[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by cubsfan-budman

I guess I could be proven wrong about some small detail, but in the "other" thread, he said he'd be posting a sign up list on Tuesday. I thought it was handled pretty well.

Can't please everyone.

Actually, yes, you can please everyone by providing concise instructions where there is no ambiguity about how the break is going to be run, and when the sign up for that break is going to happen. I am absolutely shocked that somebody who has supposedly run group breaks several times before so poorly communicated when the sign up was going to happen.

Once he knew the set was coming in Tuesday, he should have immediately posted a time for the sign up sheet. If it had been Thursday, or Friday, or Saturday when more people would be off from work, and thereby able to participate in the sign up, nobody would have had a problem. If it were me, I'd have posted "the set is coming in today. Finalized instruction and/or rules will be posted for public consumption tomorrow at 5 pm. The signup sheet will be posted at 2pm Saturday, eastern time. 1 slot per person until either all the slots are filled, or until all the interested parties have had a chance to get their one slot. If there are remaining slots, we will hold until 3 pm to make sure that any stragglers have had their opportunity to get in, and then take offers for additional slots. One additional slot maximum in this second round."

Easy. No interpretation necessary. Instructions a child could understand.

But that didn't happen.

We were told that a thread with the finalized instructions would be posted Tuesday:

Originally Posted by Leon

There will be a thread tomorrow explaining everything but the the summary is there will be 250 spots sold, one for each card in the set. Then there will be a random pick and each person gets their cards for each slot they bought. Sort of like a lottery where everyone gets something. Some cards will be real nice for the price, no doubt.

Additionally, we were told that we would receive notification of when the signup sheet had gone live:

Originally Posted by autocentral

-Leon will also be sending an email blast once the official thread is posted
Nick

But there was no instruction thread prior to the sign up sheet. There was no email alerting us that the sign up sheet had gone up. So even though on Saturday September 13th, a full three days before the signup sheet went up, I gave notification that I was definitely participating...

Originally Posted by the 'stache

I am absolutely in.

Leon, will you be able to shoot an email to everybody when it's time to sign up? I don't want to oversleep and miss anything, but if I know when to be here and sign up an official something or other, and send in my money, I will set multiple alarms to rouse my body from its supine position.

I would also like to know if we can buy lots for other people, too.

Oh, and of course, a big thank you to Leon, Nick, for setting this really fun idea up. Thanks also to Sterling for handling the auction.

I am very much looking forward to this!

Even though I'd addressed my concerns that I would miss the sign up sheet, and had been told specifically that that would not happen because yes, the email I'd inquired about WILL in fact be going out, I am still out.

Originally Posted by markf31

I can understand your disappointment Bill, I would be disappointed if I missed out as you did as well don't get me wrong.

But a quick look at your board activity from yesterday shows you actually posted 3 replies on other threads yesterday at 1:55pm, 3:55pm and 10:03pm all before the final spots in the pool were all taken up at 12:31am this morning. Seems at a cursory glance that you were active on the board when slots were still available.

Yes, I did jump on the forum a few times yesterday. Once to post a requested statistical analysis of a player that I'd worked on all night, the other two times to ask for suggestions about handling a non paying buyer, as it was the first item I'd ever sold on EBay. Then I went to bed, and didn't wake up until almost 9 pm. I wasn't manically checking the forum every time I logged on to post something, looking for any sign up sheet. Why? Because I was told specifically I didn't have to.

Originally Posted by Paul S

I'm not even participating since I already own all the key cards, yet I knew what was happening every step of the way (both threads).

Congratulations. You are in the minority. Because judging by the posts of the people who were not able to sign up, even though they, too, had expressed they were in, you are one of the lucky ones.

Originally Posted by Leon

From my perspective this whole thread and Group Break was handled 100% perfectly by Nick. Not 99% but 100%. I can't imagine it being done any better. For the few folks that didn't get in, my sincere apologies and if you so desire, there will be another group break in the not distant future you will be invited to. I would suggest that whomever wants in be on the board when Nick said he will post the thread. Great job Nick!!

No, it wasn't handled perfectly, or anywhere near perfectly, because multiple people in this thread, people who had previously stated they were in, did not end up getting to participate.

The only area where I understand there being any confusion was the number of people signing up. As a group break had not been done on Net 54 before (to my knowledge), there is no way you could have ultimately known how many people would be buying spots. But in that circumstance, it would have been prudent to start with one slot maximum per person, making sure that everybody who wanted to participate had the opportunity to do so, up to 250 people. If there were slots left over, selling those additional slots wouldn't have taken long at all. The 250 slots didn't need to be filled on Tuesday. What harm would there have been if an additional day were required to fill the slots? None. But by allowing people to sign up for two slots, a whole lot of people now do not get to participate. And quite frankly, why the people who had stated definitely they were in had to sign a second shot is puzzling to me. You had early indications of not interest, but commitment. The sign up sheet should have been for 250 - the number of people who had already committed to buy. When the discussion was begun, you didn't know for sure if that kind of group break were possible, if there would be enough enthusiasm for it. Those people who signed on early made this possible, and many of them got nothing to show for it.

I know you are saying this was a learning experience, and a lot of these edges will be smoothed out in future breaks. But there didn't have to be any rough edges at all. The only variable should have been the number of slots that you could fill, and that was only a matter of letting the sheet stay up one day or two. Everything else should have been straight forward.

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Good Lord, Bill

You just saved $25. Congrats.

You missed the point. Congrats.

If you don't know why somebody is upset, Frank, it's best not to say anything at all. Because quite honestly, belittling me is uncalled for, and it is not appreciated.