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Originally Posted by maxnz
What I interpret it as saying is: FIRST should have companies that would be willing to consider sponsoring FRC team(s) make it more obvious that they will consider it. When you are seeking out sponsors, it is usually easier to get a sponsorship from a place that you have a 'way in', or direct connection to (i.e. parent or mentor works there, etc.). But if the company is willing to consider sponsoring FRC team(s), then FIRST could help make it so that saying "I'm from FRC team ####" can be your 'way in'. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's my interpretation.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery
I understand your general rhetoric, but I'm still having trouble seeing how anything changes in reality. Are you saying you think FIRST HQ needs to attempt to recruit sponsors to help various individual teams?
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Little bit of both well minus picking favorite teams.
If FIRST was more mainstream, if more people heard about it, if companies took FIRST seriously getting sponsors would be a lot easier for any team. It would shift the appeal to sponsors away from what impact a team has made and move it to "oh you guys are with FIRST sponsoring someone in FIRST is a smart decision cause of how good the program is."
If FIRST was more mainstream and more prominent in its impact with the world, more schools would be open to the program, and more schools wouldn't just view having a FIRST team as a money sink and a legal risk.
If FIRST was mainstream it would be a lot more likely that teams would have helping coming to them.
I'm not saying being part of FIRST should make us entitled to help, I'm saying that if FIRST was a household name, and taken more seriously it would promote an environment where growing is easier.
FIRST needs to step up its presence on social media, and general presence to the public. It isn't a shocker that people don't take FIRST teams seriously when they don't understand what FIRST is or frankly even know about it.
The other thing FIRST needs to do is towards its clients towards the teams it needs to find a better way to deliver information to where it is needed. Teams shouldn't be coming to chief delphi for information FIRST is supposed to be in charge of distributing. Its dumb, the best way to deliver content about your product isn't through someone elses website. Even those of us who participate in FIRST people like me who aren't "hardcore" not knowing resources exist is kind of weird.
An interesting aspect to point out about the community is that FIRST doesn't have a decent wikia (which I find hilarious). With a community this large you think someone would have thrown together a wikia for FIRST. Most video game communities come together and get a solid reference point and factual database done for a video game in like a year. Yet somehow nobody has spearheaded a top level FIRST wikia where we centralize useful information taking some of the burden off of FIRST to distribute said information...