Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

For what it was intended for it did a great job.For those who are complaining about the music and the celebs do realize they are intended to lure the public in. Once in the special was more about Who We are and WHAT we do. They only had less that an hour to do it and for what they had to work with they did a bang up job. My biggest complaint in what's up with the West Coast bias? They couldn't find one East Cost team to talk to?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

If you have a single negative thought towards this special it is because you are not the target audience for it. FIRST is Awesome, if you are posting on ChiefDelphi.com, that means you already know this. The goal is to reach out to people who think completely differently, even backwards from us, and show them why FIRST matters.

If Will uses the word "dope", doesn't wear a larger FIRST logo, takes up half of the St. Louis arena, if there was not enough seating in the pits, if the music was killed during finals, it was all justified tonight. We received a huge gift this evening, and all things considered, sacrificed very little for one year.

My brother watched the special with me, and afterward he put it like this. "If two kids from every school who would otherwise have been uninterested in technology watched this special tonight and was inspired to learn more, then the world just changed because of it."

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Hard to complain about an hour of primetime TV for FIRST. Too bad there couldn't have been a lot more FIRST :/.

In my dreams, ABC saw the weekend and would consider broadcasting the Einstein field and a few other matches next year. If they did it live, throw in some pre-produced bits.

Seriously, FIRST would love the exposure. Strongmen Competitions and WSOP could take a break for an afternoon of FIRST on ESPN.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think they should have put at least one match in there, but not an Einstein match. The necessary strategy in order to win wasn't as entertaining as some of the finals on Archimedes, Galileo, Curie, and Newton.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I want to thank will.i.am for delivering on his promise to make FIRST Loud! He obviously put out money and effort and hopefully it will make it easier and more fun for all of us in the FIRST community to get more people involved.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

My neighbors came over to watch it with my family - everyone loved it, except for the Bieber commercial...this was fantastic for publicity!

Funnily enough, my mom asked me during one commercial break "Matt, why aren't they talking about Gracious Professionalism? It's such a huge part of FIRST!"

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that the rationale here is that in order to bring FIRST into the spotlight, and to have people pay attention, FIRST has to hitch on to popular people in a mainstream setting to be initially recognized. In this capacity, it was very successful. will.i.am's quotes were pretty spot-on, and things that FIRSTers could appreciate. I honestly felt that every other celebrity talking was absolutely fluff, but to associate them with a special about FIRST brings FIRST a bit more street cred.

I agree with many posters that I wish that there was more about FIRST, but look at your key elements -- they talk about coopertition, they demonstrate how FIRST can transform peoples' lives, they demonstrate why it's important, and they showed that science and technology can be fun. In that regard, I believe that they accomplished their mission.

While it may not have been the special that hardcore FIRSTers would have wanted -- it really wasn't made FOR us, and was a good step to try to change the culture into accepting how important it is to promote science and techology education.

In that regard, I am absolutely satisfied, and I hope that it opens some minds. My father, who is technology-challenged, called me from vacation in Florida to tell me about the show and how much he was enjoying it. Now, there's one... imagine how many other people enjoyed seeing it?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I understand what your saying, but if if the biggest reason I'm involved in FIRST (the competition, strategy, sports-like atmosphere) isn't really highlighted at all, I think they may have missed getting people like me interested in FIRST. Dean has been saying for years that they stole the spots model to get people hooked on FIRST. I don't think this special properly utilized or highlighted that advantage or aspect of the FIRST program. It was a great special, but I think it could have been more effective at getting people interesed if they spent some time on the actual competition by showing some match footage.

Again, the special was great and is likely a huge sucess, but I think they have things they could do better next year.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Just curious did anyone record this where I can show it to team members that missed it?

Thanks

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I totally agree. This program was definitely not aimed at us (current FIRSTers) at all, which is great. We're already involved.

Thanks to will.i.am and everyone else who made this happen.

I even liked the Bieber commercial.

Andy B.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Dean conveyed it best when he said that "by most standards outside of science and technology...virtually nobody knows about FIRST..."

Tonight, that changed.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

If I could get anything out of this, maybe someone should try and get the ratings and # of households that watched this special.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

My understanding from the powers that be is that the program will run a few more times in some odd time slots, then be made available to FIRST.

So sit back, enjoy, watch for other time slot assignments, then wait for the release.

That is my understanding.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I like how they focused on the message. However: I wasn't a fan of that much music. I have no problem with putting music in; it's a "hook" for the general populace. Just use some slightly shorter songs.

If I had to offer an overall critique: It was a good show for a first time doing it. If this is done again (and I do hope that it is), I would put in a full match or two from FRC (say, when explaining the game, and use a good match or two--Einstein semis maybe), and show more of the FTC match with will.i.am driving. Maybe go a little more with the "sports show" format used in the beginning. Oh, and spread out where the teams are from a bit; maybe hit up a few HoF teams about why they're in the HoF.


[reflection]
You know, thinking back to all that annoyance over the fields in the pits because of a concert, I think that the disruption was worth it. This was the final product of that. I only wish that there had been some hint of this back when the announcement was made, so there would have been no tempest in a teapot back in April.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think it will be interesting to see what Nielson ratings say.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I was rather pleased with the introduction before the show started. How many organizations get such a glowing endorsement from the leader of the free world?

