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Post by Rajiv on Apr 7, 2013 21:33:48 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Apr 26, 2013 22:58:10 GMT 8
.... Regular games are scheduled 5 days beforehand, in the morning, ie: * Saturday game(s) are put up on Monday morning. * Sunday game(s) are put up on Tuesday morning. * Monday game(s) are put up the previous Wednesday morning. * Tuesday game(s) are put up the previous Thursday morning. * Wednesday game(s) are put up the previous Friday morning. * Thursday game(s) are put up on Saturday morning. We have never had Friday games (other than on public holidays), and a regular Friday night game is still some way away. .... I have managed to put up the schedule thread for the following between 8.15 and 8.30 am for some time now. * Saturday game on the preceding Monday. * Sunday game on the preceding Tuesday. * Monday game on the preceding Wednesday. I usually put up the schedule thread for the remaining games of the week between 8.15 and 8.30 am as well, but they are sometimes delayed: * Tuesday game on the preceding Thursday. * Wednesday game on the preceding Friday. * Thursday games on the preceding Saturday. These are sometimes delayed. The Thursday game in particular sometimes only goes up on Sunday. I don't think it causes any difficulty to anyone, as these games don't fill up in the first two or three days. The Saturday game (5 to 6 pm at The Grandstand) is an issue, as it fills up fast, often within between half an hour to a couple of hours. Since the start of March 2013, I have been scheduling a second game on Saturdays at The Grandstand from 6 to 7 pm. So far, we haven't managed a 6 to 7 pm game. I've tried fine-tuning the rules to encourage players to try out a 6 to 7 pm game but to no avail. We still get a lot on the waitlist for the 5 to 6 pm game, but very few names down (if any) for the 6 to 7 pm game. Like I've said before, it's never easy to start a new game, as it does not have a "track record". The Monday night game at East Coast, although also very popular, doesn't usually fill up within the first day or two, so there isn't the same mad rush as there is for the Saturday game. As there is a mad rush for the Saturday game, what time of the day I put up the schedule thread has gained undue importance: Jiv 8.30 am for sat registration is disadvantage for me as I have morning meetings versus Fred Branson Jye and Babs who works in the Bar and comes back home in the morning depending on their clients if they are satisfied with them . What about opening them at 10 am for working adults like me  .... Would it be better (fairer) to open the registration in the evening (Sunday or Monday) at 9 or 10pm when most everyone is home and have access to the internet? .... The issue is not so much internet access. Let me re-phrase: starting registration at 9pm or 10pm on Sunday or Monday is likely to find more people FREE at that time. .... Find a time whereby MORE people are likely to be free. Chances are higher that this is in the evenings than during office hours. It could be 9pm on Sunday or Monday. It could be also be during lunch-time (1pm on Monday). .... to change the format for a week or two to allow more players to play and let players get used to playing up to 7 pm is still pending. In the meantime, I will try to address the timing issue. As we currently do not have a Friday game, no schedule thread goes up on the Sunday morning. For the game on 4 May 2013, I will try bringing the schedule thread forward to this Sunday (28 Aprill 2013), sometime between 7.30 and 8.30 am. Fewer, if any players will be at work that early on a Sunday morning. If you're still asleep, try to wake up early. Also, with the extra game at The Grandstand on the Labour Day holiday (1 May), I won't bother scheduling the extra 6 to 7 pm game for 4 May 2013. |
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Post by Rajiv on Apr 28, 2013 23:40:39 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on May 3, 2013 9:04:28 GMT 8
Following on from the two posts immediately above, I will continue as follows for the rest of the month: * I will put up the schedule thread for the Saturday 5 to 6 pm game on Sunday morning. * If the 5 to 6 pm game fills up by Monday morning, I will put up a schedule thread for a Saturday 6 to 7 pm game. Also, please note: Still only 8 votes. I'll give it another week. If my suggestion of playing with 3 teams over 2 hours isn't vetoed by the time I put up the schedule thread for the game on Saturday, 18 May 2013, I will try it for that game. The players who are opposed are at liberty to canvass votes against over the next two Saturday games. If we do go ahead with trying 3 teams over 2 hours, there will only be one schedule thread for that game. |
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Post by Rajiv on May 11, 2013 17:10:31 GMT 8
