Vugraph Automation

[mrdct]

I glean from an email that Roland has just sent out to many regular BBO commentators that the process of assigning/ungagging commentators is going to become automated. Can anyone shed light on how that is going to work?

[hrothgar]

I know that Fred was working with some of the old Eliza code, trying to make it make random comments about coke.

Looks like there was some kind of breakthrough...

[Rain]

We are hoping to point everyone to the main vugraph page, which is

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php

 

for now.

 

If you are an authorized commentator, you will be able to login with your bbo username/pw and click on any event you want to comment at. Or click again to unregister.

Then at your event's start time you will be able to commentate. (Later we'll try to add things like reminders for those who've signed up.)

 

You cannot do this for voice commentary atm, but will add that later as well.

 

If you are a vugraph organizer, you can either email to set up vugraph or preferably, use the form on that page to add your proposed schedules.

 

Hope this answers your qn

[paulg]

We are hoping to point everyone to the main vugraph page, which is

 

http://www.bridgebas...ph/schedule.php

 

for now.

 

If you are an authorized commentator, you will be able to login with your bbo username/pw and click on any event you want to comment at. Or click again to unregister.

Then at your event's start time you will be able to commentate. (Later we'll try to add things like reminders for those who've signed up.)

Often I've joined a running vugraph at Roland's request. If I were to register myself to a running vugraph, do I get enabled automatically or do I need to find someone to enable me.

 

If you are a vugraph organizer, you can either email to set up vugraph or preferably, use the form on that page to add your proposed schedules.

 

If I add a proposed schedule (without emailing BBO), will I be sent the appropriate vugraph user ids and passwords?

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[diana_eva]

---

 

If I add a proposed schedule (without emailing BBO), will I be sent the appropriate vugraph user ids and passwords?

 

 

Yes. You'll be notified by email when your event is approved, then you can log on the vugraph schedule page to view operator login information and edit your event.

[Rain]

Paul,

 

If you were to join a running vugraph, you will currently need to ask a yellow to ungag you. This is temporary - actually everyone who signs up will be ungagged by a human. But very soon we'll make it automated and you won't need to ask to be ungagged...just sign up and you'll be able to speak.

[jallerton]

So if someone is ungagged (automatically or manually), is that person just ungagged for the session in question, or for the rest of the event in question, or for for all vugraph presentations until the next server reboot?

 

When a potential commentator logs in to sign up, will they see how many (and which) commentators have already signed up for that session?

[Jacki]

So if someone is ungagged (automatically or manually), is that person just ungagged for the session in question, or for the rest of the event in question, or for for all vugraph presentations until the next server reboot?

 

When a potential commentator logs in to sign up, will they see how many (and which) commentators have already signed up for that session?

 

Yes you can see that, at this link:

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/vugraph/v2schedule.php

 

For instance, this broadcast

 

2012-08-04 12th Geologi Cup 2012

Bandung, Indonesia

21:30 Finals, Round 3 siladen

23:00 Finals, Round 4 siladen

 

Shows siladen has signed up to comment during that session. You'll find the volunteer commentators in the last column of each broadcast.

 

Jacki :)

[barmar]

So if someone is ungagged (automatically or manually), is that person just ungagged for the session in question, or for the rest of the event in question, or for for all vugraph presentations until the next server reboot?

While we're doing it manually, they'll be ungagged until someone manually gags them again.

 

When we switch to automatic ungagging, it will automatically gag them again when the session is over.

[kastan88]

1) If I am going to Vugraph Schedule, what is the button/link on what i must click for registerring as commentator. Can see only link, what brings me to Event homepage

 

2) How can now new commentators to join?

[diana_eva]

1) If I am going to Vugraph Schedule, what is the button/link on what i must click for registerring as commentator. Can see only link, what brings me to Event homepage

 

 

There's a Login button top right of the list of events where organizers, BBO staff and preapproved commentators can log in with their BBO username and password. After you login a button with "I'll comment" appears next to each event. Organizers can click the arrow next to their event's name and edit it to add more rounds or change whatever.

