So here's what happened...

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Faceman
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So here's what happened...

Post by Faceman »

I wanted to give all of you a status update regarding what happened with our website this afternoon. Please keep in mind, this is strictly from a technical standpoint.

We had issues with the website being over-burdened years ago when we were on a shared hosting service. Back around 2012 or so we moved to our own servers and things worked much better. Last year we encountered overload issues and couldn't resolve them all during the signups.

After last year's issues, we upgraded the capacity of our servers to handle increased loads. Upped the RAM, CPU and Bandwidth. The unfortunate thing is it's hard to test it under load conditions as nothing replicates the Artists' Alley demand on our systems. Even with the improvements, we were still getting maxed out.

Part of the reason we don't set a specific time for the Application to go live is to give us some wiggle room in case an issue like this happens. However, with the server under such load, even we couldn't access it to make necessary changes in a timely manner. So we have had to postpone it to after 6pm Eastern to give us more time with the server under less stress.

One of the root causes we found today were people opening multiple sessions to the form page, in an attempt to load it as soon as possible. Some people had 2 or 3 sessions connecting. But other had 10-30 sessions connecting. The server (any server) can only handle so many at once. That many per person was blocking other people from accessing the site.

Right now I'm working on a fix to limit the number of times the server will load the application page to 2 per IP Address. This will prevent a handful of people from using the majority of the connections to the server. I still have some further testing to do before 6pm to verify it will work properly.

We completely understand your frustrations with the technical limitations of the signup process. We are doing our best given the situation to make things function better.

As for the overall signup process the Artists' Alley will use in the future, I cannot speak on that personally as it's out of my purview. But our Artists' Alley and Exhibits teams will review all of the feedback submitted.

Update: After consulting the Anime Boston team and reviewing feedback, we are going to modify the application process slightly.

Once we go live the application page will redirect you to a Google Form to submit your information. This will reduce the load on our servers and database and send it to a system that can support the demand. We will not be limiting simultaneous connections from the same IP Address.

You will still enter the same basic information you would on our own forms, and receive an email confirmation. Later we will import the data into our system to continue the Registration process as we have done in the past.

We are doing this because it is our best option to have the Applications still happen today. At this point we can't guarantee that our server and database would be able to handle the full load if everything was done internally.

We will be enabling the redirect to the form shortly after 6pm EST.

We at Anime Boston want to thank you for your patience and understanding. We thought we had resolved the issue from last year, but it would seem the demand for Artists' Alley spaces has increased beyond what we considered. We appreciate your honest feedback and constructive criticism.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by yuari »

While I completely understand the technical problems you've been experiencing, what I do not understand is why you are so stubborn about using the Anime Boston website for applications in the first place. Is there a reason why you do not use 3rd party websites? We also need feedback from you to give any further suggestions and feedback.

Also, some people are using public internet at a convention today... Something to consider if you want to limit page per IP
Last edited by yuari on Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by enchilada »

Thanks for the detailed info.

But why, instead of trying to up this website's capacity, can you not just use a third party application system? At this point, I'm sure many people would be happy to delay the signups to a different day so you could set it up, if necessary. It would solve so many problems. Please.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Kino »

It's frustrating that some applicants abuse the system. Refreshing 20-30 separate instances is excessive.
I do understand why the AA is setup this way though. It's just that the FCFS model makes it very easy for people like this to take advantage and it prevents honest people from signing up.

Thanks for trying to limit the amount of refreshing. I still feel that taking extra time and rescheduling to a different day would be better for everyone involved. I'm worried that it still won't be resolved by 6 and having extra buffer would be beneficial to everyone.

And thank you for the update.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by egyptianruin »

There are a ton of people at Nekocon trying to apply. A lot of them are using convention center internet. This seems like a horrible fix to an already bad situation. Move to lottery and save you and all of the frustrated artists time.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by shad »

Hey uh in limiting IP what's that going to do to ppl using public WiFi?
I'm at a convention right now along with many other artists trying to sign up at the same time :')
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by horticulturalcephalopod »

While it's nice to have a technical viewpoint on what happened - it seems more clear now than ever than the site itself cannot handle the kind of traffic that AA sign-ups bring.

