Author Topic: 2 EVENTS, 1 DATE: An Explanation of why gamers should not ask for dates changes  (Read 4798 times)

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Offline X_A

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It's 2011 - OKgamers has been around for 5+ years.

More gamers know about the site.
More businesses know about the site.
The site - has more content, events, and things being posted than ever before.

That's good!

What's bad?  Harassing / Ranking / Flaming businesses because of date choices.

Because OKg is more active, and more Event Coordinators are using the site?  More events are posted...

...however there are only SO MANY weekends in a given month.  Only so many options when we, the event coordinators start to plan; 1 week in advance.  1 month in advance...  1 year in advance?

Events WILL GET SCHEDULED ON THE SAME DATES - it cannot totally be avoided... 
However - how can we try and avoid where we can double booking a date? 
Communication - we now have our 2011 Oklahoma Area BLACK OUT Dates thread - specifically to help coordinators that use the site and find it to plan events around each other - where we can. 

YAY TO PROGRESS!  Know an event coordinator?  Throwing a small event yourself?  USE THE THREAD!


Now, GAMERS - WHY SHOULD YOU NOT ASK / TELL / PLEAD WITH Businesses / Venues / Events to move their dates?  Why should you avoid bringing up a date overlap up to an event coordinator?  Well - the reasons are simple:

FIRST OFF - if both events are posted - they can AND HAVE read it for themselves; you are not any more informed than they are - they can see the same T&E forum you can. 

SECOND OFF - EVEN if you want to post to point out the double booking of dates - and you are coming from an honest, and innocent perspective?  You still have no idea how someone else might take it.

THIRD - to suggest that one can just "easily move" a date - when it's for a full fledged event?  Is an insulting proposition.  Either you are saying:
A - Your event is small, and should just hop around to suit others.
B - Your event has so little planning, it should be easy to move!
C - I, the gamer asking, has no clue what I'm saying, and shouldn't have said it.  (Sorry gamers, it's true.)


I've been covering some serious ground here; we hope you don't take an obvious way out and take insult.  We don't want you taking insult.  Speaking of serious ground - let's cover 1,2 and 3 a bit - shall we?

1st - If you are a registered member of the forum - you can post to most of the forums.  If an Event Coordinator is a registered business owner?  He can see MORE FORUMS THAN YOU.  There is a business forum you cannot even see as a normal poster...   Gamers - any business owner or event coordinator can get busy, or in a hurry - but to suggest that they can't read what you can in the very forum they just posted their OWN EVENT?  Is fairly insulting, isn't it?

2nd - We are so strict on all forms of "flaming and ranking" because people do take things out of context. 

FACT - HxC LAN Center - a local group ran by "Timmy Scortcher" - is friendly with the community, more so than most venues will ever be.
FACT - everything posted on OKgamers forums you can see?  THE INTERNET CAN SEE AS WELL.
FACT - Gamers giving HxC a hard time have literally ran off other businesses and establishements from posting their content.

These are currently facts - you cannot fight them.  They are the truth.  Arguing, ranking, and flaming HxC - has cost other gamers and yourselves event content to the site - that we may never get back.  Ever.

Just because you don't care - doesn't mean someone else won't; be considerate of what you say in a public forum.


3rd and FINAL - Every aspect of A and B other than - C = "I am not educated and thus dumb on this matter" - comes down to FLAMING / INSULTING / HARASSING.

For instance:
Why post this thread?  Why have people linked to it off and on?
If OKgamers didn't remind / inform / mention to you that we have the rules we have (No Flaming / Ranking Events / Venues / Business Owners), you could potentially continue to go on other threads and say "Hey, move your date".  "Hey, this and that overlap, you should change dates so you get a bigger crowd".  Etc, etc...

Businesses - spend weeks, and even MONTHS planning their events - they can't just move things on a dime - please do not ask them to


We at OKgamers - have literally begged some businesses to post.
Gamers - often speak before they think about things - and end up ranking an event, or insult businesses, etc...
Businesses leave - not wanting to take all the time to defend themselves out of their already busy schedule.
OKGamers.com  = useless...

..as without the businesses posting their content - there is no reason for this site to exist.

--

As a gamer - I know it can seem unfair for all this to be coming at you, especially if you are new, or you were honestly trying to help, etc.  So - to help give you insight on an event that was coming up before this was posted - I'll detail to you exactly what, X A, the Event Coordinator has had to do over the last 6+ months to make said event happen.

I hope you take this seriously, and remember it before telling another Event Coordinator to just "move their date" / give them heck about one aspect or another...


