Monday, July 20, 2015

2015 HG: PEOPLE: Touring groups on the Hypergrid, operating plans for future growth

Touring groups on the Hypergrid, 
operating plans for future growth
Metaverse tours, HG Safari and perhaps other groups organize trips to explore places on the Hypergrid.  At present, these groups depend on a small group of hard-working volunteers.  There might be more such groups if the management were easier. This article analyzes the possible functions of these touring groups and suggests possible future arrangements that may better fit some functions and resources.  
HG Safari Clubhouse

Functions of group tours, visitor viewpoint

  • Select destinations.
  • Provide experienced guides.
  • Arrange visits with owners/managers at the destination.
  • Share discoveries, Q&A, pictures, etc. in community
  • Share experiences with the public, promoting HG.
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(More after the break)
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News and Notes

SciFi Film Festival

  • Deadline for Regular submissions Midnight – 1 August 2015
  • Deadline for Late Submissions Midnight – 29 August 2015

Summer of Arts submissions open Monday on Metropolis

Scroll down for News, Notes, and Info


    Problems with tours now

    • Multiple arrivals at once create lag, can crash the sim.
    • Some events cannot fit the fixed meeting time.
    • Planning trips, arranging visit times, promoting the event takes time.
    • Weekly events can become a burden unless there are lots of leaders.
    • People often lose communication (especially voice) in HG travel.

    Options for improvement

    The plans suggested below are designed to be merged slowly with existing practices.  Thus you can try out variations and see if they work for your community.
    • Put planning in the G+ communities.  
    • Find and select destinations in the G+ communities.
    • Consider specialized tours: educators, role-players, etc.
    • Consider time-flexible tour plans.
    • Focus on one destination per tour, site host as tour guide. 
    • Put textable destination address in the invitation.  
    • Gather at the destination. 
    • Everyone on the tour is joins the tour group for communication.

    Put planning in the G+ communities.  

    • Each touring group has (or can have) a G+ community
    • Examples: Metaverse tours, HG Safari 
    • People interested in hosting visits are welcome to join.
    • Invite trip suggestions from anyone, including site hosts.

    Find and select destinations in the G+ communities.

    • Invite trip suggestions from anyone, including site hosts.
    • A suggestion is made by a post in the G+ community.
    • People can endorse a suggestion in comments on the post.
    • Anyone can nominate a trip by offering to host it.
    • A nomination carries several proposed times and the HG address.
    • The community has a G+ calendar managed by community leaders.
    • A leader may put a nominated event on the calendar and notify the host.

    Consider specialized tours: educators, role-players, etc.

    Consider time-flexible tour plans.

    • A standard fixed time is good to bring traffic. 
    • But can be too demanding on leaders.
    • And can miss opportunities not on that time plan.
    • A tour preferred time might be more helpful. 
    • That time would be set to fit the schedules of tour members.
    • (Or people would join tour groups to fit their schedules.)
    • Planning in the G+ community could handle timing exceptions.
    • Nomination can have a time that does not fit the preferred schedule.
    • People can comment that they want to come anyway.  
    • If enough people want to come, it can be scheduled.  
    • Rules don't set times  People set times.  People make rules.

    Focus on one destination per tour, site host as tour guide.  

    • A tour will start on the hour.  
    • And will end before the next hour.
    • Several tours can be held in succession on the same day if people want that. 
    • Hosts will know a definite time for the start of the visit.
    • People wanting to join will know a definite time and place to go to.

    Put textable destination address in the invitation.  Example:

    • HG address: paste line below into World Map, next to Find.  Click Find, TP. 
    • grid.kitely.com:8002:Cookie II
    • If needed you can use Firestorm Hop: 
    • Paste Firestorm Hop in Nav (top) bar of Firestorm, Enter
    • Firestorm Hop:  hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Cookie II/56/377/22

    Gather at the destination

    • Faster start at destination.
    • Arrivals spread out, avoid lag.  
    • Requires only site host, not additional tour leader
    • Anyone with extra information can take temporary lead

    Everyone on the tour joins the tour group for communication.

    • Members of the tour can establish chat in the tour group as they arrive.
    • In a single location, voice chat on the group channel may work reliably.

    Problem with tours now -- resolutions

    See problem list earlier.

    Multiple arrivals at once create lag, can crash the sim.

    • With no prior meeting people will naturally vary their arrival time.
    • Tour host can easily arrange to help latecomers.

    Some events cannot fit the same fixed time.

    • Such events can be scheduled for another time if enough people want it.
    • Public planning can accommodate flexitime

    Planning trips, arranging visit times, promoting the event takes time.

    • Planing a trip is in the hands of a host managing the location.  
    • Tour leader only picks a time and promotes the trip

    Weekly events can become a burden unless there are lots of leaders.

    • Tour leader is site host.  
    • About as many tour leaders as there are tours.  

    People often lose communication (especially voice) in HG travel.

    • Communication should hold up within region.
    • Establish communication when changing regions.
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    (More after the break)
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    News and Notes

    SciFi Film Festival

    • Deadline for Regular submissions Midnight – 1 August 2015
    • Deadline for Late Submissions Midnight – 29 August 2015

    Summer of Arts submissions open Monday on Metropolis

    Scroll down for News, Notes, and Info

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        How to handle a Hypergrid address in Firestorm



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