UFH Comments, Suggestions, Etc.

[Amanda Aldridge]

Alright guys, the moment of truth. UFH is really still a work in progress. Many ideas and concerns have already been brought to us, via aim, pm, and the tigerbolt chat. We're listening, and considering some changes.

In order to help us make this something you guys will all love, please post your comments and suggestions in this thread.

Thanks guys!!

[Amanda Morrison]

To add:

If you would like a personal response, please mention that in your posts.

Thank you, and enjoy.

[Mike Schroeder]

well i would personally like to see the selection process/criterria, i would like to know how one person is picked over another

[George1902]

OK... I recognize this as an attempt at a good thing, so I will remain constructive.

I would fully support this endeavor if all of the nominees could be viewed someplace. It's nice that these anonymous judges think highly of the winner, but if you'd really like to recognize the efforts of the most people you need to let all eligible entries be seen.

[Cory]

I think the UFH is a good idea, but started off on a bad foot, First of all, the whole guessing game and secrecy thing was just stupid imho. It is good to recognize people, but the one massive flaw that I see is that there are maybe 1500 people who actively read/post on CD (thats probably actually a bit high) theres are thousands upon thousands of people who do not even know that chiefdelphi.com exists. The vast majority of these people will not be nominated by anyone unless someone on their team reads Chiefdelphi, or they are well known in the local FIRST community. If there was a way, which at this point there obviously isnt, to spread the word to the majority of FIRST participants, it would make things much more fair.

If we knew what the criteria are that are being judged, then we would be reassured that the judges werent playing favorites (Im sure they wouldnt, but hey, some of us like to see everything before we have faith)

My suggestion is that all nominees be recognized somewhere, with their submissions posted. Maybe they will have to be read and approved by the judges first to make sure that they arent just submissions from someone's friend. After that, you could ask the nominee if they wish to have their submission posted. If they say yes, it goes up in a special place, entitled "runner's up, honorable mention, etc" for all to see. This way, even if you dont "win" youre still a winner and everyone can give you the recognition you deserve.

The main challenge is going to be getting *everyone* aware of the UFH and getting people to submit nominations.

Cory

[Andy Baker]

A few points:

1. Excellent job. This was not easy to do. Kudos go out to Amanda, Amanda, Josh, and Brandon. This is the start of something great.

2. Don't let the constructive criticizm get you down.

3. To address some of these constructive points, here are a few things to think about:

... It may be a good idea to post all nominated names. However, don't do this in haste. It needs to be thought through.

... This is CD's site. It is not official. This is the best place this can happen. The more people who see this site, the better. In the mean time, the implementation of this is very good and not having it is not good.

... As far as criteria goes, I could care less if it is posted or not.
As long as deserving people are spotlighted (and there are too many), then it is a good thing. But, many people may differ from this opinion. If it needs to be posted, keep it general. One suggestion could be to rotate a region each time. John is in the northeast. The next person could be from the southeast (or whatever). This way, some sort of geographical fairness could alleviate some bias and also make the judging easier (limits the names). This may also add to the anticipation.

... Having non-CD Forum users is OK, but it is not even needed at this point. There are sooo many people that need to be spotlighted who already use these forums, that is what I suggest needs to be focused on right now. Non-users can still be eligible, of course.

... I have been on these forums since 1999. I have seen excellent FIRSTers come and go. Many go because some of the mindless stuff that goes on in here. This is one thing that may bring them back.

UFH has substance. It puts the I in FIRST. People need to be respected and looked up to. Sure, the system may need tweaked and it is good to give input on how to tweak it. Sure, the hype was a bit much... but this is a great thing that WILL turn into an excellent thing.

Look at it this way - the Woodie Flowers experience I have been through this past year has floored me. My life has changed. This recognition has impacted me more than anything outside my kids and marriage. If other people can just get a piece of this experience, then it is a great thing. Let's support it. Let's work to make it the best it can be.

Andy B.

ps... sorry for breaking one of my personal rules and not being consise.

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by Cory
I think the UFH is a good idea, but started off on a bad foot, First of all, the whole guessing game and secrecy thing was just stupid imho....
Didn't Brandon (on the main page) say "We wanted to have some excitement go on during the off-season" or something along those lines? I also agree w/ Amanda M., they worked hard on this, and it's turned out great. I'm very glad that CD and the others who helped did this actually. It should bring more people into CD and such.

