Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Hey Bashers! Before it's too late, the LPWB2005 Facilitators want to collect your feedback so that we can improve on the Winter Bash next year. Please post your comments here. Your offerings might be short or long. You might have suggestions about the Bash structure. Does it run too long? too short? just right? Are there too many threads? too few? Did the Reveal work for you? Were things explained well? Did the Facilitators address your needs? Did communication and mailing go well for you? Was it the whole thing fun? Was it stressful? How could it be improved? Be honest. Remember, we're looking for constructive criticism. But don't single out any particular person on this thread, please. If you prefer, email us at Bash Central: lpsecretpals@hotmail.com. We'll be hanging around there a little longer. We're still taking down all the little notes we pinned to the boards in 2005, arguing about who gets to keep the O-Zone poster, and making sure we get all the bourbon ball crumbs swept up before we close up for the season. When we re-open later this year, your comments here will be very helpful to us. Thanks so much!
Originally Posted By dlkozy I love the Winter Bash! For me, the length is perfect. It kicks off the holiday season and ends before it gets REALLY crazy. I am afraid if it started any later than it does, I would already be immersed in other Holiday things and I would not have the chance to make spoiling and checkin' in on my SP a "habit". I am looking forward to Winter Bash 2006!
Originally Posted By mickeymeg it totally rocked ! It was my first year participating and it went off without a hitch.
Originally Posted By trailsend I like the length of time as it is now. It gave me a chance to research some of what my Bash Pal's interests were. Christmas gets very hectic and time is a factor. To have that bit of time before Halloween helps. If you work hard then, you can be more organized toward the hectic ending. The threads were very helpful especially with the Master Index. However, for me, if I didn't keep up, wow, I would have been lost. You facilitators were just too good. I knew at any moment I could contact you for any reason and you would be completely helpful. My hats off to you. This being my first Bash was just too much fun. I have "forever keepsakes" because of the Bash. I was terribly afraid of keeping up; but all the info and help calmed me down (well, as well as the thorazine, or whatever that was Inspector and btw, I NEED MORE!)
Originally Posted By Labuda I'd like to have reveal a little later in the day - then again, that would make it hard on the folks in Oz or the UK... gosh, any chance y'all c ould get away with staggering it? I.e., Those in Oz get to open their gifts at time XYZ and folks in the UK or the US aren't allowed in the reveal thread (LPer's honor!) until whatever time in their own time zone unless they want to spoil the surprise? Too hard to do, right? Anyhow, I liked that it was a bit longer this year as that gave me more time BUT it did get a bit difficult to remain mysterious and fun over the time frame this time - it WAS about 2 or 3 weeks shorter in 2004, wasn't it?
Originally Posted By tiggerdis_ I thought it was the perfect length. I agree with trailsend, that it gave me time before I got "serious" with my Christmas Shopping to research and look for things for my Pal. I wouldn't change a thing! Had a wonderful time, thanks for having me!
Originally Posted By smeeeko I had a great time.. It was my first time as well and I think I was unsure of a lot of stuff and wasn't sure how I should really do the reveal.. If I revealed myself in the package, then what is the guessing? Also I think that going to WDW made me being a good basher a little more difficult based on where we stayed (we were at POP which other than mailing out postcards and thingys, dialing in to the boards was next to impossible). I think that I would give that more serious thought next year before I decide to try it again; which I would very much like to give it another go! I had fun. I think that my bash pal knew it was me as soon as she opened the box.. so it was difficult to keep the mystery. =) The only thing I guess I might suggest is that have a minimum of x number of stuff to list because I think I would have liked my bash pal to list several more thingys.. This is all after the fact though. =) happy new year! & happy 12th night..
