Please Read the Manual - 2006

[AmyPrib]

Hay all,
I don't think this has been posted this year yet.

With kickoff just a few days away, I just wanted to reiterate what a lot of us are thinking:

PLEASE READ THE MANUAL THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY!

While CD is a place for help and discussion, please take the time to fully understand what you have read in the entire manual before asking questions left and right, esp the rules portion. The same goes for the FIRST Q/A system. It takes considerable effort to mull through questions/answers that are clearly in the manual or have previously been answered.

Ideally (in my opinion), there wouldn't be any questions on Saturday - if there are, I'd venture to bet it hasn't been read thoroughly.

I suggest letting the manual information sink in for several days, sleep on it. Read it several times, every word, every page, or at least the portion you're responsible for. Yes, that takes effort too, but I believe you'll be better off in the long run (and so will everyone else).

This is just a reminder for the veterans, and a plea for the rookies. But it happens every year, let's try to improve for 2006.
Good luck to everyone and enjoy kickoff!
Thanks!

(this might get moved to Rules/Strategy, but thought I'd give it a chance for most people to see early)

[Beth Sweet]

Brandon, can we throw this on the front page... Please... Pretty please...

[Elgin Clock]

I'd also like to remind everyone of one more thing.

No matter how thoroughly we all have read the manual ourselves, and may try and answer a question for you, all answers here should be considered unofficial answers and you should post the hard hitting questions to the FIRST forum.. err.. I mean Q&A system.. :yikes:

Some may be spelled out clearly by a manual reference, and some may not be that clear to all.

If any doubt, post your question to FIRST.

That is all!

And to steal the FRC Ops catch phrase from a few years ago; Build on!

[Matt Krass]

I'd also like to ask that if someone does miss something in the manual and posts a question with a well, rather obvious answer, that they're answered and politely reminded to check the manual, point out where the answer was and generally be nice. Lately I've seen some sarcastic responses to innocent mistakes and some seriously nasty responses to "obvious" questions. Everyone misses stuff and I'd rather see Gracious Professionalism.

Thank you.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

I would like to add that there is more than one chapter to the manual. Downlaod and use the search function in Adobe.
Also there is a tips and practices document as well. If you are a rookie team, consider this one required reading. Find it at http://www2.usfirst.org/2005comp/Manuals/Guidelines_C.pdf

[Brandon Martus]

Brandon, can we throw this on the front page... Please... Pretty please...


The standard 'welcome' announcement will be made Friday night, for the Saturday afternoon new arrivals. :)

[aaeamdar]

Definitely a good thing to read the manual before asking questions about it, just as it's a good thing to search the CD site before making a new topic. I had a couple questions about the manual/rules I was hoping someone experienced could answer:

1. When and where will any non-revealing sections of the manual be released early?

2. Is there anywhere I could sign up to be automatically e-mailed rules updates? I imagine I'll be reading Chief Delphi more or less constantly (I've checked in alot over the past few days, I created my login 3 or 4 days ago and have posted 10 or 11 times already) but it would be nice, both to make sure not to miss anything and to have an easy way to let my team know.

Thanks

[EricH]

2. Is there anywhere I could sign up to be automatically e-mailed rules updates? I imagine I'll be reading Chief Delphi more or less constantly (I've checked in alot over the past few days, I created my login 3 or 4 days ago and have posted 10 or 11 times already) but it would be nice, both to make sure not to miss anything and to have an easy way to let my team know.
Your team's main or alternate contact (adult) should receive the email blasts saying that an update has been released. He (or she) may then forward that information on to the team. And someone here will pick up on the release (Tuesday and Friday, normally) pretty quickly.

[aaeamdar]

Your team's main or alternate contact (adult) should receive the email blasts saying that an update has been released. He (or she) may then forward that information on to the team. And someone here will pick up on the release (Tuesday and Friday, normally) pretty quickly.

So just to be clear, there is no way I can go to the FIRST website and just sign up to get them directly? I dun wanna have to wait haha.

Thanks 'gain

[EricH]

So just to be clear, there is no way I can go to the FIRST website and just sign up to get them directly?
I don't know of any way to do that. I doubt there is a way, but you never know.