Following on from the two posts immediately above, I will continue as follows for the rest of the month: * I will put up the schedule thread for the Saturday 5 to 6 pm game on Sunday morning. * If the 5 to 6 pm game fills up by Monday morning, I will put up a schedule thread for a Saturday 6 to 7 pm game. .... There were several requests yesterday on the WhatsApp group chat for today's game to go back to putting up the thread for the 5 to 6 pm game on Monday morning. My response: The two links were to this thread. No one has posted on this thread. I'll stick with Sunday until the end of the month. Just two more weeks anyway. And it may well be 3 teams over 2 hours on 25 May 2013. I'll go back to Monday mornings for June. For the schedule thread for today's game put up last Sunday: .... When it comes to replacing a player who withdraws from the waitlist, I think it is only fair that a player who makes himself available for both slots should get in ahead of a player who makes himself available for the 5 to 6 pm slot only. This can be gamed. If I am a late registrant (#20 say), to get ahead of nos. 17 to 19, I will also sign up for the 6pm game, thereby getting priority over no. 17, and knowing that the 6pm game will not take place. If the 6pm game does go ahead, I can withdraw from the 5pm wait list. Apologies for again making your life complicated. Hopefully, more people put their names down for the 6 to 7 pm game then.  Then maybe we might have a chance of getting a second game going. .... We were no closer to getting a second game going. I won't try that again. For next week, the usual priorities apply. |
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Post by Foo Cheong on May 13, 2013 8:24:17 GMT 8
It seems Sunday morning registration is different from the other mornings. Athough most of the people are likely to be at home, they are not free for whatever reasons. It could be that Sunday mornings are for sleeping-in and most are not awake yet.
My suggestions were for Sunday evenings or Monday lunch-time. Would you like to try it out? Since you have experimented with Sunday morning registrations, can we at least experiment with alternative dates or time-slots?
The difficulty is your need to be at the computer every morning to put up the thread. Looks like you are busy Sunday evenings and Monday lunchtimes. Can you then re-consider putting up the thread first and starting registration later?
I see players 'camping' around the time of the thread being put up, whether on Sunday or Monday mornings: logging on and off and checking whether you have put up the thread. Many players multiplied by many times logging on multiplied by many weeks equals lots of wasted time.
If you put up the thread early and state that registration will only begin at a specified time, players know exactly what time to log on and will not need to keep accessing the website to check whether the thread is up.
As for your point with players being unhappy because they are 'disqualified' for signing up before the specified time, there will always be transition issues with a few. I see that most have transistioned to a Sunday morning registration with little difficulty (although with some grumbling).
For a transition period, instead of disqualification, those who registered too early perhaps can be moved to the back of the queue after, say, a 2-hour period, or be the first on the waiting list. Or a good time to do this is during the May holidays when many players are away and there is less likely (hopefully) to be a rush for places. The penalty for premature registration then becomes token. If you are willing to experiment with alternative registration dates, this is also something worth experimenting.
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Post by Rajiv on May 16, 2013 14:21:43 GMT 8
As set out above, the reason the timing of the schedule thread for the Saturday game became an issue in the first place was that it was regularly filling up within two or three hours, and as fast as within half an hour. However, since I moved the thread to Sunday morning, it has not been as fast: * 4 May 2013 - Filled up within 4 hours. With withdrawals, everyone on waitlist got to play. * 11 May 2013 - Filled up in about 3.5 hours. Although there were 4 on waitlist, with withdrawals, only Tim T didn't get a place, but he managed to get a game on Sunday. * For this Saturday (18 May 2013), didn't fill up until 2 and a half days later ( on Tuesday afternoon). If it doesn't fill up within the first 4 hours, then it really doesn't matter whether I put it up at 8 am or noon. If it doesn't fill up within a day, then it doesn't mater whether I put it up at 8 am or 9 pm. Players who are otherwise occupied, held up, or can't access the message board when the thread is put up can still log in later and get a place. For Saturday, 25 May 2013, I'll put the schedule thread up on Sunday (19 May 2013) morning again. As numbers tend to dip in June anyway, I'm prepared to switch back to putting up the schedule thread on Monday mornings, as requested by several players. I have also given up all the 6 to 7 pm slot on Saturdays at The Premier Pitch @ The Grandstand from this weekend onwards. I was holding it to see if a game at that time would take off, but since it hasn't, I won't hold it beyond this month. For the remaining two Saturdays in this month: * No one on waitlist for the 5 to 6 pm game this Saturday (18 May 2013). * Extra games next Friday (24 May 2013) for Vesak Day. Plus a long weekend, so I don't see any chance for an extra 6 to 7 pm game on Saturday.
