What did we learn at the Q&A?

[clack]

Well, I learned that a question should be able to be answered in a single sentence, which, in retrospect,is a quite reasonable limitation. My question would have required a more extensive reply.

Live and learn. I have no complaints.

[SinisterSmile]

I enjyoyed it. No way we'll get our fanboy minutiae answered. Some substantial questions remained unanswered but all is fine.

I only regret he did not answer the "favorite movie" question. Had the answer been "Norbit", that would have been the best answer ever!

Man, I was waiting for it, it would've been legendary!

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I totally agree with the sentiment that next time we should ONLY ask questions that won't get an answer. Or barring that, force him into answering a hardball question. After all, he's given so much to us for decades, it's only fair that we finally force him into accounting for the things that we obsess about rather than read the things that he wants to talk about. I mean, fair's fair, right? Also, I'd like to limit the questions to people who are the following heights:

5'10
5'8
6'1
5'4
6'3 1/2

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

I'm all ears. Let's compare notes, and I'll try to explain how and why some things were done when necessary. I was going to open up a separate thread for that, but here is as good as anywhere else.

I reiterate the suggestion that perhaps we board members vote for what questions we think are the "best." Everyone's question gets posted but those with the most votes are placed higher up in the board so they're the first one Brian sees. And yeah, no more submissions up to one hour or so before Brian arrives. Just my suggestion.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

Right you are! Next time he's around, we'll shove our entitled, intelligent questions down his throat until that man coughs up blood or answers! I'm not a picky man, I'll take whatever comes first. Who cares what Brian wants and that he likes smaller questions? It's about me, dammit!
BRIAN, BRIAN - PLEASE WRITE ME AN EMOTIONAL NOVELLA ABOUT EVENTS FROM YOUR PRIVATE LIFE 50 YEARS AGO.

Or, I guess, what you guys do best. Take everything I say and skewer it into the most over-the-top unreasonable interpretation possible and act like that's what I actually said. Wonderful.

[halblaineisgood]

Hah! Yup, exactly...

[Don Malcolm]

The format for the questions was just fine. A method to allow the consensus "best questions" out of the total number submitted is what's needed. But the problem with that is that most automated methods for that (thumbs up/thumbs down, like/dislike, etc.) are subject to manipulation.

If you could bypass that, however, you could achieve a consensus ranking of the questions that would select, say, fifty for Brian to choose from.

What we can't predict (despite Howie's apparent sudden ascension to "all-knowing" status) is whether a list of such questions, many of which might be seen as too tough (as opposed to "So Tough"...), would get answered at all.

It would actually be an interesting exercise in "group dynamics" to see which of the questions submitted for this Q&A session would be ranked as "the best" by the use of an automated "consensus" mechanism as described above.

This approach, if able to be implemented without potential pitfalls, would avoid the problems that Charles alluded to in his post. Clearly, however, there's no foolproof method.

And I admit that I took the wrong approach with my question...I should have asked Brian what the "Chicano Rumble" was...  

[SinisterSmile]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

I'm all ears. Let's compare notes, and I'll try to explain how and why some things were done when necessary. I was going to open up a separate thread for that, but here is as good as anywhere else.

I'm butting in, but my only suggestions are:

1. Cut off limit so threads aren't being made when Brian is replying
2. Maybe scramble the order of the threads so everyone has a chance

Also, I'm surprised the site didn't crash from heavy traffic

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

I'm all ears. Let's compare notes, and I'll try to explain how and why some things were done when necessary. I was going to open up a separate thread for that, but here is as good as anywhere else.

And I meant to thank the mods, too for the efforts that went into this.  I suspect it wasn't as simple as many here might think, and probably everyone is learning as they go as to what would be the best way to organize any future Q&A's.

I do shudder to think what will happen here if "best questions" are selected by anyone but Brian.  Do you really want to put the mods through the nightmarish accusations they'd undoubtedly endure from that process?

[ontor pertawst]

It went fine and was a good thirty minutes of fun on a Monday. No need for the mods to go through even more hoops and set up excruciating barriers for a Mike Love Q&A... unless questions get answered in order of baldness. I could see the merit in that system. A Jardine Q&A could give priority to those who get enough fiber in theirs diets. No need for reddit-style upvotes!

