TD announcements

[aramesh_]

A player felt insulted when, in a tournament, I announced to the room in caps to hurry up as there were only 3 min left for the round.

My understanding is that TDs use caps to catch the attention of players. Am i wrong?

Is announcing in caps by TDs not to be encouraged.

I would like to know for future guidance.

aramesh_

[jikl]

Personally I don't like using caps when directing. If I say something to the table I try to remember to preface the 1st comment when I come to the table with "TD: "

 

Sean

[mycroft]

See, here's the problem:

 

"Thanks for your note, but first, a tip: Don't type in all caps, in the online world, that's considered SHOUTING!"

 

Imagine what would happen at your local RL club if the TD walked over to your table, shouted "HURRY UP, YOU HAVE 3 MINUTES LEFT!" and walked away. Caught your attention, didn't he? But you'd never come back, and would probably complain, no?

 

Some of us (a lot of us) have sensitive "ears" after years on the Net. We are likely to be as offended by that quote on our page as we would be if you did it to us in person.

 

Plus, it is a well known fact that ALL CAPS IS HARDER TO READ, AND IS THEREFORE SLOWER (not meaning to shout there, obviously). So you're distracting them more strongly than you would in a quieter "tone".

 

I like the idea of "TD: ". Also, your players should know who the TD is, given whatever welcome notes you give.

 

I hope this helps.

Michael.

[barmar]

Imagine what would happen at your local RL club if the TD walked over to your table, shouted "HURRY UP, YOU HAVE 3 MINUTES LEFT!" and walked away. Caught your attention, didn't he? But you'd never come back, and would probably complain, no?

At the club I play in, the TD frequently says to the entire room "4 minutes left in the round, you should be on your last board." He either shouts or uses the PA system so that the entire room can hear. So this seems normal to me -- we're not talking about someone coming up to you and yelling into your ear.

 

In the online case, it seems reasonable to try to use a distracting method. Players often aren't looking closely at the chat area when they're concentrating on the play area, so it's necessary to catch their attention when you make an announcement. However, rather than ALL-CAPS, you can use something like "************" or a row of suit symbols.