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Post by Rajiv on May 26, 2013 8:33:39 GMT 8
As set out above, the reason the timing of the schedule thread for the Saturday game became an issue in the first place was that it was regularly filling up within two or three hours, and as fast as within half an hour. However, since I moved the thread to Sunday morning, it has not been as fast: * 4 May 2013 - Filled up within 4 hours. With withdrawals, everyone on waitlist got to play. * 11 May 2013 - Filled up in about 3.5 hours. Although there were 4 on waitlist, with withdrawals, only Tim T didn't get a place, but he managed to get a game on Sunday. * For this Saturday (18 May 2013), didn't fill up until 2 and a half days later ( on Tuesday afternoon). If it doesn't fill up within the first 4 hours, then it really doesn't matter whether I put it up at 8 am or noon. If it doesn't fill up within a day, then it doesn't mater whether I put it up at 8 am or 9 pm. Players who are otherwise occupied, held up, or can't access the message board when the thread is put up can still log in later and get a place. For Saturday, 25 May 2013, I'll put the schedule thread up on Sunday (19 May 2013) morning again. As numbers tend to dip in June anyway, I'm prepared to switch back to putting up the schedule thread on Monday mornings, as requested by several players. .... . With withdrawals, everyone got to play. As we are into June next Saturday, I'll switch back to putting up the schedule thread on Monday mornings. Also: .... From June 2013 onwards until further notice, if a Saturday game fills up within 2 hours of the schedule thread being put up, I will automatically switch it to a two-hour game with 3 teams, subject to the availability of the pitch from 6 to 7 pm. |
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Post by Rainer on May 26, 2013 11:17:21 GMT 8
what's the issue with putting it up on Sunday morning? nobody is working, everybody has access to internet which is not the case for Monday morning.
personally, I do not have access to this web-page at work. also, since I am 'forced' to carry a blackberry for work (access denied for this webpage) I do not carry any other smart devices.
last time I signed up for a sat game on a Monday after work I came in as 5th reserve.
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Post by Foo Cheong on May 26, 2013 12:00:17 GMT 8
If it doesn't fill up within the first 4 hours, then it really doesn't matter whether I put it up at 8 am or noon. If it doesn't fill up within a day, then it doesn't mater whether I put it up at 8 am or 9 pm. Players who are otherwise occupied, held up, or can't access the message board when the thread is put up can still log in later and get a place. The suggestion for switching the registration is not to address (or slow) the rate of signing up. The case was accessibility: to give more people (those who are not able to access the internet on Monday mornings) an opportunity i.e. level the playing field. There are a lot of reasons for the rate of signing up, the main reason being seasonality. It so happens that the registration was full within a few hours, and based on that, it was switched to a Sunday morning. And when the switch was made, registration rate falls off. One swallow does not make a summer. Since the switch have there been complaints about being unable to access the internet on Sunday mornings? There have been grumbles about the inconvenient timing but not about inaccessibility. If the switch was to Sunday nights or Monday lunch-time instead of to Sunday mornings, and if registration happens to be full within two hours, what (pre-mature) conclusions can be drawn? |
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Post by Rajiv on May 26, 2013 16:15:06 GMT 8
No, the real issue is having a system in place, and how much, and what kind of, departure from a universal system is warranted to accommodate the requirements or needs of particular users or a particular game. The system: The departure from the system this month was because the thread put up on Monday mornings was filling up within 2 or 3 hours, and as fast as half an hour. It was in conjunction with trying to get a regular 6 to 7 pm slot going, which has now been abandoned. When I have players requesting that it be put back to Monday morning, I am inclined to do so, as that is the system. The solution for those who don't have access on Monday mornings: .... From next Saturday onwards: 1. The maximum number of names an approved player can put down for the 5 to 6 pm game in the first 48 hours will be 2 (including the player himself), and the other player must also be an approved player. .... .... Ask another regular to put you down. Whatever way you cut it, only 16 get to play. Whatever day or time I put it up, only the first 16 get to play. I am prepared