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[FRC Blog] Documentation: Reboot
From http://www.firstinspires.org/robotic...ntation-reboot posted Dec 1 2016
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I'm not sure what to think about this....
... no wait, I do. This is a *bad* idea. I think STIMS is great in comparison! I admit, there's some redundancy in the Admin (and to a lesser extent, Game) manual. There's some things that can be pulled (like "About FIRST"), but I, in no way shape or form, want to hunt around the FIRST website... somewhere... to get information on various awards, policies and the like, that was previously in the Admin manual and had a clear update-and-announce policy (Team Updates). Random "resources" and web pages on the FIRST site (nevermind finding them) can be changed and without notice, and frankly, it concerns me greatly. Finally, we lose the single-point-of-authority the information in the Admin manual had. We could print it, bring it with us, and it was dated at the bottom of every page. If we needed to reference it at competition, it was there, and we knew it was current. We didn't have to "build" our own. I really hope FIRST considers reversing this decision. --- Opinions are my own, and may not necessarily reflect my team. |
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I am NOT clicking on the 2017 Game Manual link...
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Yep, I don't like it. When the admin manual came out you knew these were the awards and rules for this year. Now we won't know for sure when they've settled on things for the upcoming year.
The Admin manual was especially helpful for a new team moderator. Having everything in one place was great. Someone took the time to figure out what was important for you to know. Now we'll have new moderators wandering around the FIRST website? That sounds like a bad idea. Any way to avoid using the FIRST website should be a priority. |
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It's far, far worse. |
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I sent the following into FRCTeamAdvocate@usfirst.org :
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I agree, this worries me as well. Not having accountability to some of these things worries me as a coach and a volunteer.
I would rather them have a permanent Admin manual that they just updated all the time instead relying on the website which has many issues. |
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This feels like yet another disconnect between what FIRST feels about their website and the community at large think about it. I agree with everything that's been said above: while there are some benefits, the overall concerns and problems outweigh them by a significant margin.
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There are a lot of things (event rule-wise) being integrated into the website that my team or teams I know have had to show to event volunteers in the past, as other posters noted I am worried that the website resources will be seen as less "HQ official" (also worried about having to use the FIRST website).
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This makes total sense! The website is a great and well organized resource for people who are already actively engaged in FIRST.
^^^^^^ *sarcasm* |
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I sent a rather long e-mail about this to FIRST... I think the effort was overall a good idea, but that the boundaries on what should and shouldn't be included in the manual weren't quite placed right. Some of the info that's been removed to only exist on the website makes sense - it's something that experienced teams already know and don't need to be retold again and again (like the definitions of GP and Coopertition). Other information maybe only applies to a small percentage of teams (like transportation exemption information), and those teams will seek the information out.
But other information applies to every team, and should be versioned and announced when updates happen. Like award information... Was it ever announced when the information for 2017 was available on the website? I checked through my e-mails from FIRST, and found one from 11/10 that said chairman's submissions were open and linked to the website, but going to the Chairman's section in the awards (which takes you to a page that includes all submitted awards) shows a date at the top of 11/23, and a date of 11/1/2016 under Updates... what do those dates mean? What updates were made on 11/1? |
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Something funny to note is that this post was originally listed under the Resource Library for some reason and they just moved it to the blog. Old link is dead.
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I'm reminded of the pdf export function on the Q&A. If the goal is simply to provide a centralized website for the important/useful evergreen admin material rather than a central pdf, then adding a similar export function might relieve a lot of these access worries.
Still color me a skeptic, though. It's a worthy idea, but the number of people who've reached out in recent years to say "I can't find it on the website" is too worrisome for me. And these aren't CD or even deeply involved folks; I've watched the website drive people away across all kinds of associations. I'd very much rather they fix the UI first and then migrate more content to it. |
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Luckily, nobody has any trouble navigating or finding what they need from the FIRST website, so all of this information will be just as accessible and easy to find as before.
. . . But seriously, does FIRST think the website is easy enough to navigate that nobody will have trouble finding what they are looking for? What about the people who don't know exactly what they are looking for, who learn from reading the admin manual? This is going to get messy. |
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Since the resources are "easily available" from the dashboard, and the awards sections seem to be floating near the top, they should be rather easy to find and utilize.
Of course that's for people logged in to the wobsite with knowledge of the resources area. It's not entirely intuitive. And I'm not sure how to access simply starting from the wobsite home page. |
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I've never heard tell of a blag, though. :rolleyes: |
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https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/ind...Mispronouncing |
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I've only been involved with FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) for 11 years so I don't know much. Someone please tell me what "evergreen" is.
I am personally old school enough that I like my rules as hard copy, complete, and up to date. I like the idea of taking blot out of rules but I don't want my ability to get a full set of rules dependent on my ability to hunt. |
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Evergreen means unchanging year-to-year, always available and not game specific, like the purpose of FIRST or Consent forms or how Lost & Found is always handled.
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So for those who haven't taken a look at their handy dandy chart the list of things that will be incorporated into the New Game and Season Manual are:
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Admin 2.3.1 Getting answers They also call Game 5.5 Tourny Rules which is odd cause it refers to it as Tournament in 5.1 take that as you will, although I hope that we will not have it called a Tourny for this game (like how MC's were harolds in 2016) as it just seems like an unnecessary change for the worse. Now my personal list of things that I would love to also be in this new manual even if it just lists the url to find the resource (Either to ensure that everyone reads it or so if they change it we know about it through a manual update): Code:
Admin 4.2.1 Safety recommendationsOverall based on the handy dandy chart most of the stuff that they aren't going to be publishing and making "evergreen" makes sense although like I said above some of them should also be published. I understand not wanting information to be redundant but making it not redundant by putting it on the website and just saying hey it's there if you know you need to look for it is like saying "Welcome to your new job our company policies or in case something goes wrong, will not be discussed or even looked at during hiring/orientation, it's all available on our website which I am not going to give you a link to; Find it yourself!" No, that's stupid you tell them, "All our company policies and what to do in an emergency will be told to you now and if you forget here is where you find it on the company website" |
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Of course, many other rules, especially those specific to the current game, are "Seasonal". Those rules are often the ones we expect to see changed, even improved, relative to earlier versions -- and they are the ones that I think teams and volunteers should expect to see discussed in Updates, Blog Posts, and some kind of version control in the Manual. And of course, ad nauseum, here on our favorite CD fora. |
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I am usually a staunch defender of FIRST HQ: I know these folks and see how passionate they are to do good work. But in the case of the FIRST Website: It is pretty, but just awful as far as being able to find information. |
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