This might be something to start in a new thread, but I thought it would be a good idea to start collecting the messages that were delivered during the show. I'll start.

Wil i am pointed out that all young people love science -- they all use cell phones, iPads, big screen TVs -- they just have not been educated that these things are all based on science.

Loved the show!!

Keith Hall
Mentor
2171 Robodogs

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Science and technology! We cant forget that part.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

You bring up an excellent point. I agree. I think it was 100% worth it.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

First, let me apologize to all of you for highlighting only this one point in your posts when many of you went on to say many positive things, but I didn't want my reply to be huge.

Yes, there was a lot of music, and that time could have been used instead to talk about other things. How many of us turned off the TV Immediately after the special was over? Realize what came on immediately after, The County Music concert something or another which featured an hour of just music and was advertised by what celebrities were participating in it. If we want to be on primetime, then we have to meet this format to receive views from the general public.

Don't like it? Then lets change the culture.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I liked it but I would most like to see it again (i missed the first half hour) and i need to show my team what they missed...both on t.v. and in St. Louis...btw any tips on getting a team more motivated?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Barry Bonzack again"

The special did its job. It got our name out, and generated curiosity. Now, its up to us to change the culture.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Barry, posts like this are why I love you.

And you know what? I don't like it. But this gives me an excuse to try to go out with my team and make them hit the community hard. (Metaphorically speaking)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

This is the big FIRST (yes I had to do that) step to spreading the word of what we do. People know what FIRST is, so the next step is getting them involved, whether that's getting them to watch a FIRST event, support a child/friend/relative in the program, or joining a team outright. This our big chance to spread the word and change the culture, let's not waste it. So in the words of one Leroy Jenkins, "Time's up, let's do this."

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

OMG he just ran in.....SEND BACKUP!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Does anyone know if there is a place to download or view the show after?

Thanks,

-RC

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Check and see if it's on ABC's website.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that this special was very beneficial and even the Jc Penney commercials were amazing at showing FIRST off. I am very impressed on how they put the culture and team's dedication to building robots. A lot of teams have been doing this for a long time and it shows their dedication and I'm glad the special emphasized on how serious building, competing, and sharing our culture is to us. I am very happy with this special. It was awesome!!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Not having attended the Championship event this year, I had no expectations of what the Special would look like or how FIRST would be presented in a brief one-hour window. One of the delightful surprises that ended up being very emotional for me - was the commercials, especially during that first 1/2 hour segment. I was so proud to sit there and watch those commercials and say, "That's a FIRST sponsor! That's another FIRST sponsor! That's a FIRST sponsor!" It's great to see their sponsorship at events - it's a whole nuther level to see those commercials during prime time TV like that. It was made of win.

I loved the team profiles and realizing anew that every team has a story that can capture the imagination, challenge the status quo, and change the culture. It was thrilling to hear students talking about their futures in ways that they would not have thought possible before they joined a team.

It was also very cool to think about the Poofs getting nervous during competition. I've never thought about that.

.. Wonder if Will.i.am knows any country music folks...

Jane

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Thanks will.i.am for producing and endorsing this great feature on FIRST.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Wait a second, people are nit picking tonight's show after will.i.am paid for everything and took his time to get our name out there? What more do you want?

Shame, shame, shame!


Thank you so much Will!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

If you go to Will.i.am's tweeter page, you might be significantly happier. Its not ridiculous amounts of feedback, but there are two that make it worth it (in my eyes), plus compliments from Oprah (and everyone loves Oprah :P ).

EDIT: More than two.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

The next step in getting FIRST out to the public is selling lightbulbs. They make money for the teams but also spread the word about FIRST. If everyone gives a short speech about what their team is doing whenever they sell a lightbulb, the general public won't be able to help but notice us.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

What i found really interesting is that Will has mentioned multiple times that he wants to/already has plans to do another i.am.FIRST special next year which just confirms the reason of Bill stating in one of his blogs that the field setup will remain the same at Championships. This means another stage but I hope its not the Black Eyed Peas (not that i dont like them) so that it doesnt become repetitive every year.

I think that will.i.am may be one of the best things to ever happen to FIRST. Great show.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

First I have to congratulate Will.I.Am. He definitely lived up to his promise to make FIRST loud. There should be no questioning his commitment to FIRST now. All of the CD speculation after the Superbowl on whether that really was a FIRST logo on his headgear has been answered. Thank you again Will.

The special may not have appealed to some hardcore FIRSTers, but that wasn't the target audience. I think the program portrayed FIRST in a great light for those who know nothing about us. Having attended Championships and the concert, I was amazed by how much I missed seeing it live. It was great to be able to relive the whole experience. While you may feel that the special showed too much of the concert, that will bring in more students, mentors, educators, and more sponsors, and that music was what made this television event possible.

My only down side was that an hour just wasn't enough to cover everything. There was very little coverage of JFLL and FLL. I know these programs are robust and well established, but an interest story on at least the Champion's Award team would have been great. That's what I felt was missed most: Recognition for the Champion's Award (FLL), Inspire Award (FTC Hall of Fame), Chairman's Award (FRC Hall of Fame) teams, and at least some mention of the Dean's List Winners group. I think that would have helped complete the picture of what FIRST is all about. Those teams and students that "get" FIRST. Everyone loves the winners, but Dean has always said its not about the robot, so show what FIRST is about.

