Author Topic: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se  (Read 261027 times)

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Offline Bob Drury

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #135 on: August 10, 2014, 07:41:03 PM »
   Salt, I respect your opinion but question your assumption that every racer entered at Speedweek carried a laptop with him (and at all times).
  I was in Wendover arriving Thursday and by Saturday morning the number of false rumors I heard while speaking with fellow racers was astounding.
  I use Facebook myself because every day I receive multiple "notifications" that I have to access before knowing who sent it or if it might be a life or death notification.
  The SCTA posting on Facebook is fine with me, but first put it on the site that all members help pay for, and a easily accessed phone number FIRST.
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p.s. Access Landracing.com homepage, go to the SCTA site, check out the current  Bonneville info, and see how much info was given out about Speedweek in the last two weeks. 
Bob Drury

Offline manta22

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #136 on: August 10, 2014, 08:02:45 PM »
I agree, Bob. What is the use of having an official SCTA webpage if the information we need is posted on Facebook? Dump Facebook and post on the official site. It is good of SSS to relay their info but that is not a substitute for an official site.

BTW, during my drive home, I also saw a few latecomers headed for Wendover...none the wiser and no way to communicate with them to let them know.


Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Offline thundersalt

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #137 on: August 10, 2014, 08:09:03 PM »
   Salt, I respect your opinion but question your assumption that every racer entered at Speedweek carried a laptop with him (and at all times).
  I was in Wendover arriving Thursday and by Saturday morning the number of false rumors I heard while speaking with fellow racers was astounding.
  I use Facebook myself because every day I receive multiple "notifications" that I have to access before knowing who sent it or if it might be a life or death notification.
  The SCTA posting on Facebook is fine with me, but first put it on the site that all members help pay for, and a easily accessed phone number FIRST.
                                                                                                               Respectfully, Bob
p.s. Access Landracing.com homepage, go to the SCTA site, check out the current  Bonneville info, and see how much info was given out about Speedweek in the last two weeks. 
First: I said people I spoke to. Not an assumption.
 Second: smart phones ( using one right now)
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Sandee

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #138 on: August 10, 2014, 08:24:36 PM »
Please understand that SCTA did the best they could with notifying everyone of all of the decisions made twice daily during the last part of the week. They did run into some challenges, as you have pointed out, and when they realized that maybe not everyone was getting updates on the web, team members  were sent to every hotel parking lot to spread words. All decisions were copied immediately to the SCTA webmasters office, JoAnn changed the message on the SCTA office line immediately and daily, landracing.com (Jons cell), poeople at the bend in the road, BLM personnel, fhe Casino marquee and FB. It wasn't until late Friday evening that the radio station was discussed, and it would have been up by 9am had the meet not been canceled at 8. Did they reach everyone? It appears not but it wasn't from a lack of trying or from someone not thinking. SCTA in fact were as up front and transparent with the racers regarding the daily decisions as they possibly could be. Please be easy on them. This was a challenge that was monstrous to manage. Thank you Jon for being such an intricate part of that team.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2014, 08:45:40 PM by Sandee »

Offline hotrod

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #139 on: August 10, 2014, 08:29:42 PM »
Notifications are always problematic. As you mention not all people fit the standing assumptions.

I work in IT and practically live on face book and twitter during normal days, but when I leave for Bonneville I "unplug" and am reachable only by cell phone text message.

Luckily due to my work schedule I caught wind of the bad weather just before I was leaving work on my last day, (I normally leave for Bonneville right from work at end of shift), so I headed home to watch things.

When the first announcements were posted on face book I did see them because I was at home and actively watching radar and face book, and on the spur of the moment I called a racer I knew was in route and my message was the first he had heard of the rain delay from what I gathered.

In recent years when I leave for Bonneville, I ask a couple of friends to keep an eye on developments and to text message me if something important comes up.
Some of that responsibility falls on the racer not the SCTA, if you know you fall outside the general assumptions, you need to work out some solution yourself or be willing to pay the fuel bill for a needless trip.

One option would be for SCTA/USFRA etc. to set up a subscription for text messages/email where racers could opt in for status update text and email messages.
Then when updates got posted they would automatically get the up date by either text or email. One subscription setup could be used by all the sponsors, (SCTA, USFRA, BUB, Cook shootout etc.) Just have each sponsor have someone who knows how to post updates to their racer group.

We are in the middle of a major technology shift, some of us are familiar with the new social media some are not. Some live in areas where they have no connections (wifi) service, some have no cell phone, not all of us live in large cities where there is a wifi on every corner or have no day to day need for laptops or smart phones. Some of us live in cell phone dead zones or drive through areas that are cell phone dead zones on the way out to Bonneville.

As a result of this rain out, I bit the bullet and bought a small android tablet the other day, which will have digital connection ability plus normal wifi connectivity. I am still figuring out how to set things like email up and all those little details but will have it in the future.

I will be wired when I go out to Bonneville now, but in the past when I took a laptop out there, and tried to connect out on the salt flats and in town and the coverage sucked so bad I quit even trying. It was completely useless for web access. I never could get a good enough connection to do anything useful.

I also consider Wendover to be a high risk location for wifi connections so in recent years although I had a lap top with me, I had wifi disabled so it would not even try to connect to any available wifi systems.

I was also not willing to buy a new lap top just for that single purpose until the technology matured a bit more. All I needed from a lap top was the ability to look at my photographs.
I have 3 desk top computers at home and at work I sit in front of a desk top computer all day, I had no other use for a new lap top since I am surrounded by computers all day.

It has improved a lot in the 8 years I have been regularly going out to Bonneville, but the technology still has holes and different groups are at different points in the learning curve to get full connectivity 24/7.