Re: people having multiple tabs open, unfortunately that's the nature of FCFS - people are anxious about being able to load the page the fastest so they're going to do whatever is within their means to facilitate that.

It sounds like it would be a load off the staff's shoulders as well as the artists to either switch to FCFS offsite (Eventbrite) or to run a lottery via Google Forms/Jot Forms. The higher-ups should take this into account when they plan for the future because all this has done is make Anime Boston look incredibly unprofessional. Thank you for providing us with updates! I know it was something outside of your personal control. Hopefully, the admins (who actually have the power to enact change) will do what's best for both staff and artists.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by VikingSheep »

Also chiming in wondering why there's such an insistence on using Anime Boston's site and not a third-party one. With a site like Eventbrite, you can even pass the cost of using the site on to the artist directly. I would gladly pay the extra $10 to avoid this whole nightmare.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by horticulturalcephalopod »

Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:09 pm It's frustrating that some applicants abuse the system. Refreshing 20-30 separate instances is excessive.
I do understand why the AA is setup this way though. It's just that the FCFS model makes it very easy for people like this to take advantage and it prevents honest people from signing up.
"Honest" people? What does this mean? Since when is opening multiple tabs a dishonest way to sign up for a convention?

Not to mention that there are people who are at other cons using convention center wifi or on at school on campus wifi that could all potentially be showing up as the same IP address. Please do not refer to your fellow artists this way.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by dreadwyrm »

edit/double-posted
Last edited by dreadwyrm on Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by cambrasine »

Uh about the IP address thing..I go to an art college in Cambridge.. people on their school's wifi are gonna get screwed..
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by chibitakeshi »

Technical issues aside, it's pretty uncool to blame the issue on artists desperately trying to reach your site by any means possible. You've set up this panicked hostile environment for several years. It is not unreasonable for artists to try to learn what needs to do be done to even have a -shot- at filling out an application. We are trying to work with your broken system and are not the reason your system is broken.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by horticulturalcephalopod »

cambrasine wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:16 pm Uh about the IP address thing..I go to an art college in Cambridge.. people on their school's wifi are gonna get screwed..
Yeah, this is also a concern of mine. The current proposed solution doesn't take into account students on campus, artists using shared wifi at a convention, or artists rooming with other artists and sharing a network. I understand why they're trying to limit connections from the same IP address but it puts artists in any sort of a communal living situation/away at cons at a severe disadvantage.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by dreadwyrm »

"Wiggle room" seems like a pretty dodgy way of saying "we might make you wait anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours".

Maybe consider that your methods have been outdated for years. The reason people open multiple tabs is because your site breaks continuously every single year because no one knows when it will go up, and we need to constantly be checking and hoping one of the tabs might actually load the page.

You can admit for once that the way this was handled was a mistake, rather than blaming the desperate artists who have to work around your RIDICULOUS sign-up process every god damn time.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by egyptianruin »

I am tring to clarify to artists around me. Is it two times in total you can refresh before you are locked out? You are creating mass panic at Nekocon. I am not trying but being empathetic the vibe of this con has totally changed. I really feel for everyone. I wish you all the best.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by egyptianruin »

chibitakeshi wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:18 pm Technical issues aside, it's pretty uncool to blame the issue on artists desperately trying to reach your site by any means possible. You've set up this panicked hostile environment for several years. It is not unreasonable for artists to try to learn what needs to do be done to even have a -shot- at filling out an application. We are trying to work with your broken system and are not the reason your system is broken.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by ktko »

Please consider changing the application procedure. If you wish to continue using the Anime Boston site, a juried or lottery system would work better and save everyone a headache, considering the amount of artists that are trying to apply. If you wish to continue doing FCFS, then please host the application process through a site that can handle it, such as Eventbrite.

Even though you are trying to make fixes for today at 6pm, reality is that the site will continue crashing. You have too much volume and not enough capacity to handle it. Blaming it on IP input is also not the right answer, because as others have noted before me, they are in shared spaces. Many artists took 3 hours of their time - their business time, at a convention, to try to apply. By limiting the IP, you're just going to prevent all those people sharing a network from trying to apply. Is this really a fair system?