I also wish ABC/Disney had more belief in the project. They had a splash page on the ABC website, but I only saw three commercials promoting the special. Two on CNN the night before, and one on ABC Sunday morning of the show. So, I too would like to see the ratings for the show, I hope the numbers will encourage ABC or other networks to believe in FIRST and not just allow the program as a Will.I.Am personal project.

Our team watched the special as a group after our awards ceremony. Was the program successful? Emphatically YES! We all left just as inspired as we would be leaving the Kickoff Presentation each year. I could hear students talking about upcoming projects and other robot related things that they thought would be great to do. I heard parents, mentors, and alumni talking about the upcoming year and what's inspired them to volunteer and stay volunteered in FIRST.

Inspired... Yup, that's what the show was all about.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I'm not sure if everyone knows that will.i.am paid for the airtime from his own pocket. "The preceding was paid programming", just like the Sham-Wow infomercial. Perhaps he made a few dollars back selling those advertisements, probably not. Consider that ALL the pre-show publicity on TV was paid advertising as well.

What do you think an hour on ABC costs at 7pm on a Sunday night?

I thank will.i.am for producing and delivering this program. FIRST got a huge boost tonight. You can't buy this kind of stuff.

You know, I've been listening to will.i.am a lot lately, and my opinion of him goes up a lot every time I hear him speak. This guy is smart, really smart. If this entertainment thing doesn't work out, he has a future in engineering. :)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

This wasn't for us. If it gets anyone -- ANYONE -- interested, it's awesome.

Look at the story of will.i.am's involvement in FIRST:
will.i.am had no idea what FIRST was. He thought Segways were cool, so he looked up who made them, got impressed with Dean Kamen, and Dean sucked him into our crazy little universe.

Person X has no idea what FIRST is. He thinks will.i.am is cool, so (s)he pays attention when he tries to suck him into our crazy little universe.

Will it work? No idea. But it's awesome that it's being tried.

I dislike the notion that what a celebrity thinks in any way lends the idea validation, but that doesn't change the fact that for many people this is exactly true. If that leads some people to FIRST, sweet.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I say I am rather disappointed. My prediction turns out to be true. Great intent, but poor execution. It seems more about the celebrities and less about FIRST and the kids.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Read pretty much everyone else's posts. We aren't the intended audience. This special is intended for people who have never heard of FIRST, and it did its job. It got them curious. Now, its our turn to capitalize on that, and turn curiosity into culture change.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I've been saying it too, that when you, regardless of who you are, buy an hour of primetime television, you believe you can sell the product (in this case, FIRST) and make a massive return on it (which means me getting more calls from Regional directors to ask for FLL coaches and rookie collaborations). If/when Dean and Woodie get to old to carry on the message about FIRST, will.i.am seems ready to keep perpetuating it.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Yeah - Really - What's up with that? - You would think that we would at the least qualify for some time on "The Ocho". :cool:

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

What I just watched (west coast) on TV is an absolute gift to FIRST. Thank you Will! Thank you for having the curiosity to google "Segway inventor" and thank you for calling Dean. And, naturally, thank you Dean for doing what you do!

Reading through the comments here, I'm surprised by some as this program proves that we are making a difference and changing the culture - one person at a time. I don't think there has ever been an entire hour (including the commercials) devoted to FIRST ever!

We must remember: if you're reading this comment right now you already "get it."

Being the geeks we are, I'd be interested in seeing the web traffic that FIRST generates before and after the program. That might give us a ever so small indication of impact this program just had.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Ok just got it uploaded to youtube. Here's the playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A4640B848F63156

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Thank you will.i.am! I thought that the special was fantastic, and I'm really thrilled to see FIRST portrayed in such a positive, "cool" light. I think that it's important, as many others have already pointed out, to realize that we were not the targeted audience. It was directed at people ignorant of FIRST and its potential, hoping to exhibit the organization as something on par with celebrities and pop-culture in terms of "coolness". On that front, it most definitely succeeded.
It was really great to see several fellow team members on tv shaking judges hands graciously cherishing the title of regional finalists right at the end of the 1717 spotlight. Things like this really make me wonder why it is our school undermines the program, providing countless barriers to our success.
If I had one point of disappointment in the special, it would undoubtedly be the mistake consistent with all tv specials on FIRST. It really bugs me when they say, "Each team gets shipped an identical kit of robot parts to build their robot. They also get a manual which tells them what to do in this years game". This makes it seem like there is no design process and that we *only* use the KOP. On the contrary, most teams only use electrical eq. Drive train parts in the KOP are quite limited.
That said, that did not detract from my appreciation of the special and of will.i.am. I am really glad that he fulfilled his promise made at kickoff, a promise which I thought would fall through as soon as the kickoff ceremony ended.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I've not seen the special yet, so I won't be judging what was on the show. I'm judging your responses to the show.

This isn't the first step on the journey. I've had this in my signature for a long time, but it certainly applies here. "Though the first step is the hardest and the last step ends the quest, the long steps in between are certainly the best."–Gruffi Gummi, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. This isn't our first step. The journey has lasted 20 years now(though few of us have been a part of it that whole time). This isn't the last step. We still have a really long way to go. This is definitely a long step though. Lets appreciate it for all it is.