to consider one other solution - if an approved player adds a comment to the report thread for the previous Saturday game (minimum 30 words), and adds a request to play in the following week's Saturday game, when I put up the schedule thread on the Monday morning, I will add his name to the list immediately. If more than one player does so, I will do so in the order in which they posted. I will apply it to the thread to be put up tomorrow morning. If it works out, I will continue to do so until further notice. Another solution if the game continues to fill up very quickly: .... From June 2013 onwards until further notice, if a Saturday game fills up within 2 hours of the schedule thread being put up, I will automatically switch it to a two-hour game with 3 teams, subject to the availability of the pitch from 6 to 7 pm. If necessary, I will extend it to filling up within half a day or even a day. As for difficulty accessing from smartphones and other hand-held devices, I'd rather try to resolve the issues directly, as it allows me to investigate what the problems might be. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jun 8, 2013 18:00:22 GMT 8
I've been keeping a record of the number of games each week on roughly a monthly basis on the "Scheduling & game per week/month" thread since November 2012, dating back to the end of September 2012. Previously, I did so on the "Days, time & locations" thread, dating back to 20 February 2012, and starting with just weeknight games. However, summarizing the weekly situation at the end of the month means having to trawl through the month's games at the end of each month. To make it easier for myself, I've started a weekly round up thread on the "Chat" board, for May 2013, starting with the week from 4 to 9 May 2013. Having a separate thread allows me to break down the work into weekly bits, and also allows me to add a bit more detail. The summary at the end of each month will still be on the the "Scheduling & game per week/month" thread. Games per week since 4 May 2013: * 4 to 9 May 2013: 7 games, with 2 games on Thursday, but the game on Monday was switched to a small pitch due to insufficient players. * 11 to 16 May 2013: Basic 6 games, with the game on Thursday at Khalsa, with no pitch available at East Coast on Thursday. * 18 to 23 May 2013: 4 games, with no game on Monday, and no game on Thursday (the eve of Vesak Day and a long weekend), so no game at East Coast at all that week. * 25 to 30 May 2013: Again, 5 games, with no game on Monday and only the Khalsa game on Thursday, so two weeks without a game at East Coast. So with no games at East Coast in the last 2 weeks, and no game on the eve of Vesak Day, we had 23 games in May 2013, up from 20 in May 2011 but down from 29 in May 2012. |
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Post by Rajiv on Jul 1, 2013 22:44:50 GMT 8
Games since 1 June 2013: * 1 to 6 June 2013: Basic 6 games, with the game on Thursday at Khalsa. * 8 to 13 June 2013: 5 games, with no game on Thursday, and only 12 for the Wednesday game at Khalsa. Fall in numbers due to school holidays? * 15 to 20 June 2013: Haze affected. 5 games, with Monday game at East Coast switched to a 5-a-side due to the haze, the Wednesday game at Khalsa played in unhealthy conditions, and the Thursday game at Khalsa cancelled due to the haze. * 22 to 27 June 2013: 5 games, with no game on Tuesday with several players away. Amazingly, only one game cancelled due to haze. The other two games that were cancelled were probably due to the June holidays. The women's Sunday game at The Grandstand was also affected, with only one game in June, on the last Sunday (30 June 2013). 23 games in June 2013, same as in June 2011, but down from 27 last June. Games per month since January 2011: | Month | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | | January | 20 | 26 | 27 | | February | 18 | 25 | 20 | | March | 23 | 21 | 26 | | April | 21 | 24 | 25 | | May | 20 | 29 | 23 | | June | 23 | 27 | 23 | | July | 24 | 27 | | | August | 27 | 25 | | | September | 29 | 25 | | | October | 28 | 24 | | | November | 26 | 27 | | | December | 25 | 24 | |
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Post by Rajiv on Jul 24, 2013 22:17:44 GMT 8
