FIRST Publicity (Final Debate Thread)

[Mark Pierce]

I fell strongly that FIRST could do more to publicize events and recognize those who receive awards and win competitions.

I understand that the FIRST staff is very busy and overall accomplishes things better that any other group I've ever been involved. On top of that they are the greatest people you'll ever meet.

However, the media these days relies on press releases to report the news. No paper or TV station has time to surf all of the web sites, forums, or call teams full of busy mentors, teachers, or students. to get enough information to tell a complete story. Coverage ends up being spotty because what does get reported is often based on what one or two individuals caught at the event, rather than official lists or statements.

The press release on the FIRST site covering the 2002 kickoff does not have any hard figures of Team numbers and came out several days after kickoff. In today's media, that's ancient history.

I'd like to see complete results from competitions posted on each day of competition. Ideally, these could be regionally customized to highlight local teams. At the least, gettting data posted or other wise distributed would let team volunteers coherently alert their local media.