I understand your frustration, but after going through this for several years, it simply doesn't make sense to continue using this system. Please reevaluate the way artist registrations are being handled.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Kino »

horticulturalcephalopod wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:13 pm
Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:09 pm It's frustrating that some applicants abuse the system. Refreshing 20-30 separate instances is excessive.
I do understand why the AA is setup this way though. It's just that the FCFS model makes it very easy for people like this to take advantage and it prevents honest people from signing up.
"Honest" people? What does this mean? Since when is opening multiple tabs a dishonest way to sign up for a convention?

Not to mention that there are people who are at other cons using convention center wifi or on at school on campus wifi that could all potentially be showing up as the same IP address. Please do not refer to your fellow artists this way.
Directed at people with 20 - 30 tabs open, intentionally taking up bandwidth to get ahead.
People are free to do as they choose, it's not like there are any rules, but when it takes the whole website down I'm allowed to be frustrated.

I did not consider the public wifi but there must be a way to use eventbrite or a different host to minimize the mentioned effect from happening.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by SailorAstera »

Please don't keep trying to force this to work. Last year was really bad and this year was atrocious. There must be another solution besides running harder at the same problem with the same old attempts at fixing it. It makes artists feel like AB doesn't care. We know AB is a high sales show, that's why we all want to be there, but moral matters and this really hurts people.

Delay the opening to another day please so people can get on with their weekend and please try to look into the suggestions people have offered.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by horticulturalcephalopod »

Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:27 pm Directed at people with 20 - 30 tabs open, intentionally taking up bandwidth to get ahead.
People are free to do as they choose, it's not like there are any rules, but when it takes the whole website down I'm allowed to be frustrated.

I did not consider the public wifi but there must be a way to use eventbrite or a different host to minimize the mentioned effect from happening.
I guess we disagree that people are intentionally doing this to take up bandwidth to ruin it for everyone else. Most people who have multiple tabs open are likely doing so out of desperation - they're not specifically doing this to spite you. We also don't know if the 20-30 tab instances were from multiple artists using the same wi-fi (conventions, campuses, shared living situations). It seems unfair to me to throw other artists under the bus when it's the system that is broken. It's alright to be frustrated - we all are - but do consider that other artists are just as frustrated too.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by tothesunnyside »

Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:27 pm
horticulturalcephalopod wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:13 pm
Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:09 pm It's frustrating that some applicants abuse the system. Refreshing 20-30 separate instances is excessive.
I do understand why the AA is setup this way though. It's just that the FCFS model makes it very easy for people like this to take advantage and it prevents honest people from signing up.
"Honest" people? What does this mean? Since when is opening multiple tabs a dishonest way to sign up for a convention?

Not to mention that there are people who are at other cons using convention center wifi or on at school on campus wifi that could all potentially be showing up as the same IP address. Please do not refer to your fellow artists this way.
Directed at people with 20 - 30 tabs open, intentionally taking up bandwidth to get ahead.
People are free to do as they choose, it's not like there are any rules, but when it takes the whole website down I'm allowed to be frustrated.

I did not consider the public wifi but there must be a way to use eventbrite or a different host to minimize the mentioned effect from happening.
NOBODY has 20-30 tabs open, our eyes can't handle that much information. It's when several people are using the same wifi to register to anime Boston. For example I'm at youmacon right now and this greatly effects me. Youma graciously gave us free WiFi that we're using in order to register. The multiple people on one ip is not, I repeat, NOT one person, but multiple artists on one wifi.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by WhatAreYouPeopleEvenDoing »

So outside looking in here, and this just looks awful. I was thinking about attending this year, and having seen all of this incompetence hasn't got me feeling like the con is professional or well put together. I'm just saying if I'm thinking this way, I can't be the only one
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by soymilk123 »

I think for a convention of anime boston's size, if we continue to do fcfs, we definitely need to switch to using a third party system to make this signup process less frustrating. Refreshing the application page every minute for 5 hours is not how I imagine most of us wanted to spend our saturday afternoons. Instead of blaming the artists, It's better to address source of the reason why artists are loading multiple tabs - it's because they genuinely want to get into the AB convention but the page won't load. AB can either switch to full lottery or fcfs hosted on third party apps + announce the time that signups will open.