Let's put in perspective what happened here. We needed to get somewhere and we hitch-hiked. We borrowed a ride from complete strangers to get where we needed to go. This was a dangerous move because you never know is going to come of it. All things said, the general response would show that it was a positive experience. Yes, we sat in the back seat for most of the ride. Maybe they dropped us off a little sooner then we would have liked. But the point is we are much closer to our destination and no worse for the wear. It was alot better then walking the whole way on our own. If the opportunity arises(lets hope it does), I say we take the next car to pull over and see where it takes us.

Finally, about the news of this becoming an annual thing. I never even imagined that being a possibility. I thought, this is a great thing to celebrate 20 years then its back to trudging along. will.i.am you impressed me yet again with your generosity. I love the fact that he is choosing to do this with his money. I hope other celebrities choose to help with the expenses in the future. It'd be great to see a group of celebrities that "get it" the way will.i.am does.

Jason

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Thank you will.i.am for providing us with the grounds to help recruit more students, more sponsors, parents, schools, and the general public overall.

Hopefully this program will do what it intended to do.

.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Lol, My computer is more famous than i.am.:p (er... I am.)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I guess there is a fine line between 'nit picking' and 'constructive criticism'. Especially considering they want to do this every year, it is important to look at what work, what didn't and what the special could do better. I don't think anyone bashed the program without offering suggestions and I think everyone is truely grateful for Will's amazing contribution and effort. The special is/will be a resounding sucess, but we should alway look for way to improve, right?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I believe it will be on hulu, but I am not positive

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that he's doing great in the entertainment business already ;P

I was surprised at how much Will.i.am promoted this today, on Twitter at least (there was some over the past week, but today it was ALL about i.am.FIRST). Telling everyone from Oprah to Rihanna to tune in, and speaking directly to President Obama. Kim Kardashian even tweeted about it (:eek:). There may have not been a lot of promotion on the television screen, but Kim and Will.i.am have a combined 10 MILLION followers...that's a lot of people seeing someone in the entertainment business talking about FIRST. As sad as it is to admit it, celebrity endorsement makes almost anything cool nowadays.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Ok, for starters, thank you will.i.am. I will admit that I was not the biggest fan of your involvement initially. I found your comments at Kickoff to have the potential to send the wrong message. When I found you would be performing at the Championship Event I got worried since my previous experience with you had involved drug references. (see how important first impressions are kids?) When I found out that half the dome was set up for your stage I was irked because the focus needs to be on the students and I felt you were taking away from that. To put it as bluntly as I can, I was wrong. This wasn't a BEP performing on stage in front of FIRST, it was BEP performing for FIRST. I still had my doubts, I was worried where the money was coming from to pay for it and who had arranged it. When I found out it initiated by you I was impressed. When I found out you were paying for the airtime for tonight's show I was more impressed. I love it when people surprise me in a positive way.

Now, I realize that FLL isn't as sexy as its bigger brothers. I realize that it is easy to dismiss as "those little kids". But it is my opinion that FLL is literally the most important program FIRST has. I've had the chance to work with FLL teams in numerous roles (student->mentor->coach->judge) and I can say that the enthusiasm and passion these students show knocks me off my feet. This special didn't touch on that. For the last couple years I've had the pleasure of judging up in Michigan. I hate waking up that early. I hate being on my feet all day. I especially hate if I have to see a coach who is overbearing. But somehow, despite all of this, I always the events (I did 3-4 events a year) refreshed and wanting to be involved again.

I am still trying to understand my reaction to this special. I recognize I wasn't the target audience though... I'm coming around to this... I was really skeptical at first but, honestly, I think with a little iteration we could turn this sort of thing into a real positive thing for FIRST, for the culture, and ultimately, for the world.

TL;DR - Thanks, mention FLL cuz they are awesome and everyone loves cute kids. Iterate this idea like you are JVN.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Where was the how to get involved message? I totally missed it.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I have not read all the posts on this thread, but I think that the intent of this program was realized. The audience was not us and the program was designed that way. After watching it, I have two main items to take away:

(1) it reinforced some of the main reasons why FIRST is an outstanding organization and why I am proud to be part of it, and

(2) it has provided a tool (the show itself) that we can use to help promote FIRST programs. People who have no clue about what FIRST is will be moved to check it out after watching this.

Combined with the previous CNN special on education/FIRST and the recent public service announcement by Morgan Freeman, we now have more tools than ever to use to help inform the uninitiated.

Go FIRST!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I was thinking the same thing. I was waiting for the usfirst.org URL to pop up, but it wasn't shown once. People have commented that 1 hour wasn't long enough to explain everything about FIRST. Most advertisements today are 30 second commercials which end with a URL to go learn more. Why was there no URL?

In general, I got the message that science was cool, and these FIRST people do, but it was missing the "and you can do it to".

Overall, the special was good, not great. I think Dean hit the nail on the head with creating FIRST based on a sports model, but I am always disappointed that almost all (except for MSC) TV specials show very little match play. I think if Will.i.am produces another special next year it should be a combination of the MSC program and the I.AM.FIRST program. FIRST needs fans, competition brings fans, not documentaries.