To give gamers insight - that Verizon event - has been:
6+ months of planning **to date**
20+ phonecalls with corporate and regional managers
100+ emails - **to date, it's not even over yet**
Review, approval, and follow up on a literal 4+ page checklist
10+ phone calls, 20+ emails, 15 FB messages, and at least 10 SMS messages - to volunteers / staff about the event in question - **to date**
--
Planning and pursuit of sponsors and potential tie ins - multiple irl and web meetings, calls, emails, etc
Contact, Scheduling, and Attendance of Training for the new hardware at the event:
  • Contacting Staff / Volunteers to attend training
  • Contacting Sony reps to get timing scheduled
  • Working with Verizon Rep to keep updated on scheduling
  • Working with Sony regional rep to keep updated on local reps timing
  • Working with TCC to gain training facilities to actually have training at
  • Dealing with canceliations and last minute texts / calls / emails from staff/volunteers changing things
  • Reminder emails / Facebook event going out to all involved to remind them - training still happening
  • Putting up with MASS CANCELLATIONS - because training was during a storm, people died elsewhere
  • Actually GOING to the training
  • Follow up reports to 2 Regional Reps about SAID TRAINING.
AND ALL THAT WAS JUST FOR THE TRAINING - NOT EVEN THE EVENT ITS SELF.
...it continues:
Approval of various fliers from corporate
Posting of event PR for event:
  • The start - an OKgamers thread
  • Taking Event Flyer and posting to OKg thread
  • Creation of FB event and invites sent out
  • Twitter campaign - not going into details -_-;;
  • Regular re-posting of FB event on Facebook
  • Communication with regional rep about current PR efforts, updates
  • NEW FLIER EDITS - reposting to FB / OKgamers / ETC
  • OOPS - I'm out of time and going out of town, I can't run fliers myself: cue calls / emails / FB messages to volunteers to get fliers out
  • Responding / coordinating flier efforts as - I can't be there physically to do it
  • Monday Follow up of "did the fliers get out - where to / where do I need to spot check"
  • Last Day reminders of event on OKg, FB, Twitter, etc
Okay - back to actual work and not PR work:
Print up any references and resources needed for the event
Coordinate with regional rep about any last minute changes, etc
Drive to, and most likely drive volunteer(s) back afterwards
Confirming with Volunteers/Staff they are going
 - create volunteer opportunity on 1800volunteer.org so they can get their service hours
 - 2 weeks out
 - 1 week out
 - less than 1 week out creation of email with all - ALL details they need to know
 - Show up, run the whole event, and track hours
 - report hours on 1800v.org

...there's more - but I'm starting to forget it, and now - I'm late for a dinner meeting.

AND THIS IS ALL FOR A 5 HOUR EVENT, PEOPLE.  FIVE.

--

No.  Not every event is like this.  But, you'd be surprised at exactly how much of this happens for everything that gets posted.

Please respect our Event Coordinators - if you haven't done it, and done it RIGHT - you have no idea how insulting it can be to be told "just move your date". 
Support OKgamers efforts, not break them down.
Do not flame / rank events / venues / business owners.
RESPECT THE CYCLE:  Gamers Want Events - Business Post and Host Events - Gamers Have Fun.  Break the cycle by insulting businesses, and we all end up losing.  Seriously.

--

Gamers - thank you for taking the time to read this whole thing, and hopefully understand what's going on more now.  Even trying to be nice - can be detrimental  if you simply do not know what is going on.  I hope now that I've ignored my 3+ events that I should be working on, and my 5+ clients who are ready to kill me - I hope to have given you a better view of the big picture.

You want to help?  Make SURE you join Facebook Events.  That you Post them to your Facebooks / and use the "share feature".  No event post - simply post the URL of the thread of the event.  And of course - show up yourself, and thank the Event Coordinators!



X A
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Offline Timmy Skorcher

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This is a really good post. Thanks!
"Hardcore Gaming For Hardcore Gamers"
HxC LAN Center

Offline dukeofgame

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Just registered and this is the first post I read, lol, well hope the problem has been fixed. though coming from past experiences people love to complain, but the concept of this site is amazing and I'm glad I was referred to this site..... Oh and if you can move this post to facebook cause I have facebook synced to my phone and post it 10/25/2011 @ 1530 cause that's the time I'll be using my phone to send messages to my friends and I don't want to miss your reply, lol, just kidding.

Offline X_A

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Hahah, yeaa not the best first post to check out :)

Falls into our "resources for issues" sorta thread.  We've only recently had enough businesses / events / etc - starting to really overlap, and we saw the issue come up of complaining, harassing, etc.  Needed to cover "not to do that" and gave the why too - hoping it'd help :)

Welcome to the site!  Hope you find out about events your after, and help us spread the word as well!



X A

Oklahoma doesn't have to "suck"
OKGamers.com - spread the word. 
OKgamers.com - our goals

New to the site?  Welcome to OKgamers.com!  Let us know how you found us!

Offline Yanigasawa

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Cameron Clark
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom
Tulsa
Anywhere within 5 hours.
A little over a year.
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OKGamers Tournament at TCC Metro.

Offline X_A

  • X A - Lead OKGamer Evangelist
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Oklahoma doesn't have to "suck"
OKGamers.com - spread the word. 
OKgamers.com - our goals

New to the site?  Welcome to OKgamers.com!  Let us know how you found us!