A phone number with a recorded status message would certainly be useful for those who do not have computer/tablet/or smart phone connectivity to FB and twitter or landracing.com. That could be used even from a pay phone from some location that has no cell service.

Offline donpearsall

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #140 on: August 10, 2014, 08:50:38 PM »
Virtually everyone has a cell phone now that can receive text messages or phone calls anywhere that person is. So why wouldn't SCTA, and all the racing organizations adopt the same notification methods that airlines use?

When I sign up for my airline ticket, I always give them my cell phone number for automatic notifications. If the plane is late or cancelled, I get notified right away by a text or a robot call or both.


The racing organizations do not even have to invest in any equipment to do this. There are services that will do this for next to nothing. Since everyone has to give a phone number to sign up for the event, everyone can get notified right away. No Facebook needed. No website needed (except this one).

Don
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Offline Old Scrambler

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #141 on: August 10, 2014, 09:01:13 PM »
Logical............ :-) :-) :-)
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Offline 38flattie

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #142 on: August 10, 2014, 09:07:16 PM »
Larry, I really appreciated your updates!
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead. -- RFC 1925

You can't make a race horse out of a pig. But if you work hard enough at it you can make a mighty fast pig. - Bob Akin

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Offline hotrod

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #143 on: August 10, 2014, 09:16:48 PM »
Glad I could help!
Just out or curiosity, where were you when I first notified you of the rain delay?
Is that why you ended up working on the trailer in SLC?

Too bad I was looking forward to shooting your car in impound again.


Offline RichFox

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #144 on: August 10, 2014, 09:24:21 PM »
When I was in the Army (Yes I know that was better than 50 years ago and things have changed) they would talk about the 10% who never got the word. In an evolving, fluid situation it was assumed that 10% would be left behind because they never got the word. Some of this is applicable to SpeedWeek and weather up dates. Now, I don't have a cell phone and I really don't know much about Face Book. But I got the word about the postponement and the cancellation the same way as I did i '82. My good old fashioned land line phone. i didn't want to be in the 10% so I took it upon myself to keep up with what was going on by what is now called networking. Same as always. I thought the SCTA did an outstanding job of getting the word out. Better than i can ever remember. But it still behooves the individual racer to put some effort into finding out what's happening when you know there is weather in the area.  

Offline Bob Drury

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #145 on: August 10, 2014, 09:28:03 PM »
  Salt, then I assume you verified with each of them that they PERSONALY RECIEVED THE MESSAGES and/or were able to receive this info ASAP?
  Sandee, let me ask you this.  Were all pre-entrants notified before Speedweek by mail or phone that Facebook had become the SCTA "OFFICIAL MESSAGE SITE"  for current updates?  Was this printed on pre-entry forms, SCTA or BNI newsletters?  I visited friends in most parking lots, and took lots of pictures but never saw a poster or SCTA shirt amongst the racers and race vehicles and NOT ONE OF the fifty or more I spoke too had any current info (meaning laptops with mobile wifi in the parking lots.
  Most had to rely on hand me down info (which can be less than accurate) for any current info from the SCTA during the day.
 Slim is a good friend, but using him as a "official" relayer of SCTA statements is not a valid channel.  If the SCTA wishes to post on this site (and I hope they do) they should officialy do it immediately after it is released, and all members of the SCTA should be aware that it is amongst the venues that will be used EACH AND EVERY TIME from this time on.
  I did see and would like to commend Ron Jolliff and at least one other Inspectors in civies volunteering their time inspecting as many entrants as they could.
  I don't mean to be intrusive and don't have a current listing of all officials so forgive me if I "assume" that you are the SCTA media information official or at least a owner/driver who has as I stated in my first post, paid all or most of the expenses of traveling to and from Bonneville for those entrants from... well any and everywear.
  I don't want to drag this topic into the "beating a dead Horse" column further and as I opened my first post with, I expected heat for it and don't have a problem with that.
  I would however use this as a reminder to all:  discourse and disagreements are what this site is all about, but lets all be civil and remember that This site was shut down and almost lost forever (thanks Jon A. and Jon W. for starting and saving this site) due to name calling and it was ugly.  I know.   I was one of the miscreants who almost sunk the ship and am none too proud of that fact.
  My closing statement is this.  The media sources most easily accessable  to all racers are U.S. Mail and phone alerts.  Lets use them FIRST and FORMOST.  
                                                                                                                      I only look at the neon signs and billboards for Buffet info.
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Sandee

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #146 on: August 10, 2014, 09:36:36 PM »
FB is just one additional avenue of notification. Its in the tool chest with the other forms that were also implemented.

Offline 38flattie

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #147 on: August 10, 2014, 09:38:44 PM »
Larry, we were broke down in Evanston when you called . The info was so helpful! After you called we decided to limp to SLC for better repairs.

Thanks again!
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead. -- RFC 1925

You can't make a race horse out of a pig. But if you work hard enough at it you can make a mighty fast pig. - Bob Akin

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http://youtu.be/89rVb497_4c

Offline joea

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #148 on: August 10, 2014, 09:53:48 PM »
Good job SCTA.....WAAAAYYYY better than years ago...way more avenues to get information

the SCTA website had updates, that internet site and others allowed for way more people getting informed
way quicker and easier than ever before..

way quicker and more accessible than US mail or land line.........

so glad I didn't have to pull over periodically and call scta to see what has been left on recorder


Online Dynoroom

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Re: SpeedWeek 2014 - the event per se
« Reply #149 on: August 10, 2014, 10:11:26 PM »
I've been racing with the SCTA since 1979. I remember the 1982 & 83 rain outs, and again in 92. Never have I been better informed than this year. Yes, it can use some improvement but over all great job SCTA! Looking forward to the World Finals, just roll my entry over please.

Now, can we talk about Harold & the radio issue......  :evil:
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