Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject: GS5: Feedback/Suggestions?
I know we had ample time Sunday morning to voice any concerns/suggestions/feedback for GS, but I thought that being GG had to sit there with the mike and take it all in (on way too little sleep), I thought this might be a good way to compile any feedback so they can begin looking ahead at GS6. Hope that sounds cool with all y'all.
Anybody want to start us off with anything they heard mentioned on Sunday or things they didn't get to mention? _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
Joined: Jun 09, 2006 Posts: 609 Location: Duluth, GA
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:
The one suggestion I had was for scary-oke next time that we need to move the bar to the stage end of the room so people will actually congregate around the stage rather than the back part of the room. _________________ Eeek the Kat (aka Darren)
Orbs Explained
False positives explained
1,2
Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles. -Charlie Chaplin
Joined: Oct 28, 2004 Posts: 728 Location: Snellville, Ga
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject:
from the armchair attendees -
I liked the program you used, Geek, for this episode's live broadcast! this one is a winner; albeit needing a bit of tweaking, yet, is still is a good view. keep it!
the picture was great! didn't have the pixilations nor the static of the past servers. with the exception of the hotel internet crash (which was unavoidable and completely not your fault), the weekend kept viewers satisfied. clear and strong.
lighting will be remedied. I know. and the cast of characters -well, what can I say? we are stuck with what we've got! acting classes begin Monday!
the view was good. the chat room rated a C minus. it needed some help. it took long time to load and froze many times throughout.
I appreciate the work you did on this part of G5. it allowed me to attend when I had to be elsewhere for personal reasons. it means much to me that you thought of including people like me. thanks, G and P! you rock!
you know, it is a real compliment when a fellow paranormal network visits the live broadcast and chatroom, and states -"we are going to do this on our next conference!" PB -that means YOU set the pace! we're proud of you!
yes bro -you!
we are on our way to an unbelievable live broadcast!
yee-hah! I can't wait! _________________ "just because you can't SEE them, doesn't mean they're not there!"
Last edited by wingedguy on Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Oct 28, 2004 Posts: 728 Location: Snellville, Ga
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:27 pm Post subject:
I need to state this, also -
Neese you rock, too! I know the countless hours you poured into this project and it shows! everyone had a fulfilled weekend because of your work and assistance to PB.
behind every good corporation is a good women. or two!
_________________ "just because you can't SEE them, doesn't mean they're not there!"
The one suggestion I had was for scary-oke next time that we need to move the bar to the stage end of the room so people will actually congregate around the stage rather than the back part of the room.
Along those lines, we also talked about starting the cash bar earlier in the evening, to give everyone a chance to get a bit more "prepared" for scaryoke. It seemed that it took until 11 for the majority to build up their courage, which didn't leave a lot of time for the actual scaryoke part.
Does anyone have any suggestions/comments on the layout this year, with the authors in a separate room?
Joined: Jun 09, 2006 Posts: 609 Location: Duluth, GA
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:13 am Post subject:
goohsmom wrote:
Does anyone have any suggestions/comments on the layout this year, with the authors in a separate room?
We may want to put up signs directing people to where the other room is located. I know that I talked to some people who didn't even know that it was there (many of them were late comers to the con). _________________ Eeek the Kat (aka Darren)
Orbs Explained
False positives explained
1,2
Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles. -Charlie Chaplin
Joined: Aug 26, 2004 Posts: 1073 Location: Land of the Lost
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:30 am Post subject:
wingedguy wrote:
from the armchair attendees -
I liked the program you used, Geek, for this episode's live broadcast! this one is a winner; albeit needing a bit of tweaking, yet, is still is a good view. keep it!
the picture was great! didn't have the pixilations nor the static of the past servers. with the exception of the hotel internet crash (which was unavoidable and completely not your fault), the weekend kept viewers satisfied. clear and strong.
the view was good. the chat room rated a C minus. it needed some help. it took long time to load and froze many times throughout.
I have to completely disagree with WG, I tried 2 different computers and never saw the first bit of GS5. I took the firewalls down, updated Java and absolutely nothing. I've watched other Ghostocks on the webcam and never had a problem, but this was very heartbreaking for me. I wasn't able to make it financially, but I cleared my weekend just so I'd be able to watch from home. Needless to say, I was very upset and disappointed when I couldn't see anything and the chat room never loaded. Apparently, it just timed out and never connected.
I would like to suggest a different server for the future webcasts. I do plan on being at GS6 though.
I have a few suggestions of guests for next time. John Kachuba (he's been working on another book), Bring back Darkness Dave, and I have more suggestions that can wait for later. _________________ "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Les Brown
The one suggestion I had was for scary-oke next time that we need to move the bar to the stage end of the room so people will actually congregate around the stage rather than the back part of the room.
Excellent idea!
and excellent idea to start the bar sooner! _________________ E
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Those of you who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those of us who are doing it
-Chinese Proverb-
I too had difficulty locating the ballroom. Also "the table" being in the room with the speakers was a bit of a distraction.