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Here's the thing -- I asked my question yesterday and got it answered. Brian wasn't only answering last minute "softball" questions as is being suggested here. I just can't believe he didn't answer the question asking if there a way to get out of the dungeon without using the wizard key.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

It went fine and was a good thirty minutes of fun on a Monday. No need for the mods to go through even more hoops and set up excruciating barriers for a Mike Love Q&A... unless questions get answered in order of baldness. I could see the merit in that system.

There's always room for improvement. If absolutely nothing else, I'd say just have all submissions ready to go BEFORE Brian gets here. Constructive criticism doesn't equal berating the mods or anything of the kind.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Hah! Yup, exactly...

Am I crazy...Or did you post another face over his before? What, did you edit it back...Or am I hallucinating?

[pixletwin]

It was fun. Brian-freaking-Wilson was a Smiley-Smiler for 30 minutes.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

It was fun. Brian-freaking-Wilson was a Smiley-Smiler for 30 minutes.

He still is. Just...Not logged in for now.

[guitarfool2002]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

I'm all ears. Let's compare notes, and I'll try to explain how and why some things were done when necessary. I was going to open up a separate thread for that, but here is as good as anywhere else.

I reiterate the suggestion that perhaps we board members vote for what questions we think are the "best." Everyone's question gets posted but those with the most votes are placed higher up in the board so they're the first one Brian sees. And yeah, no more submissions up to one hour or so before Brian arrives. Just my suggestion.

I'll address this: With the logistics and actual work involved in getting everything up and running, ready to go, something like this would not have been possible. If it would be possible at all. Set up a poll, post 150 or more questions, have board members vote...then open up a separate board? Have a moderator copy and paste each question - But we can't move individual posts into other topics, so if we quote then the actual person asking the question wouldn't have his/her name attached to the question. It just isn't as workable given everything else that had to (or has to) happen in order to make something like this happen.

Next: The question submissions.

This was a genuine first for the board. As much testing and checking and confirming as can be done, there is simply no way to predict how it will go under the combined weight of possibly 3 or 4 times the usual number of daily visitors and posts. Or how cramming how many hundred of those into a small time frame will affect the server.

My plan up to the actual event was, just for one example, to delete any posts that came in after the session started. This was something I specified ahead of time, as did SmileHolland in our instruction posts. No posts after the session starts.

The session started today, posts started to come in after everyone was told not to post. I was set to delete them as was the plan, which would be moving rather than deleting, but when I tried to do something totally unrelated I noticed the board was struggling. Several times on my end, I got the "server busy" screen, when I tried to do something minor it stalled and I got the "server busy" screen...this within the first minutes of the session starting.

Snap decision: Brian Wilson is online, the largest audience ever on the board at one time was online...Moving a topic post would have jeopardized the whole setup...that was my thinking. Again, snap decision...do I start making adjustments to remove late posters, or is it more important to keep the event going and hope the servers and the board itself holds up.

I chose to keep the board going. It was frustrating to see posters add their questions after being specifically instructed not to. And the instruction not to was given to *avoid* having Brian's answers and the questions from those who followed the instructions shuffled lower in the queue by the latecomers.

If posters had followed the rules, this wouldn't have been an issue at all. Something to consider.

As far as a cutoff time for submissions being earlier, that is something to look into. However in the format which was discussed and worked on and decided back and forth as the best way to go *given the limitations of the board design*, it would still be difficult to remove any topics from late posters for more reasons than i think anyone here really wants to know, but which were a factor today and in the planning leading up to this.

But the suggestion is something to consider, for sure.

And feel free, here, to voice similar concerns. I'd rather have the actual reality of what happened offered by those who were involved versus comments and complaints based on no knowledge of what actually happened. If I can answer anything, explain, respond, I'll do it and in return take any comments and suggestions, appreciating that they're offered to help improve anything in the future.

Again, all ears.  

[SamMcK]

It went as good as could be expected, there wasn't much else the moderators could do unless they could find a way to randomise the questioning as SinisterSmile said. I've got to applaud them, imagine how stressful it is to control all of that!