[Nuttyman54]

The way we do it is just have the main or alternate contact set up an automatic forwarding to anyone who wants to recieve the blasts. Since all of the emails start with the same subject line, it's not too difficult

[techtiger1]

Amy you are awesome for starting this thread. The amount of post posted when the game comes up because people don't read the rule book or are to lazy too is horrible. I agree with all that was said. Know the manual trust me the better you know the game the better your team will strategies and pro form. ;)

-Drew Disbury

06 year of the Tiger part 2
and trust me it will be so
much better then last year.
:cool:

[psquared89]

1. When and where will any non-revealing sections of the manual be released early?

I heard throught the grapevine (by which I mean CD) that non-game sections were supposed to be released by the 4th (yes, that is today, no it isn't posted). I have heard nothing about a release date for an encrypted version of the game-sensative portions of the manual, and I believe that it may not be released at all this year.

[Katie Reynolds]

I don't know of any way to do that. I doubt there is a way, but you never know.

There used to be an email address you could send something to requesting to be put on the list and FIRST would add you - I did it once, got emails for awhile and then they stopped coming at the start of this year. I emailed them again and they added me back on, but I only received a few emails after that, and then they stopped coming all together. I heard (correct me if I'm wrong) that only TIMS contacts would be receiving emails this season.

[Nuttyman54]

I heard throught the grapevine (by which I mean CD) that non-game sections were supposed to be released by the 4th (yes, that is today, no it isn't posted). I have heard nothing about a release date for an encrypted version of the game-sensative portions of the manual, and I believe that it may not be released at all this year.

i wouldn't be surprised if they didn't release an encrypted version early...last year at our local kickoff they had to request that everyone shut off their laptops because 3 students had used the wireless network to get it and crack the encryption...

[Kevin Kolodziej]

I sent a nice note to that e-mail back in September to be added to the list and was...then I stopped receiving them. I sent another message and they confirmed that I was removed and put me back on. I thought I stopped receiving them again, but eventually they started coming again (I think there were none at the time). I have been and still am getting message, though they are usually a day late, and I never got the official game hint message. Doesn't hurt to try, though FIRST is about to get much busier.

Anyways, back to the topic, be sure to welcome the newcomers. There will be "silly" questions but use GP to the fullest and be nice and helpful. This is the 15th annivesary and (I believe) the biggest class of rookies yet, so lets not scare them away =)

Bring on Saturday!!!!

Kev

[aaeamdar]

The way we do it is just have the main or alternate contact set up an automatic forwarding to anyone who wants to recieve the blasts. Since all of the emails start with the same subject line, it's not too difficult


Indeed, G-mail accomplishes this with alacrity, using filters.

And by the way, has anyone else noticed that google is taking over the world? And what's even more scary than that is that I am standing back and letting it happen.

In response to the poster who said that rules updates will go out to TIMS only (I'm too lazy to quote again), that's a durn shame. Thanks for the update though.

[Nuttyman54]

And by the way, has anyone else noticed that google is taking over the world? And what's even more scary than that is that I am standing back and letting it happen.


Better Google than Micro$oft...besides, Google does some awsome stuff. They're sponsoring the Sillicon Valley Regional this year, have a number or $5000 grants out to low-income or all-girls teams in the Bay Area, and are providing about 100 mentors for those teams...pretty neat if you ask me!

[Rickertsen2]

If they don't read the manual, will they read this thread?

[Nuttyman54]

well evidently they know where to come to ask...i'd say just point them to this thread

[AmyPrib]

Some of the topics in this thread have been discussed in other threads. Regarding email blasts, you will almost always see them posted on CD, or else bug your team leader to distribute them to the team. 2 days to kickoff, not sure why we're worried about getting advanced information.

I agree with others when they say, please use GP even if it's a redundant question, in the manual etc. I don't like to see posts that simply say "search before you post" because it doesn't really help anyone. If you know where it is, link it. If you don't know the exact link, at least mention the category you remember seeing it in or tell them what to search for in CD.

I simply urge everyone to read, read, read and let it all seep into your brains before going wild with the questions. Make your questions good, thoughtful, coherent, etc., and do your searching and reading 5 times over until you're sure you haven't seen the answer somewhere else. Then come here, THEN go to FIRST Q/A. I've seen so many questions in Q/A that could have been shown the answer in the manual by asking on CD first, or it sparks a debate and can develop into an even better question(s) to FIRST. Also previously noted - if you have login access to Q/A system, please hand out the login with care. Ideally, you will have 1-2 people per team that are designated to ask questions in FIRST Q/A.

Become a rules geek so that you know everything by heart - it can help you and your team in many ways.
Have fun!

[Tim Arnold]

What would be really great is if someone with access to the email blasts would setup a yahoo! group... then anyone who wants it could signup (with no added stress to usfirst.org). If I had access to the email blasts I would do it myself...

With Outlook or Gmail you can just setup a rule to forward the email... if anyone would be willing to set that up I am sure many of us (including myself) would be happy to create the yahoo! group to send it out... :D