-Eric

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I had the chance to watch the show with my family who all have varying levels of awareness to FIRST, its programs, and the need for broadening STEM awareness. They all enjoyed it on different levels, for its entertainment, the stories about teams, and each of the students' journeys.

One key question my brother had was, "Why does will.i.am care?" I explain to him his story, the best I knew it, and talked shortly about the need for a focus on engineering and technology for the future. He was still confused. I then said, "It's like trying to feed medicine to an animal. You have to sneak it in with peanut butter." For clarifying purposes the medicine is STEM and the animal is the public.

The show wasn't for us but it was a showcase of us. I think in return for his gracious donation, we can show will.i.am how gracious we are by welcoming any new comers and people who want to learn more about what we do.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

While to some extent I agree, the huge majority of the planet can figure that one out with Google.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

It's still not like having the usFIRST website come up on the screen. Great show but thanks John for making me realize that there was no how-to-get involved section of the program. It could have easily been put into the program right before the credits started. It would have only taken 5-7 seconds and maybe 3 tries to get will.i.am's. voice right. Oh well. Once again, thank you will.i.am. for funding and producing an amazing program to portray to all the others I know that are not a part of FIRST.


Now I won't have to say "IT'S NOT LIKE BATTLEBOTS."

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

What I think is bugging me is that he keeps going above and beyond just supporting FIRST, he is getting it out there. Not just dropping a line on twitter, facebook, or bringing a team in to demo their robot but he has done so much more than that. I was one of those who didn't like this idea at first but I now realize how much he has done to get the message out there.


I understand that there is a difference between nitpicking and "constructive criticism" but I don't think either are appropriate in this situation.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

To me, there was a clear objective with this special, and I think it was well executed with that objective in mind. I believe the objective was to simply draw in an audience who may be completely unfamiliar with FIRST and have them walk away with some understanding of what FIRST is.

The show was aired at 7pm on a Sunday night, primetime for families to watch TV while winding down from the weekend and getting ready for the upcoming week. It also had an award show, or halftime show feel. Particularly with the promos for segments right before commercial breaks (ie: "Stay tuned to learn more about XXX team and see another performance from the Black Eyed Peas"). That type of promotion is what you see at any big event and is used to keep people tuned in for the entirety of the segment. The way I see it being effective is as follows:

Viewer flips through TV channels, sees Black Eyed Peas performing.
Viewer says to themselves, "Hey, I like the Black Eyed Peas, I'll watch"
Viewer watches performance and the segment following the performance about a particular team or part of FIRST.
Program goes to commercial, but leaves a hook in place for viewer to want to come back (ie: more Black Eyed Peas).
Process continues for an hour.
At the end of the show, the viewer has now learned about FIRST (whether intentionally or unintentionally) because they liked the Black Eyed Peas.

I do partially agree with John though, the biggest question was left unanswered, how to get involved.

-Brando

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I guess that's going to be our job to do. I need a t-shirt that says "Ask me about FIRST".

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

What's more saddening, i almost want to say insulting (but that's definitely not the right word after all of these amazing things that have happened), is that right at the very end, during the tiny credits in white text with all the bright lights, you can barely make out one second of "For more information on how to get involved with FIRST, go to abc.com". ABC.COM?? What about usfirst.org??
----
Oh well. I really shouldn't be complaining. Just the fact that a top news show in a prime-time slot even mentions our organization is GREAT!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Go to ABC.COM. Type 'robot' into the website search box and the first thing that comes up is the special's link. The FIRST link is at the BOTTOM of the text describing the tv program.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

No, you have every right to complain about this omission.

I also noted this quick scroll during the credits. It went by so fast, I didn't even realize the link WASN'T to the FIRST website!

If I recall, the recent CNN special was also devoid of any direct "For More Information" graphic displaying the FIRST website during the show.

It's like a cooking show displaying the finished product without giving out the details of the recipe!

Regardless of the quality of the program presented, not giving viewers a DIRECT source of further information is completely and utterly asinine.

In other news, Kate Pilotte sent FIRST suppliers this link to watch the show after the fact - http://iam-fan.com/?p=1449, which links to YouTube videos of the show. Hurray for that!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

That's still in no way the most direct way to get information. and about .001% of the audience would have a quick enough eye to read that on the credits.
Yeah i actually went to the youtube video and paused it to read it. :P
I guess im just trying to look on the bright side. i mean, really, what should we expect from cable TV these days? (the answer is not much....)

P.S. Does anyone have the strange feeling that Will.i.am is reading all of these posts?
P.P.S. I have a hard time believing that Miley Cyrus is a "nerd" (as said in the video) :O
P.P.P.S. Did anyone else feel like Bieber (ugh) was being condescending, maybe even insulting, when he said "What you guys do is just as cool as what we do"?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely be checking it out at my leisure. As far as the complaints of no posting of the FIRST website, have you ever wrote one down? I mean, how many times have you seen websites in commercials? How many times have you used that web address to find out more? If I saw the special and they posted the link in huge font 5 times throughout the show for 30 seconds at a time, I wouldn't have wrote it down once. Its not in my nature. I'd remember FIRST and look it up later. I think that is the case with most people. In other words, yes it was an oversight. It was something that should have been included at some point. They could have reached some more people had they included it as I'm sure somebody would have actually wrote it down. They could have also got more people by having a smart phone bar code appear on screen that sent them to the site. I'd argue the second one would actually reach more people these days. Though they reached less people then they could have, its not the end of the world. I would hardly dock them for this oversight. If they don't correct it for the next one, then you have full right to complain. As far as a first time goes, that really is a minor detail in the grand scheme of things.