[Justin]

Thanks guitarfool for the post.  You totally made the right call by letting the server do its thing rather than move a bunch of posts around during probably the most critically important moment the board has ever had. 

I suppose the only other way to organize this to be "fair" to everyone is to have the questions come in live starting from the moment Brian comes online---like it was a Reddit AMA or something.  Not sure how the server would hold up with everyone clicking "submit" all at once but that might be the only workaround if people are concerned that older questions posted to the board were buried. 

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

I love Brian Wilson and appreciate the mods here as much as anyone. But that's not to say we couldn't make improvements for next time if there is one.

I'm all ears. Let's compare notes, and I'll try to explain how and why some things were done when necessary. I was going to open up a separate thread for that, but here is as good as anywhere else.

I reiterate the suggestion that perhaps we board members vote for what questions we think are the "best." Everyone's question gets posted but those with the most votes are placed higher up in the board so they're the first one Brian sees. And yeah, no more submissions up to one hour or so before Brian arrives. Just my suggestion.

I'll address this: With the logistics and actual work involved in getting everything up and running, ready to go, something like this would not have been possible. If it would be possible at all. Set up a poll, post 150 or more questions, have board members vote...then open up a separate board? Have a moderator copy and paste each question - But we can't move individual posts into other topics, so if we quote then the actual person asking the question wouldn't have his/her name attached to the question. It just isn't as workable given everything else that had to (or has to) happen in order to make something like this happen.

Next: The question submissions.

This was a genuine first for the board. As much testing and checking and confirming as can be done, there is simply no way to predict how it will go under the combined weight of possibly 3 or 4 times the usual number of daily visitors and posts. Or how cramming how many hundred of those into a small time frame will affect the server.

My plan up to the actual event was, just for one example, to delete any posts that came in after the session started. This was something I specified ahead of time, as did SmileHolland in our instruction posts. No posts after the session starts.

The session started today, posts started to come in after everyone was told not to post. I was set to delete them as was the plan, which would be moving rather than deleting, but when I tried to do something totally unrelated I noticed the board was struggling. Several times on my end, I got the "server busy" screen, when I tried to do something minor it stalled and I got the "server busy" screen...this within the first minutes of the session starting.

Snap decision: Brian Wilson is online, the largest audience ever on the board at one time was online...Moving a topic post would have jeopardized the whole setup...that was my thinking. Again, snap decision...do I start making adjustments to remove late posters, or is it more important to keep the event going and hope the servers and the board itself holds up.

I chose to keep the board going. It was frustrating to see posters add their questions after being specifically instructed not to. And the instruction not to was given to *avoid* having Brian's answers and the questions from those who followed the instructions shuffled lower in the queue by the latecomers.

If posters had followed the rules, this wouldn't have been an issue at all. Something to consider.

As far as a cutoff time for submissions being earlier, that is something to look into. However in the format which was discussed and worked on and decided back and forth as the best way to go *given the limitations of the board design*, it would still be difficult to remove any topics from late posters for more reasons than i think anyone here really wants to know, but which were a factor today and in the planning leading up to this.

But the suggestion is something to consider, for sure.

And feel free, here, to voice similar concerns. I'd rather have the actual reality of what happened offered by those who were involved versus comments and complaints based on no knowledge of what actually happened. If I can answer anything, explain, respond, I'll do it and in return take any comments and suggestions, appreciating that they're offered to help improve anything in the future.

Again, all ears.  

I appreciate you taking the time to explain your reasoning and position you were in. Thank you for that. I guess it isn't as simple as only allowing one poster to post in a certain board for a limited time? Hmm...

Well, for the votes...perhaps users could comment "+1" or something ? And then it's just a matter of having the threads with the most replies be given priority? I'm not sure if such a thing is as easy as I'm making it sound? Probably not, I guess.

Well...it was just an idea. Maybe someone else has a better one.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Thanks guitarfool for the post.  You totally made the right call by letting the server do its thing rather than move a bunch of posts around during probably the most critically important moment the board has ever had. 

I suppose the only other way to organize this to be "fair" to everyone is to have the questions come in live starting from the moment Brian comes online---like it was a Reddit AMA or something.  Not sure how the server would hold up with everyone clicking "submit" all at once but that might be the only workaround if people are concerned that older questions posted to the board were buried. 

