not overwhelming.  The more content we've seen on a flyer, the more likely gamers simply put the flyer back down.  Get them interested with base info - and they'll keep it to find out more online later.  You start getting into tournament rules on the flyer?  It becomes confusing, and you lose your message and viewer.

What to do with the flyers once you've made them?  Get them to your employees, friends, fellow gamers and everyone that's interested in your cause / tournament and have them go to places they frequent and see if they can leave flyers.  Reasor's and other grocery stores, Vintage Stock, and other locally owned video game / rental stores are a great place to start.  Your school.  Your work.  Your families business or a friends.  ANYWHERE THAT LETS YOU HANG FLYERS and that you yourself, or those like you would go to is basically the answer.  Be nice, ask if you can put up a flyer, and have your friends or yourself check back and make sure the flyers are still up.  500 flyers usually do nicely for about a couple of weeks worth of promotion.  You could even do a half page design, and have 1000 flyers which really would give you some exposure.  Just make sure to be creative, and hand those flyers out with at least a few weeks before your event, and you'll get response.


Places I've found to put flyers

We find putting a list on here now - is useless.  Things change, etc.  Review the Planning and Hype forum, you may find newer resources.  Business Owners that have been "Verified" or noticed by Mods will have that status - which allows you to see a Business Owners Resource forum - check there as well!


Make sure you work with other websites as well linking around and such - OKgamers.com provides you a place to put the info now with a easy to remember URL okgamers.com - that url and the forums being the focus, get people right to the info.  But don't stop there - post about it on your blog.  Mention it to friends on their sites.  Use your myspace or livejournal account.  Spam your friends :)  Seriously just review where you go think if you can post about that tournament and do so.

Another big thing - keep diligent to answering questions that come in on the sites you post your info.  Just like the flyers, once you put up the info, you can't just leave it alone.  Flyers get torn down and taken.  Websites - have questions and people wanting to know more.  Keep up with any questions, and you'll be fine.

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RSS Feed for the Tournaments and Events forum

Do you use Windows 7 (Vista and 7 sidebars have a RSS reader + OKgamers = up to date!)
Use google reader?
Have another RSS solution?  Then plug in OKgamers RSS feed to know WHEN and WHAT is going on in Oklahoma! 

http://www.okgamers.com/forums/index.php?action=.xml;sa=news;board=4;limit=10;type=rss

(MORE RSS / XML feeds on the front page!!)

If you need rss2 - simply put a 2 at the end. 
If you need XML - then remove the ";type=rss" off the end.
If you need more than 10 posts - replace the 10 with the correct number you would like
If you need the POSTS and not the THREADS (Aka, this takes you to the currently talked on thread, first post.  If you want to go to the most recent post on that thread...) - replace 'news' with 'recent'

Pretty straight forwards, and I know I heart it!  KEEP IN THE KNOW - USE THE INTERNET!@#  :)


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And finally - thank you for helping the cause.  Just by posting your information - you are providing more content into the OKgamers resource for Google to find us both - and for new gamers to get excited about.  It seems so simple - but to many?  It means a WHOLE lot.

If you want to help the "Cause" of gaming in the Oklahoma area more, please promote us by putting OKgamers.com on your flyer, or using your new thread on OKgamers as your link on Facebook, the local calendars, and where ever else you post your info and want to "link back" to something for more or current details.   You never know for sure where flyers will end up, and how search engines like Google will index your info.  6 months after you threw your first tournament, and now your looking to throw another?  You will have people already waiting for it simply because you used OKGamers.com to put your info up.  We've already seen this effect in practice, and with every day we find new google and search engine terms that point directly to OKgamers.com

We've got a GREAT site here - but Google can only link to content that EXISTS - help us centralize info by posting your event here!


Why use "OKgamers" as your Flyer URL?
OKgamers.com is an easy to remember url, and a central place which is all you need when it comes to gathering info and making life easier for gamers in Oklahoma.  The only thing that stops events from being fun, or from dying out is often the attendance numbers.  The more people that know about the site, and post information the more the word will get out with people using it, wanting more events and having others to know about their events.  So I ask you to please use okgamers.com to further your cause and ours.  Let's continue to get the word out and having more tournaments, and bigger events in Oklahoma that people actually know about.  Posting your content may seem small, but TRUST US, every event helps, and shows gamers that there's A LOT going on for them in Oklahoma!


Want to help more?  We've got resources for how a student, a gamer, and businesses can help out even more - just check it out!


Questions?  Please post them here, so we can use them as a resource for others that might ask the same question!!



X A

« Last Edit: September 26, 2011, 03:54:37 am by X_A »
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