Open discussion of topics raised in candidate Q&A threads

[@random]

I agree with randompvg re: empty seats. I seem to recall there may have been some occurrence (I think it may have been last year) where an overestimation of how many tickets would already be in use led to a huge number of empty seats at the AMV contest, yet, people not being allowed in. Is that ringing a bell? Hope I'm remembering that right.

I'm not sure what you are remembering, but the rule with the tickets is that they guarantee you a seat, not that you have to have one to get in.

We actually release fewer tickets than the room will actually hold.  Once all ticketed attendees are in, then other people can get in.  There should be no reason for empty seats expcept for low turnout.

It is very doubtful there will be a need for tickets at both info booths... tickets should be given away in the hotel where they event is, and since only Main Events is ticketed, it should only be in that hotel.

My only reasons for worrying about empty seats as a result of discarded tickets were the "Oh well" factor (i.e. people see really long line of ticketed attendees, decide "Oh well, there's no way I'll get in" and wander elsewhere) and/or the "Rules are rules" factor (i.e. someone keeps people out without knowing that empty seats = open capacity). In my experience, there's often a wide gap between "should be" and "is".  

But if in your experience neither of those is a significant worry, that's a relief - you'd be the one who knows. I worry about too many things as it is; it's nice to check one off the list.  

[kylite]

standard procedure was we seated the line with tickets until the line is gone, wait 5-10 minutes. then start announcing empty seats until filled to near capacity

[Jamiche]

I was at the door for 3 of the 4 ticketed events this year, and it seemed to work out okay.  Once ticketed attendees were let in, we let in those without one.

But you might be right.. people may be getting confused about the ticket being a requirement.  We can look at cleaning up the verbage in the con book and pocket guide to better clarify the situation - a ticket guarantees you a seat (if you are there during seating), but open seats left after a certain time are filled without need of a ticket.

[RemSaverem]

I was at the door for 3 of the 4 ticketed events this year, and it seemed to work out okay.  Once ticketed attendees were let in, we let in those without one.

But you might be right.. people may be getting confused about the ticket being a requirement.  We can look at cleaning up the verbage in the con book and pocket guide to better clarify the situation - a ticket guarantees you a seat (if you are there during seating), but open seats left after a certain time are filled without need of a ticket.

Anecdotal rumblings (randomly overhearing things like "Ooh I wanted to go to that but I didn't have time to go get a ticket") suggest that tidying up the diction would be a great idea

Filling out a registration form blindly isn't something I approve of, we need to convene on staff who aren't sure of what to do/where to be and find there strengths, discuss with them there options and move on from there... without fighting over people. Thats something that needs to happen in every department.

(That was Ally in Publicity Q&A thread.)
IMHO there should be an option for people to register with intent to become staff, but either (a) needing more info to decide in which dept, and/or (b) open to being put wherever most needed, and have the Chair be who signs off on them. Such forms could ask for a little backstory on the applicant's prior experiences in & out of KC that could inform their placement.

[Jamiche]

IMHO there should be an option for people to register with intent to become staff, but either (a) needing more info to decide in which dept, and/or (b) open to being put wherever most needed, and have the Chair be who signs off on them. Such forms could ask for a little backstory on the applicant's prior experiences in & out of KC that could inform their placement.

There is.. Jo created a form this last year for people who were new to staff, to help figure out where their interest/experience would be a good fit.

[RemSaverem]

IMHO there should be an option for people to register with intent to become staff, but either (a) needing more info to decide in which dept, and/or (b) open to being put wherever most needed, and have the Chair be who signs off on them. Such forms could ask for a little backstory on the applicant's prior experiences in & out of KC that could inform their placement.

There is.. Jo created a form this last year for people who were new to staff, to help figure out where their interest/experience would be a good fit.

YAY!!! That is awesome.
It would then also be great for returning staff to be availed this option, if they know they want to return as staff but either are not attached to their prior year's position or know they want to explore something different the next year for any reason! Is it linked to the site?

[JeffT]

IMHO there should be an option for people to register with intent to become staff, but either (a) needing more info to decide in which dept, and/or (b) open to being put wherever most needed, and have the Chair be who signs off on them. Such forms could ask for a little backstory on the applicant's prior experiences in & out of KC that could inform their placement.

There is.. Jo created a form this last year for people who were new to staff, to help figure out where their interest/experience would be a good fit.

YAY!!! That is awesome.
It would then also be great for returning staff to be availed this option, if they know they want to return as staff but either are not attached to their prior year's position or know they want to explore something different the next year for any reason! Is it linked to the site?

Yes: http://www.kumoricon.org/membership

[kjayers]

IMHO there should be an option for people to register with intent to become staff, but either (a) needing more info to decide in which dept, and/or (b) open to being put wherever most needed, and have the Chair be who signs off on them. Such forms could ask for a little backstory on the applicant's prior experiences in & out of KC that could inform their placement.

There is.. Jo created a form this last year for people who were new to staff, to help figure out where their interest/experience would be a good fit.

YAY!!! That is awesome.
It would then also be great for returning staff to be availed this option, if they know they want to return as staff but either are not attached to their prior year's position or know they want to explore something different the next year for any reason! Is it linked to the site?