My # 1 issue was the room itself. IT WAS COLD, dark and gloomy. I wanted to get out of there not long after arriving - the middle of the especially. _________________ E
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Those of you who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those of us who are doing it
-Chinese Proverb-
Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Posts: 144 Location: Marietta, GA
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject:
Well, about the authors in the other room... I was actually glad most of my books didn't make it in time, because I would have hated to have to miss everything to sit there and sell them. A lot of people told me that they did not even find the vendor room, because it was so far away and not well marked. I know that's not anybody's fault, since it was the closest available space, but I think if we do that again we need to put a diagram in the program showing where the vendor room is and how to get to it, and we need at least a laptop in there so that the vendors can see what's going on.
Personally, I intend to hire somebody to sit at my table so I don't have to miss anything, and just show up for scheduled autograph sessions next year.
What if registration took place in the vendor room? That way, everyone would have to make their way there & would then know where to find the tables? It would also be a good place to have the t-shirts, thereby taking away from any distractions at the rear of the room. Maybe make sure those in the vendor room had a feed to watch the goings-on in the panel room?
Of course, the ideal situation would be that the con got big enough to take over the ballroom, thereby making access to a vendor room as simple as walking across the hall _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Posts: 144 Location: Marietta, GA
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject:
I think putting registration in the ballroom is a really great idea. Then, when everyone registered, they could also get a look at the merchandise if we could have it in there during that time.
I realize we might still need to have Thursday registration in the Pulaski room, since you would probably rather not rent the other room for the extra day.
Any ideas on how to make the Sunday "goodbye" session have a better turnout? The Thursday afternoon registration worked out well, but it seemed like there was a very under-whelming turn out on Sunday and it seemed almost a waste of time (and money, I'm sure) to have the Pulaski room rented for that time. Thoughts? Comments?
Maybe not having the room on Sunday and just closing things out Saturday night would make up for renting the extra space for vendors and registration on Thursday? _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
As a more specific suggestion, maybe take 1 hour off the team meeting time on Sunday morning and schedule like this:
8-11am - teams gather to review evidence
11-12 - lunch on your own
12-5 - videos and panel discussions
5-6 dinner on your own
6-8 - video/key note address
8-11 - investigation reveals
11-12 - wrap-up/goodbyes/feedback
Thoughts? _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
Miss204, I'm not sure how having the keynote speaker after dinner would work, as Saturday night dinner can easily run 2 hours--and many attendees don't want to come back once they've gotten out and about.
As for the Sunday morning, since we have to have the space anyway to breakdown, having the send-off on Sunday morning isn't a bad thing. I liked the breakfast, too--we had a lot more people come in and out than we normally would have--they just didn't stay very long. We will probably cut down on how many we arrange it for though--we definitely had more food than we needed.
Keep the ideas coming everyone--we appreciate all the time and thought y'all are putting into this. Patrick really strives to make GhoStock the attendees' event, and your input is highly valued.
Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Posts: 144 Location: Marietta, GA
Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:11 am Post subject:
I loved the breakfast idea on Sunday, too, but you probably had enough juice for months left over:) So, you could definitely plan it for fewer people. Honestly, only a few people turn out for the closing sessions at DragonCon, too. Everybody is just too exhausted by that time, but it still makes a nice chance to have a last say for those of us who, like me, can never seem to get enough.
That's true - you do have the area already for the breakdown on Sunday. I just felt so bad that there was SOOOOO much food and juice left over.
Maybe keep the keynote speaker before dinner like this time, then allow the reveals to start a little sooner?
Maybe use the 7-9pm slot on Thursday to view some of the videos that would normally be showing right before the appropriate speakers so as to maximize the panel time? I have a feeling that those that will want to hear those speakers will either make the effort to come in and watch pertinent videos on Thurs evening or will have seen them already. _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
Joined: Jan 14, 2004 Posts: 1894 Location: Georgia
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject:
gspceo253 wrote:
I have to completely disagree with WG, I tried 2 different computers and never saw the first bit of GS5. I took the firewalls down, updated Java and absolutely nothing. I've watched other Ghostocks on the webcam and never had a problem, but this was very heartbreaking for me. I wasn't able to make it financially, but I cleared my weekend just so I'd be able to watch from home. Needless to say, I was very upset and disappointed when I couldn't see anything and the chat room never loaded. Apparently, it just timed out and never connected.
I would like to suggest a different server for the future webcasts. I do plan on being at GS6 though.
Hey there Jeannie...
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but I'm gonna be frank here, because I've worked in IT for many years. The fact that 99% of viewers had no problem viewing the webcast tells me the problem was most likely someplace on your end and not on our server.
Yes - there were problems with the chat room, but the webcast seemed to be working fine for most. While I completely understand your frustration, FAR more people were successful watching the webcast this time around then for GS4 and prior. I'm sorry you weren't one of them, but I'm certain your problems can be resolved.