Also, there are a lot of artists at youmacon right now who are using the free center wifi to do this AB signup process, so I don't think blocking it based on IP access point is fair to those of us. Please take this into consideration, and change this process for next year.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Whin »

horticulturalcephalopod wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:32 pm
Kino wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:27 pm Directed at people with 20 - 30 tabs open, intentionally taking up bandwidth to get ahead.
People are free to do as they choose, it's not like there are any rules, but when it takes the whole website down I'm allowed to be frustrated.

I did not consider the public wifi but there must be a way to use eventbrite or a different host to minimize the mentioned effect from happening.
I guess we disagree that people are intentionally doing this to take up bandwidth to ruin it for everyone else. Most people who have multiple tabs open are likely doing so out of desperation - they're not specifically doing this to spite you. We also don't know if the 20-30 tab instances were from multiple artists using the same wi-fi (conventions, campuses, shared living situations). It seems unfair to me to throw other artists under the bus when it's the system that is broken. It's alright to be frustrated - we all are - but do consider that other artists are just as frustrated too.
Between Youmacon, Nekocon, probably some other smaller cons and local/art schools, I think it's way more likely most of this was people on a shared network. I don't see what opening that many tabs would do unless you were just trying to sabotage the application without interest in getting in yourself. Now it sounds like all of us are going to get shut out of a fair chance, when it's already extremely stressful to try and deal with this process and run an AA table at the same time.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Kino »

Ok, I understand.

I still feel that my intent in posting was just that - FCFS leads to frantic refreshing so I agree with both of you.

I can see that this is an unnecessary witch hunt on my part, so I'm sorry.
I agree that the nature of the applications itself leads to this behavior and it's the core reason why things should change.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by logolepticlibra »

You guys do know that every device connected to a network gets it's own individual IP address, right? It's not like one big shared IP address per wifi router.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Omi »

Thank you for the information and the continued work to rectify things today.

Please, please, please consider changing this system to a third party site, lotto or juried in the future with a designated time.

I think its pretty universal that things hiccup with signups pretty much every year at every convention ever but I believe people are a lot more forgiving and lenient over a 15-45 minute wait (to straighten issues up) rather that the monster 3 hour stress fest today has been (and it may not be over yet, too, for staff and artists alike).

Please understand that on the artist side this process is _incredibly_ uncomfortable mentally and physically-- no bathroom breaks or activities that could take your focus away longer than a dozen seconds. Just you, your chair, your browser/phone/tablet, and the f5 button every few seconds/minutes for 3 hours straight. Artists who have done their fair share of FCFS before are more paranoid about this process for a convention this size. AX, San Japan, etc. all sell out in under a minute... sometimes even just seconds. To continue with FCFS with an undisclosed time is borderline abusive.

With that said, its understood that staffing side isn't a picnic, either, and I'm sure that there's lots of hair tearing and screaming at the walls on your side, too. The time, effort, and continued work the staff is doing is absolutely appreciated. Thank you.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Faceman »

I understand the issue about shared wireless connections. I won't put in the 2 connections per IP limit then. I'll look into something else right now.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by shad »

Hey the multiple tabs on so how IP addresses are people using public WiFi probably??? There are SEVERAL artists trying to attend AB that are currently at Youmacon or nekocon

There are also people at schools or libraries on shared WiFi?

All this does is completely shoot all of those artists chances and is completely ridiculous :/
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by myken »

Echoing all sentiments here -- this is completely unacceptable and unprofessional. While I understand that you (Faceman) had no say in designing the signup process, and are somewhat tasked with salvaging other people's poor decisions, I question why anyone ever thought that upgrading the servers and allowing the "wiggle room" of an unannounced time, for the millionth time, was a more viable solution than going to a third party. By your own account, you couldn't even access your own server -- and yet the impression is that AB is being blindsided by this. It's as though no one has been paying attention. I don't want to cast blame on the one person who steps forward to help. It's just very frustrating.

