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Unread 24-12-2006, 14:17
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Madison Madison is offline
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FRC #0488 (Xbot)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Seattle, WA
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No More Teasers in 2007?

I'm not sure how well this'll be received, but I wanted to make a plea before the new season started to all of the forum members.

Over the past years, the number of folks posting 'teasers' of their robot to the CD-Media gallery has gone through the roof. Each of these photos needs to be approved by a moderator, have its tags checked, and discussion watched -- all creating a lot of additional work for a team of folks who're also busy with their own teams. What's worst is that the discussion about these teasers is almost never helpful to the community and instead consists of a lot of guessing, questions, and vague comments. A thread with twenty posts trying to discern what's shown in your blurry photograph of nuts and bolts is wasting everyone's time -- including your own! Your wheels, no matter the pattern you've cut into them, are still just wheels and probably aren't noteworthy.

Instead, if you'd like to post photos of your robot and your work to CD, I encourage you to give full disclosure. Show the whole mechanism, part, or robot and honestly and explicitly describe its function and design. Answer questions fully and honestly and help the community grow through your participation.

If you've got something to say, to share or to question, by all means do so! But consider that, if you're posting only to generate hype, awareness or envy of your team, your robot or your work, you may be creating a lot more work for folks who're volunteering their time, more to read for folks already on a tight schedule and more that will clutter the forums and make it harder to find relevant, important information.

Edit:
Quickly searching the gallery for 'teaser', I found these:

Bad:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/22770
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/22652
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/25704
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/23497
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/22995

Good:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/23015
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/23063
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/22802
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/22563
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/19859

Pictures that show entire mechanisms are fantastic -- sometimes even when unaccompanied by explanation. It's the photos that show common items like wheels, sprockets and pieces of aluminum that're just clutter.

Edited again to add:
Dave reminded me that what I'm writing might be considered by some to be policy or a decree from on high that this stuff isn't allowed. I can't do that and I sort of expected that everyone knows that, but in case that's not true -- I'm not speaking in any official capacity here. I'm just asking, as someone who's been reading nearly everything posted to the forums for five or so years, that we're all considerate of the time and effort of others in the coming season. I'm really very personable! Honest.
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--Madison--

...down at the Ozdust!

Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers.

Last edited by Madison : 24-12-2006 at 15:28. Reason: Added links.
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