Jason

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Hey Will - How about (next time and in recordings (YouTube) of this time) putting a "crawl" across the bottom of the screen (I'm assuming it would be essentially free) that displays a handful of useful facts and encouragements. One item to include would be a simple URL (or search terms) for the audience to use when they want to use the Internet take "the next step". - Thanks for jumping in with both feet - Blake

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Do keep in mind that Googling just the word FIRST takes you straight there.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Well, not everyone's as smart as you, chris. ;)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Does it really matter?

Jane

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

OKAY, BIG POST INCOMING.
I'm going to be taking all the snippets and quotes I have seen that I'd like to respond to, and answering them.

The song 'my robot is better than your robot' was made by a child that's in some way related to will, so he wanted to use it in the promotional. It was meant to be light-hearted and in no way was meant to take down the meaning of gracious professionalism. It came across like that a bit, but the concept of GP was somewhat explained in the description of FRC. 'Your opponents in one match may be your partners in the next', etc.

Considering will.i.am googled Dean, found out about FIRST, called him and said 'how can I help?', I think it turned out well as a 'robots are good for education, and here's an organization that's doing that.'. Yes, it's FIRST centric, but that's because will.i.am looked up FIRST and wanted to help.

THISTHISTHISTHISTHIS. Well said, Barry.

Exactly. This special wasn't supposed to be the Einstein Finals. It was a high-level showcase about an organization that's changing lives for students across the world. Mission accomplished. If some kids went 'ooh, Britney Spears tweeted about this show, she must like it, so I'm gonna watch it', and then got turned on to FIRST?! That's exactly what we WANT.

will.i.am paid for the show with his own money. Personally, I think it's fair that his music got a little more airtime than the robots did, for this year, because it's the music that's going to draw them in...and it's what paid for the show.

I absolutely agree. Sure, you may not have gotten your time on the dome floor, but think about how great the Championships will be in the future as FIRST continues to grow from this. Small price to pay, huh?

'Zactly.

Wait a second. You're going to complain that a show called "i.am FIRST", about the FIRST Robotics competition, where they say FIRST at least once a minute, that FIRST got FOR FREE... has a small website link to one of the sponsor's websites instead? That's TRULY asinine.

Sorry, most organizations would kill for promotion like this, even if it means directing web traffic through a sponsor. (if you notice, the ABC website directs people to www.usfirst.org for more information.)

LEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYY ....
JEEEEEEENNNNNNKKKKINNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!

That is all.
:)
LK

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Libby K again."
Darn......

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

First, if anyone who participated in the special happens to read this, THANKS!!!
Now, one complain I've seen a lot of is that they don't show the matches. This could partly be put on the producers but I think you guys need to remember something:
Matches are BOOOOORING.
The GDC has a hard task creating a game that is an engineering challenge and still interesting to watch (even with the possibility of multiple robots dead on the field). In my opinion they have greatly sacrificed crowd appeal. At matches where my team was playing, or even when I was in the stands I found the matches interesting, but once I moved on to the webcasts they weren't interesting. We have too many ways of scoring which are happening quickly and simultaneously without real time scoring. This means you cannot track the whole match through a camera, at best you can watch maybe 1/3rd of it, and have no idea what is going on everywhere else. It's really not will.i.am's fault that there where no einstein finals shown. It wouldn't have interested anyone outside of FIRST.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Now you need to take this link:

http://iam-fan.com/?p=1449

and share it with everyone you know that is not in FIRST. Put it on Facebook, show your friends. We need everyone to see this show.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I have to disagree. If our sport wasn't exciting to watch, it wouldn't have gotten anywhere over the last 20 years. It would take good camera work to make it suitable for TV, but then, so does any sport. If you want to see what good camera work and presentation can do for FRC, watch the Michigan special from this year.

Yes, some matches are slow, due to unresponsive or ineffective robots. Yes, some years the game is easier to follow than others. But every year I've been in FIRST, matches played by top-level teams have been thrilling to watch, both for me, and non-FIRST friends. I've gotten a lot of people involved by bringing them to competitions. And they come back because its exciting.

And in response to earlier comments about nit-picking, I want to clarify that I absolutely mean this as constructive criticism. I thought the special was GREAT, and am THRILLED that FIRST has gotten this kind of exposure. I'm even more excited that this looks to be an annual thing. But we can't just play the same special each year. We need to top ourselves, and draw even more people in. And I think that further illustrating the excitement of a competition could help

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Indeed I am. Because I know people living in the rural areas in which I grew up who aren't computer savvy - who might not even use or OWN a computer - who haven't even heard of Google before, but who might be inspired to want to find out more. Why make it such a puzzle for such people? Give them the key - the web address - they can hand that to the local librarian or schoolteacher, and they can readily access the information. Why force the "customers" you're trying to attract to go through even a few seconds more of added inconvenience to find you?

Is FIRST presuming that every family and individual in America knows how to "Google something"?