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP hmmm... for me it got a little long. So, I57, you can do anything you want for length next year and you'll make someone happy!! I was very eager to get started at the end of October, but in the last two weeks of Dec I was ready for it to end. I'm also very happy this year with the amount I gave vs. the amount I recieved. I don't feel at all slighted, in fact, very spoiled by Pacomama and very apreciated by Tiggirl. However, I worry that there is some amount of "gift inflation" going on. I doubt very many reveal packages came in at under $20, and that's not including postage. I feel a slight pressure to up the money and time that I spend on it next year, but maybe this feeling will pass by next Nov. All that being said, those are minor, not major critiques. Overall I rate the bash experience a 12 on the scale of 1-10! A big part of that is that it finally got me involved full time in LP after spending years reading over ElderP's shoulder, and I have no plans for leaving!
Originally Posted By JazzCat Mrs.P, I understand about your "gift inflation" concerns. However, I'm sure many people on LP are excellent shoppers and probably don't go that far over the minimum of $15. What something "costs" can be 1/4 of what it's "worth".
Originally Posted By smedley I had a great bash, felt the length was about right, I'm with trails on the opportunity to get organised a little earlier than the Christmas stuff starts. I hope that next time I'll be a better basher, improving with experience and all that, I'm already looking at things now and thinking hmmm bash maybe? lol!
Originally Posted By tiggerdis_ ^^ I do that too Smedley. I go out on Boxing Day (here in Canada) and check out the 50% off bargains! At least that's what I tell my husband.
Originally Posted By kmsandrbs Length was fine, although shorter might be okay, although having Halloween during the bash was nice for those who really like that holiday. I think the money factor will always be problematic. Given the generally good nature of those participating, everyone will say that they don't expect more (and most will mean it). However, no matter what you say, some people will spend more (even significantly more). And because of this, some will still feel like they are not doing enough if they then don't do more. But I really don't think that's controllable, anymore than some SPs will do something everyday, and some once or twice a week.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Here are some of my general observations. I'm trying to give constructive critism here, it's nothing personal, so there's no need for anyone to read anything it this or take it personally. I'm basing this on what I've read in the various LPWB threads over the past four years. First let me say that I LOVE the Bash. I've had fantastic SP's all three years I've participated. I take great care and pride in being a Secret Pal and I love the relationships/friendships I've created from the whole Winter Bash. It's an outstanding activity for the LP Community. The thoughtfulness and generosity that shines through really gets me in the Christmas spirit. Here are my thoughts/concerns/suggestions: 1. When you sign up for the Bash, please understand it's a full time job from start to finish. Communication and contact with your Secret Pal is the most important part of the Bash. It's about consistency. I've seen people come on strong, then fade away leaving their Pal's befuddled. I've seen people make zero contact for weeks, leaving their Pal's wondering if they even have a Pal. Use the LP boards to communicate be it through ecards, posted messages, email, whatever! 2. Try to be enthusiastic with your Bash Pal. I know that people have put in a lot of effort to be great Pal's and have received little to know feedback from their Pals. Let all these hardworking Secret Pal's know how much you appreciate their cards, ecards, gifts, surprises, poems, etc. 3. Being an International Pal takes some organization and time management skills. Think about that before you say yes. Remember and understand about customs and the cost to ship overseas. It can be quite expensive for the Facilitators. You have to get organized and get stuff moving to other parts of the world rather quickly if you have an International Pal. 4. Remember that our Facilitators are doing this voluntarily. Their time, their money, their supplies. Try to be thoughtful, send a donation, cover your own postage, etc. These are very special people doing this, they deserve our consideration. I think the Bash is kind of long. I have times during the Bash that it's a struggle to keep my momentum going, but I really work hard for my Pals not to know that. Maybe just one week shorter would help. Either way, I'll still be participating. I guess I'm guilty of being one of those who totally ignores the min/max dollar limit set. I go with what I feel is appropriate for the Pal I've been given. This year was especially fun because my Pal had a very distinct hobby she loved. I themed my cards and gifts as much as I could. Couple hints, if you get to work early eBay can really be a money saver and clever way to find unique gifts. Do something personal and/or handmade. That has been the most fun for me. Trying to find something I can create for my Pal that they will remember me by, that falls within one of their interests or hobbies. My two cents. I'm sure I have more thoughts, these are my initial ones.
