[Coco] CoCo Fest video and chat

[Boisy Pitre]

On May 1, 2006, at 5:57 PM, Roger Taylor wrote:
> Well, I won't flame you or anything, but there's a flip side to the  
> coin you tossed onto the table.  Here's my take:  First, I'll  
> comment about attending the fests and sitting at home watching,  
> then I'll comment on why the crowd may be reducing, or not.
>
> Some people simply cannot attend the fests.  Some people want to  
> go, but can't produce the money at one time or by saving during a  
> year, etc.  Some people have demanding jobs.  Some people spend  
> their vacation time from their jobs going to places that appeal to  
> the whole family.  Some people cannot justify going to a fest; some  
> people can.

Those are all legitimate circumstances, but if someone wants to go  
somewhere bad enough, they will find a way.  I contend that people  
who skip fests year after year are simply wishing themselves out of  
going.  The fest has been going on for over two decades... maybe  
people can't make it every year, but once in two years?  three?  five?

> You know as well as I that over the years it has become more of a  
> challenge even for the big names who have attended past fests, let  
> alone the small guys who dabble with the CoCo.  I'm sure that if a  
> fest came to their neighborhood or close enough for a simple drive  
> over and not a flight, things would change.

Who are these big names you speak of?  I see the same people coming  
to the fest year after year.  Please back up your assertion with an  
example.  How can you know this when you don't even come to the fest  
yourself?

> My take on the webcam is that now we have a way to show something  
> to both those who cannot attend, and those who have wondered what  
> they are missing and can now see what they can look forward to next  
> year.  I saw comments in the chat room from people who saw the  
> crowd and said they were going to try to go next year.  So, a  
> webcam is not a reason to sit at home, but just a look into the  
> event for anybody interested in 1) going next year, 2) seeing  
> people they know but couldn't meet this year, 3) just plum  
> interested.  Everybody can sit and have their own reason for  
> watching, but I guarantee it's not just one, and all the reasons  
> are positive.

Someone (David Macias?) mentioned that he would be willing to pay for  
viewing the fest webcam.  I'll admit, it's pretty radical, but it got  
me to thinking...  I pay flight, hotel, car rental, and fuel charges  
to make it out to the event.  Plus I spend money on other people's  
products.  Why should others just get to free-load on an event that I  
and others have paid to attend?
>
> Ok, how much advertising is now going into getting the word out  
> about the CoCo Fest?  A simple message to the mailing list once or  
> twice is Not Enough.  This isn't going to help draw a significant  
> crowd that we're expecting.  To whomever is organizing the fests  
> each year, the work may not be enough in getting the word out with  
> details about what the visitor can expect.  In the past, I've  
> placed messages at the top of the front page of CoCo3.com and I  
> still plan to do this since that page alone gets hundreds of hits a  
> day and is seen by CoCo users from all over the world, even the  
> lost ones who didn't know we were still doing this stuff.  This is  
> a great place for notices like this because the Google ranking is  
> excellent and the site turns up high for most CoCo searches.
>
> Ok, that's free advertisement there, but what about efforts to do  
> more than just post a message to a web site or mailing list.   
> Members of any club involved in organizing events like this should  
> all get together and help boost interest in different ways.  It's  
> sorta like how you buy stock in your own company you work for.  It  
> sucks to see that money going back to them from your paychecks but  
> obviously it's for investment reasons.  Invest more time and money  
> in getting the word out the right way for the CoCo Fest, and I  
> promise that more people will attend.  This year I've heard very  
> little about the upcoming fest and any searches on the web usually  
> turn up old notices about fests 3 or 4 years ago.

I agree with you that Glenside could do more to promote the fest.  I  
have strong thoughts on that too, but right now we're discussing why  
people don't come.  Glenside's putting an ad in the paper or posting  
a request to slashdot.org isn't going to get the people who already  
know about the fest to come.  That just gets the word out to those  
who don't know.

> There's also been suggestions to start holding festivals that  
> attract more than just CoCo users.  This would create some  
> competition and attract those who are into more than just the  
> CoCo.  There are many people our age or abouts who dabbled in it  
> all back in the 80's and would love to walk around a huge room full  
> of all of that stuff and see what's being done to keep those  
> computers alive, including the CoCo, ofcourse.

I've been hesitant to this idea, but with the crowds dwindling every  
year, I think it should be looked at.

> I really think in order for the fest crowd to get bigger there has  
> to be more advertising and more computer models of interest.   
> That's my take.

That's not going to help the people who already know about the fest.

Roger, you're talking like you understand the fest problem.  I'm  
going to hold your feet to the fire here: where were you this year?   
Last year?  Come on.  You run coco3.com for goodness sake.  You have  
products that you actively sell to the CoCo community.  You've been  
doing this for years.  I have *never* seen you at a Glenside  
sponsored fest.  I think that is pretty pathetic, especially when I  
live further from Chicago than you do.  No matter what excuse you  
give, no matter what you say, I think it is inexcusable for someone  
of your stature to have never attended a Glenside CoCoFest.

You have a right to opine about the fest, what's right, what's wrong,  
etc, but the fact that you've never attended makes your words hollow.

Boisy