If you're getting it for free, EXTRACT EVERY BIT OF VALUE YOU CAN FROM THAT OPPORTUNITY. If you're going to put up a still image of the FIRST logo during the program (which was done early on in the show), take the ten additional seconds necessary to post the dang website address underneath it.

If indeed this is going to be repeated for future seasons, make the iteration, add the corrective action to improve the information conveyed to the public during the show, and have a nice day.

:) :rolleyes: :cool:

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

It may be interesting (especially live with the music, lights etc.), but it doesn't begin to compare to normal sports. They are spectator friendly, with relatively few ways to score, only one center of attention at a time, and a little counter telling you what the score is. Like I said even I, a FIRSTie who knows the game, don't really enjoy webcasts.

EDIT: I'm sure better camera work would help. But in the end the camera can only improve the game so much.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Earlier I posted that I thought the special would be better if it followed a more sports-like structure, showing matches intertwined with the stories and songs like the Michigan State Championship show. While I still think that would be more effective to get people interested opposed to music and a halftime-like show, after more reflection, it makes sense that they structured the show the way they did. Will.i.am did what he knows and that is music and putting on shows, not doing a sportcenter like highlight show. Now it would be really really cool if Will.i.am did his music special each year on ABC before some country concert while some sports star ran a sports-like highlight show on ESPN before some sports game. We only need to find another star to donate his/her time and money like Will.i.am...

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I was very pleased with the program last night. I was especially pleased with the depth of the introduction they gave Dean. They did not just focus on the Segway. It was a nice job.

I complained earlier and still do that there could of been a more direct how to contact us message. I asked one of my friends who watched last night if she wanted more info did she know how to get it. This is her response

FYI not everyone uses Google. It comes up first in Google because Google gave that to us.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

on the topic of making FIRST a "spectator friendly" sport for TV and such i think the FIRST in Michigan special needs to be looked at. If following a team is hard to follow just check out their personal robocam on either side of the screen. If the scoring is too difficult to follow then look at the score in the top bar (although it seemed mysteriously empty this year)

also the game needs to be spectator friendly. 2010's Breakaway was perfect for that. Simple scoring. No weird multipliers. Overall very uncomplicated gameplay. not that this game should be repeated every year but i think some elements need to stay so that the gameplay is exciting as well as easy to follow.

another problem with airing a FIRST competition on TV: it's two days long. the only real way to do a competition justice is to do eliminations as it should avoid robots breaking down/deadbots, extended periods of time for field problems, and non-exciting matches with the best teams. Again, FIRST in Michigan kept it to the semifinals and that seemed to work perfectly.

Hopefully, next this special will showcase the excitement of the competition as well as showcasing life-changing stories of FIRST and concert/celebrity stuff. I think this special can only get better from here on out.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I can't attest to the accuracy of this statement, but I did try searching for "first" on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com, AOL, and Comcast and all of them had 'usfirst.org' come up as the first hit. Now, assuming you have internet access, it should be pretty easy to find FIRST, regardless of search engine preference (that's a debate for another thread...)

EDIT: actually, maybe not- see below

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

An average non-FIRST searcher may not get those same results. See http://dontbubble.us/ for more info.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

The FIRST In MI special was AMAZING. I'd love to see that as the next step in televised robotics.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Ah, right. Forgot about that. Good call.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Not everyone watches TV. Are we now going to fault them for not using talk radio, telegraph, and semaphore?

Most people in a position to become interested in FIRST uses the internet. Most of them use Google.

'Nuff said.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

personally i think we should all be greatful will.i.am did this for us. yes, it wasn't what we all expected, but that's because we already know everything the program presented, it's like watching a documentary about yourself or something, you are going to see every little detail they left out. will.i.am didn't have to do this, and neither did any of the celebrities that participated. would you all rather not have a special about FIRST and be left without the publicity it did give us? I wouldn't, I say thank you to will.i.am for helping me in my journey to spread the word of FIRST. Now when I'm recruiting I can say "How many other school functions have the support of so many celebrities?" And that is GREAT to be able to say!

So thank you to will.i.am, ABC, and everyone else involved in making this great program!

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Even using the "non-search bubble search engine" that the website provides, usfirst.org is still the first website that comes up.

http://duckduckgo.com/?q=First

Yes, I know that the search bubble for other people could potentially move usfirst.org DOWN in their results, as well as move it UP for our results, but still the fact is, it is most likely going to be near the top of search results for anybody that is that interested in getting involved in FIRST.


On another note, Looks like the ratings (http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...f-more/100424/ ) are in with the broadcast getting approx. 2.17 million viewers. that's not counting DVR or online viewers. Not too shabby.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

T-shirt should say: "Ask me how FIRST will help you decide about your future."

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Another thing to consider about the absence of specific coverage of match play is that keeping it to a minimum increases the lifetime of the video. That is, 2012 will have a new match, 2013, 2014 etc. The enthusiasm of the interviewed kids will still apply for several years to come. If too much emphasis had been placed on Logomotion, next year's new spectators might be wondering where the logo tubes are.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Is this what people think of when they so easily dismiss certain segments of the population from being "worthy" of FIRST's attention as people who have the potential to contribute something great to society?

