Sometimes I am amazed at how difficult it is to communicate in this world. I don’t mean technologically. I don’t mean language barriers. I don’t even mean that we give words different connotations. Sometimes – we can’t communicate because the event the one person describes is not in the reality of the listener.
I have a demo in 45 minutes (less, by the time I finish posting this). I have a bug in my script. I’m saying something two times instead of once. It’s a list of names. I spent nearly 4 hours this morning talking to some really, REALLY smart people about my bug. They kept asking me questions that just seemed crazy to me. I thought I’d explained the process I was scripting. I thought it was incredibly obvious. I didn’t understand WHAT was so difficult. The more I tried to say I am trying to do these steps, the farther apart we seemed to grow. So. Here we go…..
1. Avatar walks up to the signin desk.
2. Avatar touches the poseball.
3. Animation takes over, avatar is signing name.
4. Script is sensing all other avatars around the avatar signing in. Because the one avatar is signing in ALL the other avatars (co-workers) standing about. Don’t argue yet. That’s what my manager requested. Keep reading.
5. Script shouts the list of names (avatar signing in AND all other around) to a Welcome Board in another room.
6. Welcome Board displays list of names.
7. Animation ends.
8. Avatar that was signing in is teleported to the other room with the Welcome Board.
9. Avatars that are left in first room must each click the teleporter device to tp to 2nd room.
Yes – there are holes here. I KNOW that. This is just a little tiny demo. It’s not meant to be a finished product. The only goal was to mimic a real-life scenario and put up the names of the avatars. But that is exactly the catch. “real-life scenario”
My scripting friends could not envision a scenario where one person would sign-in another person. I am totally blown away. I do this all the time. Two of us walk up to a sign-in desk. If I pick up the pen, I’m going to sign your name, too. If you pick up the pen – I expect you to sign me in. Sure – if we’re talking badges and security – we each sign ourselves. But talking a casual kind of demo/meeting, where the point is simply to see who came in??? For heaven’s sake – you’re standing there – sign my name! No. I had TWO people look at me/ IM me and say “personal integrity”. You have got to be kidding me. I asked more people. Nope, they’d NEVER sign in someone else. So I guess that makes my manager and I and one co-worker and one SL friend the only people in the universe who would sign-in someone else so that they didn’t have to be bothered.
Tell me. Honestly. Would you sign me in?
Ahuva's Blog 
OMG Ahuva I would soooo sign you in!!!!!
I’ve always done this with co-workers. In fact one boss would have me sign in our entire group of over 125 thank you very much!
How hard is that for someone to understand?
sheesh 😉
Oh Ahuva, I sign you in all the time all over the place. You’ld be amazed at the places you have gone to 🙂
I have always signed in my husband – he never picks up the pen. I thought this was common for all couples.
Hugs – and I would gladly sign you in if we were together as well!
Unless there are security issues, of course I would sign you in. As a matter of fact, all that junk mail you get from those sex shops — well I signed you up 😉
In social settings, this is done all the time. Even in work groups, greeting cards (sympathy, birthday, etc) are signed “for the group” much of the time. Couples sign as a couple at weddings. Coaches sign in their teams at tournaments. There are many examples. In a highly secure area, of course you would never do this.
Communication. It is simple, and more complex than you would like. Writing specs for a project is a skill, and an art form 🙂
um it depends ……. do I have to spell your name right?
PS It doesn’t really matter whether they think it happens or not – the fact is the functionality is part of the job. sigh Everybody thinks they’re a designer. 🙂
@Honour – LOL. YES. You have to spell my name correctly.
@Oura and Jonah – could you two please COORDINATE your efforts to trash my name??? *grin* Although – I’ve met some really nice people who found my number written on the wall…..
*Bailey – *hugs* Thanks hon!! I was really glad to see you respond so quickly – I truly felt like I was alone in the universe.
So I wondered if maybe this was a technical-person division. Except Jonah is techie and he’d sign me in. I asked my husband, an engineer. He says they all sign each other in all the time. No big deal.
I’m not sure why my colleagues are so adamant on this. Maybe they are imagining something else entirely. (except I gave them many scenarios and they still said “no way”) Thanks to everyone for responding. If I jump off the bridge – it won’t be over this! *grin* *hugs* to you all
/me comes in late, hoping for leftover hugs. 🙂
I think mostly I do / expect mutual signing-in only with family. On the other hand I can’t remember going with a group to a place that expected anyone to sign in at all within memory. So maybe I just don’t get out much!
I hate the way techies try to help sometimes. I kick myself when I do it, often noticing much later that I took a “why do you want to do that” attitude instead of “here is what you need to do to get that done” one.
For signing in(RL), normally one person signs our party in unless they don’t know someones name..