Great job on UFH ya'll!

[Rich Wong]

Originally posted by Amanda Aldridge
Alright guys, the moment of truth. UFH is really still a work in progress. Many ideas and concerns have already been brought to us, via aim, pm, and the tigerbolt chat. We're listening, and considering some changes.

In order to help us make this something you guys will all love, please post your comments and suggestions in this thread.

Thanks guys!!

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA!
All the volunteers that I'm working with at NYC-FIRST think so too.
FIRST can only exist with support from volunteers
and UFH from across this country (and the world).
To honor them with a UFH is a great way for the FIRST
community to show their appreciation to these FIRST Heroes.

Whatever the direction UFH takes, it only can be for the better.
(I would like to see a list of the runnerups)
THANKS FOR A GREAT JOB!
:)

[miketwalker]

I think this is an absolutly great idea... because if anything it'll only inspire people to go more, and know that they have people backing them up. One suggestion I have... incorporate the "nomination" submissions into the final showing so people can see some of the one-on-one thoughts from the individuals who nominated them (if the nominators would like this that is) because then you could maybe see some first-hand experiences with those people, whether it be a story of an event that occured that made this person so great, or just things hes done over time. This will let the ChiefDelphi community get more input into what is said about the UFH person. Keep up the excellent work!

[Aignam]

I too think the UFH is a great idea. There are so many FIRST heroes who do what they do without recognition and go day in and day out working to promote FIRST and to inspire. This program will finally give these people an opportunity to be recognized throughout the FIRST community.

[rbayer]

First of all, I think UFH is a truly great idea. It takes SO many dedicated people to make FIRST a reality and most of these people are completely unknown to the community as a whole. CD is truly the ideal place to recognize these people.

That said, here's my (minor) criticism:

The way UFH is displayed right now is not overly attractive/sleek, nor is it overly accessible if you aren't at the portal page. Here's my suggestions for a slightly revamped UI:

1. Now that the picture is no longer displayed, remove one of the links. No real purpose in having two :D.

2. Move it over to the right side, above the "Latest threads" area.

3. Move pictures back where they used to be.

4. Below the "today's birthdays" thing on the main forum page, add in a row for "Unsung FIRST Hero: <link>". It makes it much easier to get at, etc.

Anyways, let me know if I need to clarify.

--Rob

[IMDWalrus]

Hmm. I like the concept as a whole, but as Cory said, the only people that will find out about this are CD users.

My suggestion would be that, when the regionals and Nationals come around, we recognize the UFHs (how do we pluralize it?) at the competitions. It doesn't have to be anything major - maybe just a small "shrine" (can't think of a good name...I'm too tired to think :( ) in a team's pit area or something. The best place to do this would be outside of the venue or in one of the main hallways, but it could be hard to get permission for that. Something like a sign in a pit area, while not quite as impressive or noticeable, would be easier to set up. Since no one can attend all of the regionals, we'd probably have to select maybe seven or eight teams to do this at different regionals. If, as we're hoping, Centennial Park in Atlanta becomes FIRST-dominated during Nationals, that would be a great place to recognize the honorees. (That fits in with some of M. Krass' ideas very well, by the way.) Something like this would be a great way to help spread FIRST's ideals to the public.

Just my two cents.

[generalbrando]

My perspective on the way this was started:

I actually knew about UFH before it came online and I was shaking my head (lightly) that there was soooo much hype. I think that there was a tiny let down, but overall, the general feeling is that this is a great improvement (and I agree).

Sitting here, thinking about how this was done and the fact that it was all very hush hush and the "judges" could have been "playing favorites" and all of that - I came to a realization. How else could they have started this? Maybe it would have worked if they had posted a thread, talked about it, got some people interested, and maybe eventually it would have gotten posted (if everyone didn't go back and forth forever). You'll have to forgive me, for I'm often pragmatic. So my opinion is that just launching this pilot all of the sudden was the best way to go. It's out there, it can be discussed based on not only what isn't, but what it is. I commend you four for getting it going and for the work you're surely putting into it now in order to appease everyone and make this thing all it can be.