Are you familiar with A-Kon's practice of inviting its artists to participate in a scheduled "test" for signups, before the real thing goes live? I'd ask you to consider it in the future, but I hope you will not use your own servers again.

And as others have said in regards to the stopgap measures -- the responsible thing would be to postpone signups until these issues are resolved, not until you've applied a band-aid.

It is surely not all your fault, but this ordeal was poorly conceived from top to bottom.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by shad »

logolepticlibra wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:42 pm You guys do know that every device connected to a network gets it's own individual IP address, right? It's not like one big shared IP address per wifi router.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by sweet4emii »

As a person to has a technical background and worked in a technical field as a programmer releasing product to a high volume of users, it can be understood why this happened. However, what I don't personally understand is the lack of communication during the process or the reason this problem has occurred again and again or several years.

I hope higher value is placed on delivering a "working" method over a "highly favored" method. People rather have something working then have something they want. If this means moving to a third party that cost more or this means moving to a lottery system that may not please the 'majority', that is a better and more professional scenario then allowing something that is not working to be released year after year.

To also give a "unspecific time" to allow "wiggle room" means the team Clearly already expects Big problems with the solution that is used. This should already, internally, raise red flags and should not have been allowed to proceed forwards.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Chenkari »

I don't care if the registration is first come first serve or lotto, I know that juried is probably out due to the large amounts of people that apply. just get a website that functions properly, a set time frame, and make sure everything works.

A lot of people are asking for a reschedule for the registration too, which is fair cause a lot of people put aside time for this for earlier but not later.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by yuari »

Ah and also..Will you post on the website that reg has been pushed back to after 6pm? Not everyone uses Twitter...
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Dami (studioadhd) »

I vote for using a 3rd party system/site like PAX East does, that way there can be a designated time, and we all wait in virtual line and sign up, the line gets cut off when it is full that way no one is refreshing a broken page and that would ease the whole waiting to see if we got in. It is so frustrating because all of us that apply are adults, I have a 2-year-old son and I planned everything out to be here today to do this.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Daggerhime »

As a crafter who has been unable to get into the artist's alley for the past few years, I would appreciate a lottery/semi-juried system instead. Every year I see the AA filled with a ton of print artists and not as much crafts. Even an attendee, I usually cannot find what I am looking for, and end up spending less. Anime Boston's attendance numbers have been increasing to almost the level of Otakon (I believe), so there's little reason to stick with the old ways.

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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Deckitout »

I cannot express enough how much every artists is begging you to not open at “about 6pm”.

I’m currently tabling at youmacon like many of your other applicants! Between dedicating three hours to your con earlier and taking the little time I have to steal away to sign up here please listen to what we are saying and do not open at 6pm.

My recommendations is to switch to eventbrite because even with what you are planning I gaurentee your servers will go down again.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Deanon »

WhatAreYouPeopleEvenDoing wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:38 pm So outside looking in here, and this just looks awful. I was thinking about attending this year, and having seen all of this incompetence hasn't got me feeling like the con is professional or well put together. I'm just saying if I'm thinking this way, I can't be the only one
Agreed. I'm not an artist, but looking at Twitter and around the artist alley right now, this is actually painful to watch. My opinion of AB at the moment is.... pretty awful.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by cheesebites »

Yes it'd be really nice to get an update as to whether or not you guys intend on trying sign ups again in the next 30 mins or not.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by egyptianruin »

cheesebites wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:22 pm Yes it'd be really nice to get an update as to whether or not you guys intend on trying sign ups again in the next 30 mins or not.
I think it wpuld be super nice to give us a time. A real one. So I don't waste my 2 refreshes.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Maridraws »

Hi thank you for the hard work. I understand there are many difficulties in running a con as popular as anime Boston. I really recommend moving the sign ups to a third party system like Google forms(free) or event brite(paid.) it would be the most fair solution because then everyone gets an equal chance at loading the form quickly instead of leaving it up to luck due to the server load. It will take time to set up but I am sure all the artists would be ok with the signup being pushed back if the process is smoother.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by soltian »