Yes: http://www.kumoricon.org/membership

*beams*

FYI - there was apparently some confusion in 2010 causing people to fill out the application when they only needed the registration.  I will (assuming I get the post, otherwise the next Secretary should) change the form itself to make it more obviously NOT the staff registration form.  Any suggestions of how we might change the wording of the description on the webpage to highlight the difference?  ^{_{or did people just not read?}}

For reference:

Staff Application Form [fillable PDF] – If you are new to Altonimbus Entertainment or Kumoricon—or you wish to explore new options for your continued participation in con—you may complete this form and return it to the Secretary, who will help arrange or provide appropriate information. Directors may also request or require applications as they choose.

Staff Membership Registration Form [fillable PDF] – If you have been in contact with your director or manager and after you have received director approval for a staff position, please fill in the fields and print this form, and bring it to a meeting or otherwise deliver to your director. The director must initial the form. Please pay the $10 staff membership dues by cash, check, or money order at a meeting, or arrange for the payment outside the meeting (please do not send payment without arranging first).

[JeffT]

The form's second paragraph says:

This form may be used by persons who wish to express interest in a position and who, for any reason, are uncertain of the position that would be the best fit. Consult a director to determine whether this form is required.

The only source of confusion I see is the "may be used". Change it to something like "Use this form if you are interested in a position and, for any reason..." or something like that. Add an additional sentence making reference to the staff application form.

Otherwise, they just have to read.

[pyronine]

OK, SO i AM CONFUSED ON THE FORMS. oops caps, I saw both forms, and the way it is stated is very confusing.

So I assume the "staff application form"  is for new members? Its confusing because it says or you wish to explore new options for your continued participation in con so unless you open it up, you dont know. When i opened it up and compared it to the other form, it appeared to me like we have 2 staff levels, one non specific jobs and one for specific positions.

I suggest you modify the statement and put it in simple terms for everyone.   For instance, "Please fill this out if you are new, or do not know what position you want". The other form should be worded something like,  "If you know what position you want, please fill this form out and see the appropriate director or individual to have the position authorized".

Before you type out any description, you need to word it for the average person to understand. Having a bunch of useless info that is already on the forms confuses it more. The second description says Please pay the $10 staff membership dues by cash, check, or money order at a meeting, or arrange for the payment outside the meeting (please do not send payment without arranging first).[/i]  Correct me if i am wrong, but both forms state on them, that they require you to pay $10 for dues, yet the first form does not specify this until it is opened.
 

p.s. 

Otherwise, they just have to read.

 Umm Jeff, you have been involved so long in the con, you forget that not everyone knows the ins and outs of every form. Try not knowing what the forms are about when you read the description, or have a friend of yours try to read it in front of you and see if they understand it.

[kjayers]

OK, SO i AM CONFUSED ON THE FORMS. oops caps, I saw both forms, and the way it is stated is very confusing.

So, I'm going to table discussion of the forms themselves because, as I've already said, they are going to change, and I'll be happy to take suggestions on that later and/or somewhere else.

As for the description of the form on the website, it currently says:

If you are new to Altonimbus Entertainment or Kumoricon—or you wish to explore new options for your continued participation in con—you may complete this form and return it to the Secretary, who will help arrange or provide appropriate information. Directors may also request or require applications as they choose.

I take it your suggestion is for it to read like this?

If you are new to Altonimbus Entertainment or Kumoricon—or you do not know which position you want—you may complete this form and return it to the Secretary, who will help arrange or provide appropriate information. Directors may also request or require applications as they choose.

[RemSaverem]

One possibility is something like:
"All first-time staff are encouraged to use this form, even if you know what position you think you want."

Folks new to con might have one slot in mind for themselves, then find there are others out there they didn't know about, that would be better fits.

The corollary sentence to that would be something like:
"Returning staff may also use this form, if they are actively considering changing roles, or if they are open to being appointed to different roles, as needed."

The second form could then be worded something along the lines of:
"Please use this form only if you have already verbally confirmed with a particular Director that you will apply for a specific position."

With diction such as the above, the distinction becomes more clear: It's not about who is new and who is returning, but about who is certain of their exact destination and who is either flexible, equivocating, or curious about their options.

Oh and Jo, it's cute when you beam

[Rathany]

Thanks for the answers.
To answer your question, what I was trying to get at with Artist Alley was simply whether most of the content is 2-D visual art or how much of it might include things such as knitting, dollies, things that are fan-made but are typically labelled "crafts". Since people like coming to learn to make them, I figured there'd be a market for coming to AA to buy them. That was all I meant there.

Since many of the questions in the Relations section are more questions about Relations as it exists, as opposed to candidate questions, so I thought I would poke my nose in.

Yes, we have a good amount of crafts in Artist Alley.  Since the people who manage to get a booth sublet out to 1 or 2 other artists, it would be very hard to create a 'crafter's corner'.

[RemSaverem]

Thanks for the answers.
To answer your question, what I was trying to get at with Artist Alley was simply whether most of the content is 2-D visual art or how much of it might include things such as knitting, dollies, things that are fan-made but are typically labelled "crafts". Since people like coming to learn to make them, I figured there'd be a market for coming to AA to buy them. That was all I meant there.

Since many of the questions in the Relations section are more questions about Relations as it exists, as opposed to candidate questions, so I thought I would poke my nose in.

Yes, we have a good amount of crafts in Artist Alley.  Since the people who manage to get a booth sublet out to 1 or 2 other artists, it would be very hard to create a 'crafter's corner'.

Thanks. Yay! & Makes sense.