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Messages - Admiral Donuts

#781
Rovers: Personally, I'd rather the rovers be effectual than considerate. I've seen a lot of complaints about rude staff members, but I don't think people realize how frustrating it can be working an event like FanimeCon. I have respect for anyone who's willing to give up precious con time to be staff. If you can be authoritative without being rude, great, but if people are listening to you, don't be afraid to raise your voice a little, and give specific instructions. Incidents that come to mind:

Final Fantasy Cosplay Gathering: Photographers were being told to move back, so they did. But they didn't move back far enough, so they were told again. And again. And again. Someone should have just said where they wanted people to move back to from the beginning.

H-night lines: Signs/better direction was needed. Having people wrap around the walls was fine, but it got confusing where the end of the line was and what line was in, I was hearing that there were H lines and Yaoi lines... a few signs with arrows would have really helped.

Swap meet registration: Hopefully feedback already happened at the staff level and I'm just reinforcing it. I know there was a HUGE improvement in handling between the first and second night, so next year, do what was done the second night... with two minor adjustments, if you want people to know their number for when they show up, please post it on the website, and tape the signs showing where you want people to go on the pillars, don't just lay them on the floor where they're easy to miss.

One-way doors: Not a bad idea, they really help with traffic flow. Just put the "entrance only" signs on the INSIDE of the doors where people trying to leave can see them. Props to the staffer who was simultaneously trying to keep the swap meet registration in order while telling dozens of people they can't exit there- including people who had already exited. She was stretched pretty thin.

Swap meet suggestion - Free Stuff Area: We had a lot of stuff we were just giving away once it became clear it wasn't selling, and other people were doing the same. Maybe use one of the unused spaces as a dropping point for stuff nobody wants? It could even stay there for the rest of the con for people who don't get a chance to visit the swap meet.

Walkway lane: Great idea, too bad people blatantly ignored it and stood, sat, and posed for pictures in it or walked the wrong way. Have more of them in the high traffic areas.

Registration: I've read that having your badge number printed out ahead of time is  huge time saver, so why not alter the registration process to favor those people who did just that? Devote a couple of the registration people to deal exclusively with people who brought their print out. I'm envisioning the main line-up working the same, except it splits in two when you get into the main registration room, with print-out people forming one line and non-print out people going to another. In theory, the print-off line will move faster, (which will lead to print-out people registering before non-print-out people ahead of them in line) giving people who took the time to print out their badge number a visible benefit, and encouraging everyone to do the same and making it easier on staff. Everybody wins.

In conclusion, I live 3500 miles away from San Jose (Hawaii, Alaska, and parts of Russia and Greenland are closer) and I thought going to the  con was worth it. Rovers & staff did a great job overall, and I think you should all be proud of yourselves. It wasn't a bad job of people controlling things. If you want to see a bad job of people controlling things go watch Gimmie Shelter.

Edited 'cause it was all bold and added the bit about the walkway

Edit 2: added the registration bit
#782
Quote from: AnimeFans4Yaoi on June 08, 2010, 04:33:56 PM
I'm sorry if this question has already been answered but, its very confusing to me how artists who sell in the Artists gallery can sell fan art of copyrighted licensed artists. I mean artwork like Naruto, Bleach, Air Gear, Hellsing and such. They aren't the original artists so how come it isn't illegal for them to make a profit off another artist's work?

We fan fiction writers can't do that so how come its ok for fan artists? Don't get me wrong I love buying fan art at conventions it just seems like stealing money from the original artist's pocket, doesn't it? I'm very confused because I would love to sell fan art products like t-shirts or key chains at conventions but I don't want to be stealing another artist's work to do that, especially if its illegal  :'( .

Can anyone clear up this confusion?

Well, quite a lot of what I saw can be covered under parody laws, that's how a lot of the more prolific booths in AA are able to use characters from Pokemon & Dragonball on their stuff. More obscure media may not fall under international copyright law and be totally legal (but not totally ethical) to create merchandise based on said media.

As for in-between, where it's obvious that copyright and trademarks apply? Well, I may not be some fancy-pants big city lawyer with all kinds of fancy book learning and rich-people indoor plumbing, but I know of one case in particular that may serve as a precedent/example.

Calvin & Hobbes is a popular comic, but it's creator, Bill Watterson, has never let any merchandise other than the comics themselves be made. This leaves a huge demand for shady people to supply, so there's all kinds of unofficial merchandise out there. Yet, no lawsuits have ever been filed, because from a financial standpoint it doesn't make sense. Spending money on legal costs to stop people from selling merchandise doesn't make sense when it doesn't affect you, because you don't sell any merchandise in the first place.

Therein lies the key, there's a difference between "unofficial" and "bootleg knock-off". Selling action figures of Dragonball characters and Naruto headbands is illegal if it's not official merchandise, because those are both already made. Selling buttons made to look like pokeballs, or blueprints of the Going Merry? You'd probably never be forced to pay anything to the owners of Pokemon or One Piece, since it can be argued that the sale of either of those doesn't take away from the sale of any official merchandise.

In summation, it's only if it's an unauthorized replication of an already existing piece of merchandise that it's absolutely not okay. Everything else usually qualifies for some kind of loophole or exception.
#783
Having someone dress up as a character they love who doesn't wear a whole lot is one thing. Dressing up as a character because you like that they don't wear a whole lot... that's a gray area. Wearing a yellow tube tube top, booty shorts, ears, and painting your cheeks red and saying you're "sexy pikachu" is getting away from the spirit of cosplay.
#784
Wore a DDR mat that would have ended up in the garbage if not for my ingenuity. I know lots of people took my picture but I've only had one photo of me turn up so far.

x^o
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#785
Pretty much any One Piece character made me happy. Boa Hancock!
Yusuke & Hiei!
Metabee! Oh my god someone not only watched Medabots they COSPLAYED AS METABEE OH GOD. And it was good..
#786
Quote from: Aelia on June 08, 2010, 12:54:48 PM
As was said many times, they're like trolls: The best way to deal with them is to ignore them.

I say if they're going to protest our con, we cosplay at their church!
#787
Things in the Universe / Re: The Awful Truth(s)
June 08, 2010, 06:47:30 AM
In the time it takes you to read this, you could have learned a word in a foreign language, or smelled a flower, or done something remotely productive.

Yep, before you die, you get to look back and think, "Wow, I read that stupid post instead of doing anything else at all."

Unless you get Alzheimer's disease and can't remember anything, a shell of your former self.
#788
I went around wearing a DDR mat. Most people seemed to think it was a cool idea. Many took pictures. Some asked to step on me. That was a bit weird.


x ^ o
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#789
Does anyone (I'm looking at you, contest winners) know where any of these can be seen online?
#790
So is the contest on again for 2011? My friends and I had no idea there even WAS an HMV contest.

And with regards to the rules, if it's a female... let's just say "organism" using tentacles on a female would that be okay.
#791
Registration / Badge holders?
April 12, 2010, 12:06:11 AM
Does anything come with a badge (specifically pre-reg badge) as a way to wear it? Clip? Lanyard? Do they go in a holder or does the badge itself have a hole? What are the dimensions of the badge?

I've got a bunch of badge/ID holders and wanna make sure I bring one that it'll fit in. I'm kinda picky about them, too, and usually prefer my own over provided ones.

Thanks in advance.
#792
Daz Bones, aka Mr. 1 from One Piece is a big, bald white guy.