I don't think we need to worry about non-CDer's. Like Andy said, there are so many that we need to recognize already. Also, this will probably bring more fame and recognition to this forum and bring in more distant members (leading to complete saturation?). If you were to try to make this a project involve all of those heros in the FIRST community from the start - you would probably have to involve the FIRST staff and/or the leaders of every team. It's not that it couldn't be done - but do we want to put more on their plate? Do we want this to become completely institutionalized from the beginning? It seems that the reason it was created was to avoid just that in the recognition of great people.

Again, good work. I hope to see this continue!

[Kevin A]

Do you have to write an essay for your nominee? It seems as tho most people are known, but have not recieved any awards, so it would be kinda redundant to write about them.

[Brandon Martus]

Originally posted by rbayer
1. Now that the picture is no longer displayed, remove one of the links. No real purpose in having two :D. It should still be shown.. I broke it somehow last night.

nor is it overly accessible if you aren't at the portal page.there is a UFH link in the upper right, too.


as for how it looks & its accessability, this will all change when vB3 comes out. I broke my 'no new features until vb3' rule for UFH because I feel this is a really good idea and shouldn't be put on the back burner. So .. when vB3 comes out, it will hopefully be accessable a little better, be more noticable, and fit better into the overall design.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally posted by Kevin A
Do you have to write an essay for your nominee? It seems as tho most people are known, but have not recieved any awards, so it would be kinda redundant to write about them.

Yes. The essays are how the committee chooses the honorees. How else would they be able to sort through and pick somebody? Plus, there are some lesser-known people that deserve this greatly, and not everybody knows their stories. The essays put everyone on at least semi-equal footing.

[Cory]

Originally posted by rbayer
3. Move pictures back where they used to be.
--Rob

A little off topic:

Please no, anything but that! I totally love where the pictures are now. Now you dont have to scroll all the way down the page to see if there are any new ones. Why move them? Its not like the forum announcements really need that extra 3-4" on the side of the page.

Cory

[Brandon Martus]

Concerning the pictures .. I removed the date uploaded & who uploaded them. This info really isn't so important that it needs to take up space on the portal. So, I've just left the image and the title. Hopefully that cleans it up a little better.

[Amanda Aldridge]

Thanks guys, all of your suggestions are being considered. Keep it coming.

[Amanda Morrison]

generalbrando brought up in Chris Hibner's UFH thread that the summaries are getting a little repetitive.

I'd love some suggestions!

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by Amanda Morrison
generalbrando brought up in Chris Hibner's UFH thread that the summaries are getting a little repetitive.

I'd love some suggestions!
In my opinion, that is true. They are all "FIRST is great when I first entered [enter compitition name] [comp. type]".

[Joe Matt]

Keep it how it is. Why? Just keep it. I mean, it works now, it's not broken, so don't fix it. CD is a place where FIRST is recognized, and even if they arn't 'registered' on the forums, they should be celebrated.

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by JosephM
Keep it how it is. Why? Just keep it. I mean, it works now, it's not broken, so don't fix it. CD is a place where FIRST is recognized, and even if they arn't 'registered' on the forums, they should be celebrated.
Umm....what are you talking about?

I'm serious on this question.

[SarahB]

Any idea when the next UFH will be posted? Its already November 3rd and yet no new Hero. :confused:


*waits anxiously*

[BandChick]

UFH was a great idea, and I was thrilled to see it :).

Originally posted by Raven_Writer
In my opinion, that is true. They are all "FIRST is great when I first entered [enter compitition name] [comp. type]".

I think this is a good idea. It has structure and it makes it more obvious to those who may not already know the UFH to learn about them.

Maybe you might want to change your paragraph structure a little bit. less "so and so did this" followed by the next paragraph saying "so and so did this" if possible maybe you want to say "this happened because of/with help from so and so" just a little sentence structure would make it more interesting to read.

[JVN]

Originally posted by SarahB
Any idea when the next UFH will be posted? Its already November 3rd and yet no new Hero. :confused:


*waits anxiously*

Soon.

They are just waiting on a picture. :)
No big deal... within the week I'm sure.

