Server Events Entry Form

Taking this conversation into a new topic. As seen in the Possible Forum Layout thread we are currently working hard on the layout-to-be

Now, to not mess things up and keep it clean let's have this discussion in here.

- - -

Event entries will, thanks to the new website, be entered directly in the calendar. We can to some extent decide in what form.

Fields that are included in the current layout of the form are:
DATE&TIME, SUBJECT (name), CATEGORY (type), DESCRIPTION (text window), LOCATION, CONTACT, EXTRA INFO (text window).

I would suggest the following need to be included as well at least:
SERVER, LINK (to signup thread for instance). Any others?

It would make sense to keep the information in these entries to a certain minimum, a summary if you will. Most fields are already one-lined, there's just DESCRIPTION and EXTRA INFO that might need to be contained (probably by count of letters). Plus, I'm doubting the usefulness of EXTRA INFO, but maybe someone can prove me wrong.

Question is therefore: Any more fields required, or some of the already existent ones unnecessary? And how long should the description be and should rules apply to it?

• Datetime: Is it possible to have a range of dates here? Or set something to every month, every week, every day at the same time?
  
• Subject: 100 characters max (I don't think we need more, is this linked to a forum thread?)
  
• Category: Do we have a list of possible categories or anything goes and we set a max of characters?
  
• Description: 300 character max (should be short more below)
  
• Faction(s)?: Empire, Republic or Both (mostly require for when both apply)
  
• Location: in-game location (could include server?)
  
• Contact: duh!
  
• Extra Info: I feel this is like description. I don't really see what could go in this one either. I vote to remove it.
  
• Link: Technically this could be set in the description no? But we would need to increase the text size allow in this case.
  
• Sponsor?: ex: Like Guild X will give a rare recipe to the winner of the Tatooine marathon.

Category should tell what type of event it is, Faction and Location the where/whom. This mean that description is mostly about "flavor" text, restrictions and/or events rules. This can be:
- Players need to bring something (2 gundark skins)
- Class restrictions (bring your Jedi for a special Temple event)
- Team size (legg hunt, team of 4 required!)
- I'm sure there is others here.

We can try to define a "format", but I fear that would get in the way of "flavor" text that would give ambiance to the event description. I set it to 300 characters, but we might want to "test" it first to adjust if needed.

Although, we could have a rules text box and leave description as "flavor" text only too.

azarhal wrote:

• Datetime: Is it possible to have a range of dates here? Or set something to every month, every week, every day at the same time?
  
• Subject: 100 characters max (I don't think we need more, is this linked to a forum thread?)
  
• Category: Do we have a list of possible categories or anything goes and we set a max of characters?
  
• Description: 300 character max (should be short more below)
  
• Faction(s)?: Empire, Republic or Both (mostly require for when both apply)
  
• Location: in-game location (could include server?)
  
• Contact: duh!
  
• Extra Info: I feel this is like description. I don't really see what could go in this one either. I vote to remove it.
  
• Link: Technically this could be set in the description no? But we would need to increase the text size allow in this case.
  
• Sponsor?: ex: Like Guild X will give a rare recipe to the winner of the Tatooine marathon.

Category should tell what type of event it is, Faction and Location the where/whom. This mean that description is mostly about "flavor" text, restrictions and/or events rules. This can be:
- Players need to bring something (2 gundark skins)
- Class restrictions (bring your Jedi for a special Temple event)
- Team size (legg hunt, team of 4 required!)
- I'm sure there is others here.

We can try to define a "format", but I fear that would get in the way of "flavor" text that would give ambiance to the event description. I set it to 300 characters, but we might want to "test" it first to adjust if needed.

Although, we could have a rules text box and leave description as "flavor" text only too.

From what I have seen it is very much possible to have recurrent events (the options are daily, weekly, monthly and yearly) and events can be set over multiple days as well.

For the subject 100 chars seems like a lot. It's supposed to be much shorter, something you can read in the blink of an eye. "RIG's Black Friday Crafting Event" for instance. 50 should be enough, I reckon?

By the way, you can all check it out for yourselves (how it looks now) on the current model of the website: http://respectingaming.com/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalevent.edit&year=2011&month=04&day=14&Itemid=80 (don't know if the link works for you, otherwise just "events" and then below the calendar on "add")

Category is a drop down choice, current choices being RP, PvP, PvE, Guild and Server. Certainly this we can talk about as well. One thing I can think of right away is "Crafting", which should be added. Also I'm not sure what "Server" is for here? (and as a matter of fact "Guild" is not all that clear to me either)
If it's about whether it's server-wide or not, I wouldn't count that as a category.