 

New commentators can ask a yellow to ungag them like before.

[kastan88]

There's a Login button top right of the list of events where organizers, BBO staff and preapproved commentators can log in with their BBO username and password. After you login a button with "I'll comment" appears next to each event. Organizers can click the arrow next to their event's name and edit it to add more rounds or change whatever.

 

New commentators can ask a yellow to ungag them like before.

 

I am not the new commentator. I got from Roland Wald the final letter about the new "automated" registerring. How can now happen, that I am not on "approved commentators" list?

Today I could see, that this automatization not working. There were 6 tables in vugraph and only 1 table had commentator. So with Roland Wald commentating worked, wnow we have problems.

 

Sad, that BBO management changed their attitude, how to organize vugraph commenting. Better would to leave human to work together with robot till new automatization starting work exact way. Bad idea is to spit into old well, until new not giving quality water.

[Finch]

We are hoping to point everyone to the main vugraph page, which is

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php

 

for now.

 

If you are an authorized commentator, you will be able to login with your bbo username/pw and click on any event you want to comment at. Or click again to unregister.

Then at your event's start time you will be able to commentate. (Later we'll try to add things like reminders for those who've signed up.)

 

You cannot do this for voice commentary atm, but will add that later as well.

 

If you are a vugraph organizer, you can either email to set up vugraph or preferably, use the form on that page to add your proposed schedules.

 

Hope this answers your qn

 

It let me log in, but I couldn't click on any event.

[RMB1]

It let me log in, but I couldn't click on any event.

 

I logged in, but when I clicked on an event I got a "Something went wrong" page.

 

[moan]

The change in process has become more unsatisfactory as the email the Roland sent has been replied to by spam.

Edited August 5, 2012 by RMB1

[nigel_k]

I also have commented before and am on Roland's email list, but cannot sign up.

[Rain]

I think there may be a bug right now. We'll fix soon, by tomorrow. Sorry for inconvenience.

 

I think if you try it once, and it doesn't work, trying again it may work, which is a bug.

[barmar]

I'm looking into these issues. Please bear with us as we work out the kinks in the new system.

[Lurpoa]

I am worried.

Mr Wald did do such a good job !!!!

 

Yes, I am worried,

mostly for the spoken commenting !

Mr Wald always was looking for best commentators possible.

 

I know I will forgot quite a few, but still, I want to thank: David Bird, Peter Lund, Henri Bethe, Larry Cohen, Kit Woolsey, Bill Jacobs, Andrew Gumperz, and many others...Sorry for those I forgot.....

 

I won't name them, but few were those who had nothing to tell or worse, just added confusion, making noise....

 

♥♥♥THANK YOU ROLAND ! ♥♥♥

 

I do not believe your work can be robotized.

 

♥♥♥THANK YOU ROLAND !♥♥♥

♥♥♥THANK YOU ROLAND !♥♥♥

Edited August 11, 2012 by Lurpoa

[Jacki]

I am not the new commentator. I got from Roland Wald the final letter about the new "automated" registerring. How can now happen, that I am not on "approved commentators" list?

Today I could see, that this automatization not working. There were 6 tables in vugraph and only 1 table had commentator. So with Roland Wald commentating worked, wnow we have problems.

 

Sad, that BBO management changed their attitude, how to organize vugraph commenting. Better would to leave human to work together with robot till new automatization starting work exact way. Bad idea is to spit into old well, until new not giving quality water.

 

Email jacki@bridgebase.com, give me your BBO name and I'll see that you're added to the list of Commentators.

[barmar]

I believe I've fixed the problems that were causing some people to get errors when they tried to use the "I'll commentate" button.

[barmar]

I've updated the approved commentator list to include everyone who has commented in a Vugraph in the past 2 months or so.

 

If you're still not on the list, email Jacki and we'll add you.

