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Challenge Calendar?

Posted: 22 May 2006, 01:00
by Root
Google recently unleashed their latest move in their covert plan for World Domination: Calendars. I played around with it, and it gave me an idea.

As there appear to be quite a lot of Tube Challenges of some sort coming up in the near future, why not create a calendar so we can see exactly what is happening when?

For example, let's say there is an all-stations attempt coming up. This challenge will require stopwatch starters and stoppers and help throughout the day. One look at the calendar and I see that I'm free that day, and can volunteer to help. Soon after that I decide I want to do my own, and pick a date. Before I contact Guinness and make the date set in stone, I look at the calendar and I quickly learn there is a Zone 1 tournament going on that same day, so I can re-think my plans without any hassle.

I think it would be a great way of this community helping one another out in our various challenges, and it would provide an at-a-glance guide for booking time off work.

I can hear you saying "Bad idea: TfL and (other) troublemakers could look at it and put an end to our fun" - luckily Google Calendars allows you to control who has access to it, so the calendar admin could decide you have to have been on the board for X months or have a personal reference from another member before you have access to it, and also you would have to be logged in to a Google account to do so.

What do you think? Good idea or not, and would you use it?

Posted: 22 May 2006, 16:51
by nozzacook
I think this is a cracking idea iam quite often in london and if there is a challenge on that day I would be more than happy to help or just offer moral support. A calender would allow you to see who to contact.

Posted: 22 May 2006, 17:42
by jonny
i also think its a good idea.

Posted: 22 May 2006, 18:43
by tubeguru
A concerned tube challenger writes ...

At first I liked this idea.

However, I do worry sometimes that the whole world record thing is being somehow "devalued" (is that the right word?) by the sheer amount of interest in it. Saturation coverage almost.

I think having a calendar of when people are going to do a full 275 attempt is taking things just a little too far. And as root said, you say when you're doing it and eventually someone is going to try to spoil it for you. And don't forget, I'm sure LU read this site and keep abreast of what we're up to. Also, I don't like the idea of making any part of this website available to only a handful of people.

We're in danger of making the world record a complete nonsense if everybody is going out there every 5 minutes to try to set a time. It's even worse when we have a timetable of who's doing it when. Guinness will end up with a huge backlog if three or four people beat the record in the space of a couple of months :-)

With Zone 1 and All-Lines challenges, it's kind of OK, because they're not official records, but for full attempts I just don't think it's a good idea to have a timetable of them here. Where's the mystery and excitement of waiting for someone to burst into the forum and announce they've beaten the record (except for ********)?

I don't like the idea of things like the Zone 1 challenge getting lots of publicity through blogs with large readerships, and dozens and dozens of people turning up "for a laugh". I've always liked the way it's kept to a small scale and is private amongst ourselves.

I worry I've created a monster with this website. Until I feel otherwise about this, I won't be going ahead with the calendar idea here.

Just my initial thoughts on it all.

Posted: 22 May 2006, 18:52
by zeibura
do london underground really care that much about tube challengers? i mean, they didn't try and stop tube relief...

Posted: 22 May 2006, 18:55
by tubeguru
That's because we went to them and told them we'd be doing it, as well as Ken Livingstone and the Met Police.

Posted: 22 May 2006, 21:42
by standclearofthedoors
They still could have regardless. IMO you're worrying too much- numbers wise there can't be more then 20 who are actively intending to attempt a 275 and bar w******* I think it's very critical to think of sabotage- it's a board full of decent people who help others out on challenges. Frankly I don't think TfL give a toss about us- we're a drop in the ocean.

Posted: 22 May 2006, 22:17
by zeibura
someone like "the graphic representation of amplitude and frequency modulation" could easily just turn up and be a **** though.

and various members of TfL could have expressed concerns about mine and steven's attempts on countless occasions, they never did.

Posted: 23 May 2006, 08:21
by nozzacook
IMHO I think that Sky travel with there constant airing of "The Tube" are doing more to increase numbers than a calender will ever do.

I agree that more people are trying to beat the record but Neil & Geoff have set such a bench mark that even with Shoreditch closed I feel their time will probably stand for another year.

I agree with Neil that the calender if on his site would have to open to all to read and if LUL read it so what there is nothing in the conditions of carriage that I have found that prohibit tube challenging as long as you have the correct ticket and behave responsibly.

IMO The Calender will be a helpful servant for those who were going to attempt a run anyway and propably wouldn't be stopped by the lack of one.

Posted: 23 May 2006, 08:27
by moley
Zeibura wrote:do london underground really care that much about tube challengers? i mean, they didn't try and stop tube relief...
TfL have taken attempts to stop large gatherings of people entering tube stations for various reasons including the possibilty of tube challenging.

Posted: 23 May 2006, 11:39
by Root
Neil makes a lot of good points that need to be taken into consideration. I'm glad we're discussing this.

Perhaps a compromise would simply be to leave out 275 attempts and include anybody's "minor" challenge attempts?

I think the most difficult issue is who would get access to it. I think it would be unwise to allow access to all, as I said in my opening post, but I understand Neil's comment about how it could breed elitism - some people having access to it and some not.

I still think it is workable, but perhaps it's not worth it.

Posted: 23 May 2006, 17:13
by jonny
regarding access to the calender:
surely anyone who has access to this forum should have access to the calender -- and only if they have access to the forum. I think Neil monitors who joins the forum, don't you?

Posted: 23 May 2006, 17:19
by tc
Does Google Calendar have an API to connect the users against phpBB forums though?

Posted: 23 May 2006, 18:25
by petermiller36
I do share TubeGuru's concerns if Im honest. I have nothing against Geoffs website or media whoreness as it has put Tube Challenging into the limelight and brought many of us together. There are indeed a handful of us that have been Tube Challenging since before the website and tv programmes and this forum helps unite us. It has also helped attract new people who I have nothing against and I believe we are at a good level of media and people right now. People like Root got introduced into Tube Challenging by parents and the web has helped encourage it. But this website and Geoffs one should NEVER be a way of people GETTING the interest. It should be a genuine interest (which I believe all of us have) and not a way of getting any world record or being the best at something. Lets be careful, thats all im saying. I love you all.

Posted: 23 May 2006, 18:27
by tubeguru
That's a very good point.