Funny you mention Reddit. Honestly, I always wondered why Brian didn't do that instead of the Facebook Q&A for example.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

But, really, older questions weren't buried.

[guitarfool2002]

There are some who came out of the woodwork to ask questions. Poster's names I haven't seen in ages or not at all. Some with alias's with new names and 500+ posts. Some with just a few posts under their belt. I wonder how many registered just to ask questions.

I'd like to address this. The decision was made to put a temporary hold on new board memberships in advance of today, enough of an advance to be viable. That decision was in place leading up to this event. The reason why was simple: This event was for the fans on Smiley Smile. Registered members of the board would be the only ones who would participate and be able to ask a question. Anyone visiting from anywhere could browse and read, but only actual members could join in if they chose to.

There are many, many registered members here who simply do not post that often. They read, they keep up with what's going on, but choose not to post for their own reasons. Does this mean they should have been filtered out somehow, and if so how could that have been done to justify excluding a board member who has been here for several years but doesn't post as regularly as others? There is no way to enforce that.

Had new registrations been allowed up to today, it could have presented issues and problems well beyond the unfairness of thinking long-time members were shut out or somehow denied equal access to the question process by all the new memberships coming on to ask a question.

So I can confirm 100% that no newly registered members had signed up and came on the board solely to ask a question having not been involved or registered on the board previous to all of this. If some of them don't post as much as others, that's their choice, as was having access to ask Brian a question as a board member.

[SinisterSmile]

Thanks guitarfool for the post.  You totally made the right call by letting the server do its thing rather than move a bunch of posts around during probably the most critically important moment the board has ever had. 

I suppose the only other way to organize this to be "fair" to everyone is to have the questions come in live starting from the moment Brian comes online---like it was a Reddit AMA or something.  Not sure how the server would hold up with everyone clicking "submit" all at once but that might be the only workaround if people are concerned that older questions posted to the board were buried. 

Funny you mention Reddit. Honestly, I always wondered why Brian didn't do that instead of the Facebook Q&A for example.

Because it's full of Reddit users! 

[Justin]

Well, for the votes...perhaps users could comment "+1" or something ? And then it's just a matter of having the threads with the most replies be given priority? I'm not sure if such a thing is as easy as I'm making it sound? Probably not, I guess.

That could technically work but you're betting that all of us would have had the restraint to not post a comment/joke/question in those threads.  It'd be very optimistic to think we'd be able to just vote and keep it simple like that.  Those threads would have been polluted with other comments/sidebar convos that would have no doubt cluttered up the designated area. I think the main goal moderators wanted to keep was that they wanted to make the experience for Brian (and his team) completely stress free and easy---without having to scroll through posts after posts of irrelevant conversation and just focus on the questions.  Why create a separate section all together if it would end up just like the main General On Topic Discussion section?

If people want the questions to be quality controlled,  the only solution would have been to create a 2 or 3 person committee to choose the best questions out of the bunch.  Doing that would have been a litttle bit more work and also radically changed the casual vibe of the event---and I'm not sure Brian and team would have wanted that.  Their goal was to interact with fans for an hour---nothing really more than that.

[guitarfool2002]

But, really, older questions weren't buried.

As much as could be done to prevent burying questions was done. I'd like to add to this that a modification was made to the board's design specifically for this Q&A. Normally the number of questions posted there would have spread out over four or more pages. The modification was done to allow all of the posts to Brian to appear on a single page, so no page turning and going back and forth to see the questions would be necessary during the time we had for the actual live event. All of the questions appeared on the same page.

The setup was done using what was available in the board's design, in other words what was there to work with. It was important that the questions which were already answered would appear at the top of the queue, to make it as easy as possible to find Brian's replies, and to know which questions had already been answered. This was the best option given what was available and what had to happen to make it work as a live event. All the readers needed to do was refresh their page with the F5 key to see the latest reply posted.

There were times when some new questions got in the way, and created some confusion over which was a reply or not.

Consider that this could have been prevented if the guidelines had been read and followed prior to the event.