[paulg]

I'm sure the real reason for automation is the complete collapse of typed commentator organisation since Roland moved to voice. With Roland ceasing his organisation of the voice commentary, I think that BBO will have to do more than provide an automated registration facility if it wants to maintain the quality of broadcasts moving forward.

 

There were many key aspects of Roland's role that seem to be missing:

• pushing the information to the commentator community: getting a reminder in your inbox of upcoming events with request to respond will always be more successful than a pull model when I need to go to a website that is difficult to read (given the volume of information).
• signing up for specific tables: for large events with multiple tables I want to commentate on specific tables, for example the Camrose, Europeans, Lille. It probably needs more sophistication on the web site to enable this.
• managing the gaps: when there are insufficient commentators signed up for an event, who is going to cajole and bully more to participate. Roland's success was largely due to his ability to do this over a long time without becoming a cyber-bully.
• managing the workload: the commentator community is very diverse. There are people I do not wish to commentate with and others I really like working with. Roland either understood this or was continuously lucky with his assignments. Now, if there appears to be less control, I am less likely to commentate.
• balancing the workload: Roland ensured that all the tables had an appropriate number of commentators. Now everyone is likely to rush to Monaco vs USA leaving Scotland vs Denmark with just me. How will you achieve balance and tell Larry Cohen to join me?
• as a tournament organiser I would be concerned that I appear to have no mechanism to increase the number of commentators. As a commentator I do not want dozens of emails from event organisers who are looking for commentators, especially if they start one month before the event and email me persistently. Managing this conflict must have been a thankless task but one that Roland, for some reason, was pleased to do and did effectively.

This is not part of a campaign to get Roland or BBO to reconsider their positions, but concerns that I think need to be considered for BBO to continue to provide quality vugraph commentary.

[uday]

Yes, absolutely - organizing and maintaining quality commentary, chat or spoken, is difficult for a number of reasons.

 

However, the minor automation we're trying is only a bit of it. What we've done so far has two main components

 

1. Allow tournament owners to enter the details of their pending event ( as opposed to emailing us with the details )

 

This is relatively minor, tho I think many owners will prefer it. They can always email us instead.

 

2. Allow commentators to sign up for events for (chat) commentary

 

This is experimental in a sense, and we don't know yet whether this will work out well.

 

 

But regardless, I assume we're going to need someone to glue it all together .

[mrdct]

A few years ago I proposed a form of automation for vugraph commentary which I still think has merit. I can't find the original post I made about it, but in a nutshell:

 

- there would be a panel of pre-approved commentators, perhaps denoted by a microphone next to their name if they don't have a star;

- similar to the way tournamant TDs procure substitute players, anybody (pre-approved or otherwise) can sign-up within BBO as being available to commentate;

- when a vugraph operator or a host notes that a table is short of commentators they can bring up a "request commentator" box with filter options such as, Stars, Pre-Approved, Country and Skill Level and then a list of available commentators appears from which they can generate system-issue invitations;

- upon acceptance of an invitation the commentator is immediately ungagged and transported to the correct table;

- if there are insufficient commentators who have signed-up as being available, periodic broadcast messages could be automatically issued encouraging people to make themselves available to commentate.

 

I have nothing but admiration for all of the work that Roland has done over the past decade, but with there being so much vugraph on these days with a dozen or more tables running a lot of the time, I don't think commentator assignment is a process that can sensibly remain manual.

[Walddk]

I'm sure the real reason for automation is the complete collapse of typed commentator organisation since Roland moved to voice. With Roland ceasing his organisation of the voice commentary, I think that BBO will have to do more than provide an automated registration facility if it wants to maintain the quality of broadcasts moving forward.

I think one of the biggest challenges for BBO will be that the new system seems to be passive (wait for commentators to sign up) rather than active (a human sends emails and gentle reminders to get commentators to sign up). I fear BBO will suffer a decline in both the quantity and quality of commentators unless/until they can sort that out.