Jed tells his Pa Cletus:

Hey Pa, I shore wont ta figgur out what all dem fancy contraptions was on da movin pictures show, mebbe lern how ta make sumthin outta mehself among dem dere city slickers.

Cletus: I shore wuld love ta help ya son, but dang gummit the pictures didna tell us nuttin about what ta do next.

Jed: Guessin' I should figgur to go back ta shootin groundhogs and possum on pappy's farm.

******

I surely hope not.

I'll have to watch the show again, but I don't believe any of the team/individual "stories" highlighted students coming from extremely rural areas who had previously never heard of FIRST or related opportunities.

Final input - if there was some significant monetary cost or FCC legal restriction or what have you that prohibits the website address to be displayed on the screen during such network programs, then fine, I can accept that. I've yet to hear anything like that brought to light, though.

Otherwise, people are simply making excuses for an oversight that would likely take minutes, if not seconds for those who produced the show to correct, increasing the likelihood and speed at which those who are not computer literate (or worse) can find out more about our programs. A small addition of input by one person can lead to huge, as yet unrealized gains for many. Simply fix it and move on.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

On a brighter note..... Since this was on ABC, will ESPN get back on board?????

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Though FIRST is also the first result for DuckDuckGo which does not have a filter bubble.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

That's not the point.... most people don't use DDG, they use search engines that do filtering. And if you're the type of person who's currently NOT interested in science & technology, and instead spends all their online time reading about sports, fashion, music, celebrities, or whatever (you know, the type of people FIRST is probably trying to reach the most), the first page of results you get very well might not contain usfirst.org at all.

I've had some surprising difficulty finding information on topics that are outside of my normal interests before when keywords for those topics overlap keywords that do fall within my normal searching habits. Most people don't realize what a large effect this "bubble" has. It really works against you when the word people are searching for ("FIRST") has meaning in just about any context.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

My first response, Travis:
I really hope you don't generalize or mock people like that in real life. I go to college in a very rural area and I love seeing the change that comes out of the students I work with through FIRST. And absolutely none of them speak like that. Your point, while at least a tiny bit valid, was lessened by your rude and insensitive remarks.

Now, to the actual point.

Where did I say 'google something'? The show says, for more information, go to ABC.com. From the ABC page for iamFIRST, it directs you to www.usfirst.org

If these people you speak of don't know how to use the internet, as you say, then no matter what URL you give- they just won't figure it out!

I think that, sure, it's something to improve for next year, and if the sponsors agree to it, put both URLs down or something. But if that's the only complaint, then I guess they did an alright job. :)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Just got home from work and checked... haha... These are modest at best, but we will see how it goes with the next viewings... The next airings of the show may increase the unique views.

As for everyone talking about what a search engine will and will not show you, there are a lot of things that go into what is shown to an individual when they make a search query. A users individual pattern online does play a roll, but there is a lot that Google, Microsoft, and the rest of the search engines keep in their 'black boxes' that we don't get to see.

That being said, it is very, very unlikely that FIRST doesn't come up when you search for 'first' in Google, Bing (MSN), Yahoo, AOL, etc. This is for multiple reasons, including link presents, SEO, etc... I've actually checked out FIRST's page before and they have great organic ranking in almost every core keyword you can think of. (Yes I do online marketing and strategy as a job...)

So that being said, if you can't find FIRST online, maybe you should watch the program again and go through abc.com...

And I'm with Libby on this, considering according to Travis he should throw me in that bucket...

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Wow, Travis.

You've lost me on this one. What is your point? Who is your target audience here?

Jane

Results
 

Post if you had someone uninvolved with FIRST come talk to you today about the special.

I had someone stop by my cubicle today because he remembered I sent out an e-mail in April that I was would be out of the office volunteering for a robotics competition in St. Louis.

This gave me the opportunity to show pictures of Exploding Bacon, invite him to the regional which is 5 minutes away, ask if he knew students interested in participating, and, oh by the way, we build the robot on location if a he knew any savvy engineers such as himself interested in stopping by. Finally, I asked him to talk to other people today to see if they had seen the special, and have them come to me if they wanted further information.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

His niece. He said that somewhere.

Folks, be sure brain is fully engaged before operating fingers.::safety::
I detect some animosity brewing; please maintain the high standards to which we are accustomed.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that's part of what's great about FIRST. You see these people who are so put together, so professional, that sometimes it's hard to remember that they're 18 year old boys, much like any others. But you get Nick, Sides, Wiggles, Erik, whomever off that field, and they still get stressed and pull all-nighters and go to dances and eat junk food.

In the end, they inspire me, and I hope other members of my team, by being just like the rest of us.

(For those of you unfamiliar with the NASA house team structure, we share the same lab, the same machines, the same tables and occasionally the same food. I am very proud to call the people I mentioned above friends)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I have no idea how you took a statement about the ubiquitousness of the internet (and Google) as a statement of elitism.

Give us rednecks more credit -- if we see it on TV and want to know more, we know how to look for it.

It was an oversight, to be sure, but at most it was a very small one.

Re: Results
 

We watched 79's talk on local TV (aired Sunday morning) followed by this in the software lab at work. We talked about FIRST. For casual friday I am debating between 33, 65, 217, 2337 or 3450 shirts. I also have my CD Webhug tshirt now. So many choices...