Originally Posted By goodgirl I am going to post this so that we (the facilitators) don't forget next year. We need to change the reveal day to a week earlier. That is, have it earlier than the 19th or 20th. This will help a great deal with the mailings, particularly for the int'l pals.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I understand that FedEX, UPS, and the US Postal Office screw up and have delays quite a bit. So there is always going to be exceptions and weird circumstances that happen during the Bash. I think moving the Reveal day up one week will help solve a lot of those issues. However, the Reveal Date, is the Reveal Date, is the Reveal Date, is the Reveal Date! I hate that people are sitting without their gifts 2 and 3 weeks later.
Originally Posted By u k fan Ok, a few random thoughts, they'll surely be more! The length is a bit of a toss up for me. It is difficult to hide being in the UK for a long period of time and Labuda rumbled that I was a UKer with time to spare. It's difficult to find things to send that don't give away my location so eventually when 2 or 3 possibly British gifts show up it doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes fan to put 2 and 2 together! On the other side had the bash been even a week shorter, Labuda certainly wouldn't have got her gift in time. Mailing times from the UK are not good around that time of year and a shorter bash would make it hard to get gifts out in time, remembering that I have to mail to a facilitator who can then forward the gifts on. Truth be told, I really dropped the ball big time on sending my reveal gift out. I realised with about 10 days to go that my parcel wasn't even started on and DHL had to come to the rescue. I'm pleased to say that both times I've Bashed, my Pals have had their gifts in time. A shorter Bash would make that harder for me. With regard to the amount spent on the reveal gift the person I'm buying for usually does well in the reveal parcel, but that's because there are things that I buy that I just can't send early on without revealing that I'm in the UK so it all gets sent together at the end. Participating in the Bash is a commitment and I do urge first timers to think carefully before signing up. It's a wonderful experience and I would hate to not have joined in, but it does require thought and planning! I like the reveal time, but that's purely selfish, because 7:30 pm couldn't get much better for me. I can see how it could be hard, especially for West coasters. I was very happy with the amount of attention I received this year and got some of the best cards and things. I got one really cool email early on that I was most impressed with, but I won't say what it was in case my Pal wants to do something similar next year. I would also give the Bash 12 out of 10!!!
Originally Posted By goodgirl And while I'm here I would like to put something out to get a better understanding of an issue. Here's a common scenario to explain the situation. I'll use real and made-up LPers to tell it. I'm going to use chickendumpling as my "real" LPer. Please note that this did NOT happen with chickendumpling, but it did happen with other participants. chickendumpling joined LP back in May. She's posted here and there and everywhere and we've all come to know her and enjoy her antics (and trip reports!). Well, in the LPWB, chickendumpling draws MouseGirl (a made up name) as her Bash Pal. chickie is excited. This is her first Bash. She's going to go out and learn all she can about MouseGirl so she can do good for her pal. Problem is, there's nothing out there on MouseGirl. Her profile shows she joined LP in 2001 and has lots of posts (most of them archived). But chickie can't find that Mousegirl has posted at all except for last year's bash threads that are still available to view. She writes to us: Tell me about MouseGirl! Who is she? We are surprised. Why, everyone knows MouseGirl! Oh wait. That's right. She hasn't been on the boards for a long long time. Well, except for last year's Bash. It sure was good to see her then. We wonder why she doesn't come back to LP. Okay. So. Does my little scenario make sense? Now, the first thing an outsider might think is that someone is just "coming for the gifts." Somehow I find that hard to believe. But I am curious. For those of you who only show up for the Bash, is there a reason? Would it be okay to ask that instead of just the Bash threads that you post a little here and there in the other Community or Playpen or Disney threads in an effort to let your Secret Pal get to know you more. Any comments or suggestions? And PS -- Chickendumplings Bash Pal was ukfan, someone who's on LP year round. Chick had no problem learning more about him.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<I hate that people are sitting without their gifts 2 and 3 weeks later.>> I love it, it means my Bash ain't over yet!!!
