Gary Con Communication Issues

Using Facebook exclusively for communications re: registration and such is a monumentally bad idea, I can't even conceive. The convention's web page and blog really should be the #1 Stop for all information.

Not to mention the wording on a lot of the information is obfuscatory and misleading, especially regarding the badges. The description for the Gold badge is spread out over two web pages and you really kind of have to go hunting for it.

I appreciate all the hard work everyone has done trying to rebuild the web systems, but the communications breakdown and PR has been, frankly, atrocious.

 

Soft announcements 4 or so days before event registration and a complete lack of details as to it on the website 2 days prior to is stunning. To assume the 900+ people who've purchased badges would all successfully check social media or one of several messageboards in the extremely short window given by organizers is crazy. I'd like to point out that Gamehole has their dates all listed out and have for some time.
Project Management 101 techniques would have avoided the majority of this.

 

While, yes, it would be nice to see information about registration and events, posted on the website main page, it's really not that big of an issue. The issues of switching venues, getting a better website/network server, not to mention getting event submissions, etc. are all much more of a priority, imo. So they've had a bit of a shortfall with regards to getting the info out, properly. Obviously the news has spread well enough. I know of several web forums, including this one in which someone else has posted the relevant information. Could it have been handled better? Sure, but what's done is done, no need to point it out, I'm sure the GCon management staff are all well aware of what they are doing or the lack thereof. I imagine next year, when other matters are less important, they'll be able to tighten things up everything will be fine.

As for the description of the badges, everything is detailed on the main website under Badge Registration. (http://garycon.com/registration/)
There's even a handy-dandy chart that details out what each badge gets and descriptions below. Not really sure how that is considered misleading or unclear.

 

The chart uses words to imply three or four levels of pre-registration pecking order. The exact words state that, but what they meant is something entirely different. That's how it's misleading.

 

If everyone just assume the convention admins are aware of the issues, then nothing ever gets done about it. Complacency just exacerbates the problem. I never assume places I think there are problems are obvious to any one else. It's very easy, especially when you're busy trying to squash bugs, to overlook things and sometimes, even "obvious" issue get missed.

If the admins dismiss my concerns because they think they're not really issues, that's fine, that's their prerogative. I still have a right to point out where I think things could be improved or areas where I think communications could have been handled better. VERY few organizations deliberately communicate poorly.

 

Agree with Jedi, the MAIN point of presence for Gary Con should be their website. A simple 'Whats New' link to post all of the pertinent information would be incredibly useful. This is the 8th convention, time to kick things into gear as far as getting the registration routine straight...Social media announcements should only point back to your main point of presence, the website.

I hope the different levels of registration gets cleared up as well, it seems that the gates open on the 23rd, no matter what level you paid for?

 

Yes, the gates open on the 23rd from what I've seen on the Gary Con Gaming Convention facebook page, datagoblin67.

 

A social media comment indicated that Diamond & Platinum badge holders will be contacted privately when they can begin registration.

 

Yeah, except for the fact that this is the 8th Con, I'm fairly certain the admins are completely aware of what they are doing, or not, it's not like this is their first go round. If years one through seven they managed to communicate everything without a hitch and year eight things didn't go quite as well as planned, I'm pretty sure they know why and what they plan to do about it.

Basic - basic VIP access
Increased - more VIP access
Priority - first VIP access

Not sure how those three words cause confusion but it seems pretty clear, even if the chart isn't clear, there are detailed descriptions down below the chart. If someone didn't take the time to read those details before they decided to purchase a badge, then that's not the fault of management, that's user error.

 

Right, but you need the full description from the website:

Basic - Basic VIP event pre-reg access
Gold - Increased VIP event pre-reg access
VIP & Diamond - Priority VIP event pre-reg access

It's very clearly labeled. if three or four tiers of VIP event pre-reg weren't intended, these labels should not have been used.

 

You would think so, however this is the first year for this version of both the web site and the forums.

I also think this is the first year of the ops people doing Gary Con stuff.

The people doing communications now are not the people that were doing comms for the first seven.

I agree with JediSoth that is stunning that one would release the event catalog in any form less than a week prior to event registration.

I also agree that the web site and this forum should be the primary communication points, not Facebook. Social media should drive people to your properties, not the other way around.

Speaking of social media, the twitter account appears to be abandoned, that is, no tweets since 2014. A dead social media account is almost worse than no account.

 

All the more reason why this should have been avoided. Setting a date well in advance and making it known on the website, also well in advance, isn't that hard, in fact it's quite easy. It's a fairly basic business and project management tenant that it being forsaken is a bit tough to comprehend.

 

Here's how it causes confusion: What does "Increased" mean based on the wording on that page? More GP? More Time to register? It doesn't specify. If you dig and look at other web pages and read Facebook posts, you can finally get that it just means Double the GP to spend.

WHY DOESN'T IT JUST SAY THAT? It would be a hell of a lot less confusing. If you can argue semantics over the meaning of a word in official posting of how things are suppose to work, then it is poorly worded. Registration should not be a GAME where people compete to see whose interpretation of the guidelines is correct.

 

The forums existed in past years. It is the FIRST year for THESE forums. They reloaded a tape that lost a lot of what occurred in 2014 and early 2015 if memory serves.

 

Maybe next year they just post what the approximate GP/SP levels are for each badge and a rough primer for what a GP and SP game typically are in the header or FAQ.

 

Isn't that what the little chart with the check marks is supposed to convey? LOL

 

I'll be the first to admit communication has been awful this week. The home page still doesn't say anything about registration starting Saturday and the event catalog is not linked from the home page. That said, the Badge Registration page clearly explains the difference between the various badges if you just read the whole thing. Gold badges get more GPs than silver badges. Platinum badges also get a guaranteed spot in one event of their choice. Diamond badges get a guaranteed spot in two events of their choice. What else is there to know?

 

You can argue with me all you like. The language is not clear and it is NOT all in one place. My point that communication has been poor stands.

 

Communication isn't a one size fits all paradigm. Essential points, such as badges in this instance, should always be written as plainly as possible so everyone at all levels can understand. The volume of questions I've seen on Facebook is a clear indicator that it could have been written better.

 

The frustrating thing about the communication is that it presumes nobody has obligations. A five-day notice of registration is inappropriate. 2-3 weeks, at minimum, is normal, and allows for people to not make commitments on that day.

As it stands, I have no idea whether or not I will be able to break obligations in order to be on wi-fi or not on Saturday. I'm still chasing that down. But with proper notice I wouldn't have given a competing commitment for that time slot.

I understand that putting on a con is difficult, and this one uses a lot of volunteers. But please correct this in the future. There is no reason why Con registration dates can't be released at the same time as the dates for the Con itself. It gives a target date for the convention organizers to pin their efforts to for almost a full year prior to the date of registration.