I'm away from Sunday, 28 July 2013, to Thursday, 1 August 2013, and will have no access to SMS, and limited access to the internet and WhatsApp. Games that have been slow to fill up and late withdrawals will be a problem while I'm away. I will not schedule the Tuesday game at Kallang next week as it has been very slow to fill up for a few weeks now. Instead, I will schedule a Friday game at Kallang (8 to 9 pm). No Thursday game for two weeks now ( 18 and 25 July 2013), so no point trying to schedule 2 games on Thursday for the foreseeable future. Also, the following Thursday is 8 August 2013, both Hari Raya Puasa and the eve of National Day, then I'm away again the following Thursday (15 August 2013). When I schedule only 1 game on Thursday, for the reasons stated previously, it will usually be at Khalsa, and the East Coast game is not scheduled. Also, in recent months, as stated above, when we have had a Thursday game, it is usually the Khalsa game that goes ahead. Therefore, the Thursday games on 1, 8 and 15 August 2013 will be at Khalsa only. While I'm away, games that are slow to fill up will be cancelled sooner rather than later. If there are withdrawals less than 5 hours before the game, I hope the regulars playing the game can find replacements, as I won't be able to. This applies to the following games: * Sunday, 28 July 2013, 5 to 6 pm, The Grandstand. * Monday, 29 July 2013, 9 to 10 pm, East Coast. * Wednesday, 30 July 2013, 9 to 10 pm, Khalsa. |
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Post by Rajiv on Aug 25, 2013 21:35:05 GMT 8
Games in July 2013: * 29 June to 4 July 2013: Basic 6 games, with game on Thursday at Khalsa. * 6 to 11 July 2013: Basic 6 games, with game on Thursday at Khalsa. Games on Sunday and Monday went ahead 1 short, with fillers found at the venue. * 13 to 18 July 2013: 5 games, with no game on Thursday due to insufficient players. * 20 to 25 July 2013: 5 games, with again no game on Thursday due to insufficient players. * 27 July to 1 August 2013: 4 games. No game scheduled on Tuesday as I was away and the game had been slow to fill up for several weeks, and no game on Thursday due to insufficient players. Games per month since January 2011: | Month | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | | January | 20 | 26 | 27 | | February | 18 | 25 | 20 | | March | 23 | 21 | 26 | | April | 21 | 24 | 25 | | May | 20 | 29 | 23 | | June | 23 | 27 | 23 | | July | 24 | 27 | 23 | | August | 27 | 25 | | | September | 29 | 25 | | | October | 28 | 24 | | | November | 26 | 27 | | | December | 25 | 24 | |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 22, 2013 15:21:00 GMT 8
Games in August 2013: * 3 to 8 August 2013: Only 4 games, with no games on Tuesday and Thursday (Hari Raya Puasa and eve of National Day) * 10 to 15 August 2013: 5 games, with no game on Thursday. * 17 to 22 August 2013: Again, 5 games, with no game on Thursday. * 24 to 29 August 2013: Basic 6 games. Despite my being away from 28 July to 1 August 2013, and again from 15 to 19 August 2013, only two games were not scheduled - Tuesday, 30 July 2013 and Thursday, 15 August 2013. However, several scheduled games in July and August 2013 did not go due to insufficient players: * Several other Thursdays - 18 July 2013, 25 July 2013, 1 August 2013, 8 August 2013 and 22 August 2013. * Monday, 8 July 2013. * Tuesday, 6 August 2013. Several other games went ahead a player short. With getting numbers a struggle, I have have only been scheduling one game on Thursdays since 1 August 2013. As for some time before that, when we have had enough for a game, it has been for a game at Khalsa, the game that has not been scheduled is the East Coast game. Games per month since January 2011: | Month | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | | January | 20 | 26 | 27 | | February | 18 | 25 | 20 | | March | 23 | 21 | 26 | | April | 21 | 24 | 25 | | May | 20 | 29 | 23 | | June | 23 | 27 | 23 | | July | 24 | 27 | 23 | | August | 27 | 25 | 21 | | September | 29 | 25 | | | October | 28 | 24 | | | November | 26 | 27 | | | December | 25 | 24 | |
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Post by Rajiv on Sept 30, 2013 8:57:50 GMT 8
Currently, there are two differences between the schedule post for the Saturday game at The Grandstand compared to other games. First, each player is limited to putting the names of two approved players (including himself) in the first 48 hours instead of 4. Secondly, if the game fills up fast, and there are a lot of players on waitlist, the game will be switched to 3 teams of 7 playing over 2 hours. So far, we haven't had to do this. These changes were introduced because the Saturday game at Turf City regularly filled up within a couple of hours, even within half an hour. However, since late July 2013, the Saturday game has not usually filled up within 48 hours. In fact, for the past few weeks, it has taken some effort to fill up at all. Therefore, from October onwards, I will not have a a different schedule post for the Saturday game at The Grandstand compared to the other games. |
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Post by Rajiv on Oct 17, 2013 8:55:50 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Nov 13, 2013 14:40:26 GMT 8
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Post by Rajiv on Dec 29, 2013 10:22:26 GMT 8
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Then maybe we might have a chance of getting a second game going.