Thank you for all your hard work, I know this situation is extremely stressful and difficult to handle. Even though lotteries are generally not popular, I think at this point considering the technology errors, a set window (12-24 hours) where artists could submit their information for a true lottery would be the only fair way for Anime Boston to pick applicants. If possible, maybe people could go through a vetting process (to make sure they have an active portfolio and the correct tax information) before being emailed the lottery link (on a third party site) at the correct time. Thanks again for your help and for listening.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by centimetre »

So, as someone who had 4 tabs open (and went to Starbucks just to sign up as my wifi at home is unreliable), here is why:

Last year, I had two tabs open. One loaded. I immediately filled it out, hit send. Waited. Minutes passed. Form timed out. By the time I realized the form would not be submitted and thought to try refilling out the form on a different tab that had loaded, 3 minutes had passed, my timestamp ended up being something like :12 (even though the form opened for me around :08) so I didn’t get in. People are opening more tabs to avoid this exact situation.

If AB is goIng to insist on a FCFS sign up, at the very least please have a specific time and a Google forms link for submission.
Last edited by centimetre on Sat Nov 04, 2017 6:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Faceman »

Update: After consulting the Anime Boston team and reviewing feedback, we are going to modify the application process slightly.

Once we go live the application page will redirect you to a Google Form to submit your information. This will reduce the load on our servers and database and send it to a system that can support the demand. We will not be limiting simultaneous connections from the same IP Address.

You will still enter the same basic information you would on our own forms, and receive an email confirmation. Later we will import the data into our system to continue the Registration process as we have done in the past.

We are doing this because it is our best option to have the Applications still happen today. At this point we can't guarantee that our server and database would be able to handle the full load if everything was done internally.

We will be enabling the redirect to the form shortly after 6pm EST.

We at Anime Boston want to thank you for your patience and understanding. We thought we had resolved the issue from last year, but it would seem the demand for Artists' Alley spaces has increased beyond what we considered. We appreciate your honest feedback and constructive criticism.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Maridraws »

If you can I recommend tweeting the google form link too because Twitter should be able to handle the refresh. You may run into the same problem again with people refreshing the application page. Thank you for considering our feedback.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Nemra »

Maridraws wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:47 pm If you can I recommend tweeting the google form link too because Twitter should be able to handle the refresh. You may run into the same problem again with people refreshing the application page. Thank you for considering our feedback.
I'll tweet it out personally
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by centimetre »

Maridraws wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:47 pm If you can I recommend tweeting the google form link too because Twitter should be able to handle the refresh. You may run into the same problem again with people refreshing the application page. Thank you for considering our feedback.
This, please. Please consider releasing the link at something more like 6:15 as many of us are scrambling as news of this post is still making its way around.
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by shad »

I get a Missing Page when u go to where the application used to be hosted. will that be where the new application will go live?
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by centimetre »

Nemra wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:52 pm
Maridraws wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:47 pm If you can I recommend tweeting the google form link too because Twitter should be able to handle the refresh. You may run into the same problem again with people refreshing the application page. Thank you for considering our feedback.
I'll tweet it out personally
From which twitter account?
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Re: So here's what happened...

Post by Silvered Fox »

I have to say - keep the form within the website: Do you know how much more complaints would come from people not realizing they might have to go offsite to twitter to get the link? Because everyone expects that the official website is where they should go?

what if people don't get in because they didn't stalk twitter instead?

Just simply knowing what is going on, and keeping information on your main site is best all around I think. Not everyone even realizes all the updates are via twitter and these forums only right now. Unless they've gone hunting there is no information on the application page itself to offer an update.

I've been part of other conventions that have had technical issues so I just expect to have to scramble around to different parties to get an idea of what's happening but I would suggest keep the information where people will expect to need it. On the artist alley page itself. So nothing gets lost and a typo or looking at the wrong direction doesn't cost someone their signup chance.

Just make sure people know WHERE to go. That's all most of us are asking
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