The webcast was not Java based - only the chat room was, so updating Java wouldn't have fixed the problem with being able to view the stream. The webcast feed was streamed out in Adobe Flash video. This works thru 99.9% of firewalls (though some corporate networks might block it). Rule of thumb - if you can view videos on YouTube, you should have been set to see the webcast.
My guess is it was one of 3 things...
(A) Your version of Flash needed updating, This IMO is the most likely candidate. You can download the latest flash player here...
(B)Your Internet connection was not fast enough to stream the video. I don't think you are on dial up, are you? Dial up connections are never going to be fast enough for our webcasts.
If you ARE on broadband, it still might be that your ISPs connection was (for a multitude of reasons) "bottle necked" on their end some place, Think of trying to put out a house fire with water coming thru a drinking straw, vs a fire hose, and this concept will make better sense.
OR
(C)Your service provider was having problems with their DNS server and were not able to resolve the address http://paranet.tv - our streaming server. DNS stands for Domain Name Server, which is what ties a domain name like http://ghosthounds.com to an IP address like 68.178.189.50 Sometimes your ISPs DNS server goes down and doesn't know how to find some websites. If you've ever tried to go to a major site like CNN.com and get a server not found error, I guarantee you that 99 times out of 100, its a DNS issue with your ISP and not a problem with CNN.com
For GhoStock 6 and beyond, I will once again be sending out a test stream for several days prior to the event. I will also have a technical FAQ outlining things to try if you can't see the stream. I HIGHLY suggest those interested in watching the webcast show up to the site a few days prior to give it a test drive, because again, I won't be available to help once the convention starts. However there are people posting here that are very tech savvy that should be able to help trouble shoot in the event I'm not available if you post on the boards. Though I think it goes without saying that your connection should be tested in advance, vs waiting until the conference starts to give plenty of time to resolve it - especailly if its a strange error no one has encountered yet.
Again I'm sorry it didn't work, and I understand your frustration. I'm hopefully not coming across too harsh, but I was running the streaming video feed for several days prior on the site here to allow people to give feedback if they were seeing the stream or not. All feedback that I observed here in the days leading up indicated the stream was working fine. For those who couldn't see it during the event, I believe it boils down to one or more of the handful of technical issues I just outlined. _________________ Patrick Burns
Founder and Director, Ghost Hounds
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein
Joined: Jan 14, 2004 Posts: 1894 Location: Georgia
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:36 pm Post subject:
Miss204 wrote:
That's true - you do have the area already for the breakdown on Sunday. I just felt so bad that there was SOOOOO much food and juice left over.
Yea that sucked. Unfortunately, the hilton has a flat fee for the breakfast service. It was a good idea (we felt) and we're sorry more didn't take advantage of it. We'll have to rethink this for next time. We're not allowed to cater the event ourselves, otherwise we would have. Though YOU all can bring stuff in. I suppose there is nothing we could do if, say, an attendee or three showed up with a box of doughnuts and some juice bottles!
Quote:
Maybe keep the keynote speaker before dinner like this time, then allow the reveals to start a little sooner?
yea we held that extra hour initially to allow for last minute additions to the program. We kept the 2 hour dinner time, because we figured people would like to sit down and have a nice dinner, VS having to rush thru it.
Quote:
Maybe use the 7-9pm slot on Thursday to view some of the videos that would normally be showing right before the appropriate speakers so as to maximize the panel time? I have a feeling that those that will want to hear those speakers will either make the effort to come in and watch pertinent videos on Thurs evening or will have seen them already.
Not a bad idea! Frees up lecture time for sure. Maybe we have the videos available to watch online at the event as well. _________________ Patrick Burns
Founder and Director, Ghost Hounds
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein
I suppose there is nothing we could do if, say, an attendee or three showed up with a box of doughnuts and some juice bottles!
[quote]
Hey, it would be easy to run over to Parson's for some fresh made bagels/muffins/doughnuts and juices. I'm up for helping with that!
Just one less thing to subtract when trying to crunch the numbers, I'm thinking. _________________ "The Lord gave us two ends - one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most." - Ann Landers
Actually, the Hilton doesn't charge a flat-fee, but a per-person charge for the breakfast. This being the first time we'd done the breakfast, I wasn't sure how much food there would be, nor how many people would show up, so I ordered a higher number than we expected. It looked like about half the attendees showed up, which is what we'll use as the baseline if we do it again at the next one. Just like ordering t-shirts, it's a learning curve to get the numbers correct.
One thing we need to keep in mind: we get a better deal and more choice on meeting rooms when we spend money on catering. By ordering the breakfast on Sunday, we were able to get the additional ballroom space, which would not have been made available to us if we hadn't done the breakfast. It's an unfortunate fact of life in a tourism-centered city: the hotels make more money on catering than on meeting space rental, and they know they can get functions in those spaces all the time (as we witnessed with the multiple weddings and two homecoming evenings during our stay). Personally, I'm grateful that the Hilton has worked with us as well as they have, considering the small number of dollars (relatively speaking) that we bring to them overall.
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