300 chars for the description sounds good, but I'm gonna have to see how much 300 chars amounts to for further evaluation.
I further agree that this should be left open to the organizer. As in the guild recruitment post, it's good to leave some creative space and this is clearly it. Why try too hard to make rules that are not necessary. All we have to do is to single out all the most crucial and persistent raw info to put it into fields to leave the creative part to the description field.

Faction is definitely something we'll want to have as well! Good call.

Location and Server should be separate fields as far as I am concerned. The one is crucial as to whether you'll even be able to participate (server) and the other might just be a side note sometimes (ingame location).

I don't see much sense in the extra info field either. It feels like a second description field and not really necessary therefore. I second your vote.

Link could indeed be put in the description but then again, if we can make it a field, why not? I mean, we could put things like location, faction etc all in the description but it's just more easily accessible when all the raw information is fielded, I think.

Can you explain the Sponsor field in more detail?

Yeah, maybe 100 is a bit long for Subjet.

The Sponsor field.

Well, I was thinking that some events could be "sponsored" by a Guild or player(s), regardless if it's to give an in-game prize (crafting material, credits, gear, what ever) or organizing/managing the event (lending players to manage/entertain the participants).

Example:
Tatooine's Marathon would require a prize for the winner, somebody need to sponsor that prize.
Force Academy is doing a "Initiation to the Jedi day", so they are organizing and sponsoring that event.

I'm not sure if it make sense.

Guess I'm following you but I don't think that deserves an own field. This should go either in the description or in the thread devoted to the event.


What about a "Restrictions" Field? For things like "only below level 30" or stuff like that, is that necessary?


As for how this will work in the forums I think clearly we'll have a subforum to discuss and plan forum events (idea-stage). But I reckon it would make sense to have an additional subforum for events that are already all planned and polished (event-stage). This would be where the link in the form would link to, where you'd potentially sign up, or simply get all the information.

I was thinking of putting the restrictions in the description field.

I'm not against keeping the description field for "flavor" text and having a restriction and rule field(s). Might be easier to see for the user in which event they want to participate.

Rules are a little mellow and therefore might better be put in the description. In the end, this may apply to restrictions too. I'm all for keeping them in the descriptions field. You?

Grome wrote:

Rules are a little mellow and therefore might better be put in the description. In the end, this may apply to restrictions too. I'm all for keeping them in the descriptions field. You?

That was my first idea, keeping them in the description field (we might need to make it large to accommodate that though).

Although, having them out make them easier to spot. It really depends more on the type of users we have then anything else: want to know if they can participate first or if they want to see if it interest them then found out they don't qualify.

The way I see it, especially "Rules" (what do you mean by rules? I think of what to do during the event etc) does not fit in a field because it's not standard, easy to pinpoint information.

Restrictions I could find myself convinced to make a field of it, but it doesn't have to be.

Either way, the "description" field is not the whole description of the event. It's just a summary. There is after all a forum post with all the further details waiting behind the link.

This is why I think it's not really necessary to have a Restrictions and Rules field, because the description itself is supposed to be a short read. That whole thing is supposed to help you make your decision (interested or not), before you can then move on to the actual "big" thread in the forums.

What I said before:

Grome wrote:

As for how this will work in the forums I think clearly we'll have a subforum to discuss and plan forum events (idea-stage). But I reckon it would make sense to have an additional subforum for events that are already all planned and polished (event-stage). This would be where the link in the form would link to, where you'd potentially sign up, or simply get all the information.

Grome wrote:

Rules are a little mellow and therefore might better be put in the description. In the end, this may apply to restrictions too. I'm all for keeping them in the descriptions field. You?

^^^ This because it makes it easier for me

Summarizing...

Fields in italic+bold are additions, striked is obviously for "removed".


Server
Date&Time
Subject (rename to "Name"?) (max 50 chars)
Category (rename to "Type"?)
Description (max 300 chars - to be tested)
Location
Contact
Extra Info
Link


Drop-down: Server, Type
Text: Name, Description, Location, Contact, Link
Date & Time is in the calendar.