[BandChick]

Originally posted by JVN
Soon.

They are just waiting on a picture. :)
No big deal... within the week I'm sure.

yay!

( i know, waste of a post, but i was too excited NOT to say something)

[generalbrando]

I know that things are crazy with the end of the semester coming and CD being completely torn apart and rebuilt (GO BRANDON!), but I was wondering if there's a UFH coming for the first half of this month?

[Brandon Martus]

I think (correct me if I'm wrong, Indi-Amandas) that UFH is on hold until January.

[Amanda Morrison]

The Unsung FIRST Heroes has been postponed to January. We will begin the new year with yet another well-deserving, underappreciated individual. *wink*

[suneel112]

I really want to nominate a mentor from my team. I have written essays on him on the UFH "nominate someone", but nothing has shown up. I guess I don't know how UFH works, so does a panel of Chief VIPs decide, from the nomination essays, who will win?

[Amanda Morrison]

Suneel,

I have sent you a PM regarding your thread.

I'd like you all to know the status of our voting situation. Our committee currently votes once to narrow down the selection of our recipients, and then does a final vote on the remaining nominations. Those that make it through both voting processes are later honored.

If anyone has any questions, they can contact me personally.

Thank you.

[Bharat Nain]

I would say, if there are enough entries, and you can get a few more VIPs involved in the whole process, we should have 4 UFH's instead of 2 in a month. I see a LOT of people very deservant of some recognition all around FIRST. But, I dont know how many people nominate people, so thats upto you guys to judge. UFH has done an excellent job, keep it up.
-Bharat

[Josh Hambright]

*bump*

As UFH makes it triumphant return to CD with the much deserved honoring of Greg Marra (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69002). I just wanted to ask everyone once again if anyone has any comments, suggestions or feedback they would like to pass on to the UFH committee.

[sanddrag]

Does UFH still exist?

[Taylor]

Does UFH still exist?

If it doesn't , it should.
Great resurrection.

[Mark McLeod]

There's an Unsung FIRST Hero
Nominate Someone! (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ufh.php?action=current)
on CD's portal.

To reward a favorite, hardworking, inspiring mentor just Nominate them! (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ufh.php?action=nominate)

[Pjohn1959]

I am wondering what the criteria is to make it. I nominated someone last year, and never heard back from it.

[Chris is me]

I've had a few people I've wanted to nominate, but I wasn't sure if the program existed anymore.

[Rosiebotboss]

Is the reason UFH is not active because not enough manpower is avaialbe to go through the nominations? I can't believe there are no nominations. Maybe the moderators should ask if there is anyone willing to step up and (here it comes, my foot in my mouth) choose the winners? It's getting kindof boring to look at the empty box on the portal week after week.

[Beth Sweet]

From what I understand, nominees have been contacted, but have yet to respond. I suppose some just prefer to remain unsung!

[Siri]

From what I understand, nominees have been contacted, but have yet to respond. I suppose some just prefer to remain unsung!Can the judges still not find anyone who wants to be sung? That's unfortunate (and surprising). I hope this program does pick back up, though I know the judges are probably very busy. Great idea though! :)

[Justin Montois]

Whoever is currently in charge of this section, please send me an Email, jmontois340@gmail.com or PM me

I want to get this going again. If it means starting from scratch in terms of selecting a committee to vote on submissions, ETC then so be it.

I believe everyone in the FRC community would like to see this start happening again.

[Kusha]

Whoever is currently in charge of this section, please send me an Email, snip or PM me

I want to get this going again. If it means starting from scratch in terms of selecting a committee to vote on submissions, ETC then so be it.

I believe everyone in the FRC community would like to see this start happening again.

I actually submitted an essay today, so I hope this section gets going again.

By the way, remove or obfuscate your email so bots don't pick up on it and spam your email.

[Cory]

Whoever is currently in charge of this section, please send me an Email, jmontois340@gmail.com or PM me

I want to get this going again. If it means starting from scratch in terms of selecting a committee to vote on submissions, ETC then so be it.

I believe everyone in the FRC community would like to see this start happening again.

There is a committee. I believe everything kind of got dropped because honorees weren't responding and there was a queue of people that couldn't be reached.