The idea of "too many do's" is ridiculous. No one poster is entitled to the exclusive use of someone's weekend. There is NOT a need for a situation where social control freaks can take a red pen out and decide what events can and cannot take place. Different strokes for different folks. I prefer smaller events. Others prefer large events where they can convene several times throughout a weekend. Still others prefer to attend as many events as they can. What is the problem with "competing" events? Can't each person make his or her own decision on what they want to do with their leisure resources? If there is an event planned for Tunica on July 4 and some FlyerTalkers want to meet instead in Boston, should this second gathering be banned? Are FlyerTalkers a bunch of sheep who can't be trusted to choose between a calendar of fifteen events this summer?

If you don't like it, don't go! If for some reason the choice of restaurant, cost, location, list of attendees, etc. doesn't match your tastes, don't go! If you want to plan an event, by all means please do!

I'd argue that New York City and Long Beach are strong competitors for most frequent locale. As for it being time to pass on the torch, absolutely NOT. Seattle's events have been extremely successful and are still quite popular. Why stop when people seem to want more? Of course, if it's an issue of the organizers not wanting to do it anymore, than by all means pass on the torch.

It is impossible to do do in two places at the same time so, to answer your question, no.


btw, I think it's impossible to have too many gatherings... Rudi posted some wonderful numbers to indicate there are a lot of friends to be made out there in the Land of FlyerTalk.

I had penciled the Oregon Brewers Festival on my calendar a while ago. One, because I attended last year and two, because I saw some interest in going again on several threads on FT.

I've never met any of the crowd going to the YYZ gathering so I've not been paying a lot of attention to that one. What does that mean? Not a **** thing other than to support the fact that there are a lot of FT'ers out there and that I don't think there could possibly be a "Competing Do"... So. Relax, get upgraded, go to your Do of choice and do have a good time!

I think it IS appropriate to start a thread on the Oregon Brewers Festival so I'll buzz off and do that now...

And that is why I love having TransWorldOne around.

That is the most sane and reasonable post I've seen all day. As another of my FT friends just reminded me by e-mail... IJAFIBB !!!

And with that, I'm going to go put my "soapbox" away for awhile. I somehow misunderstood the original post as one asking for "opinions", not gospel. Since frankly, the only person who my opinion REALLY matters to is me, I'll just keep it to myself from now on.

Long Beach???? Really????

I guess my question is what is a DOOO????

Is a doo a dinner or drinks one evening and thats it.. or is a dooo a weekend of get togethers with one centralized dinner and the rest do's within a doo

I guess I never considered the LGB doo's much more than a dinner party or drinks for one evening or aft. More of a gathering for locals and a few FT'ers who happen to be passing through. A do has people come out of there way to stay there (plus the locals of course) for the main purpose of being at the do. Yes some also swing biz trips there as well but the weekend purpose is usually for FT do activities

The Toronto event came about when a number of my friends from Flyertalk felt that they wanted to visit me here and decided to extend an open invitation to any other Flyertalkers who wanted to come up here too. I invite anyone who has any questions about the circumstances of the event to email me privately.

[This message has been edited by B747-437B (edited 05-22-2002).]

TrojanHorse,

I am fairly certain the term "Do" was coined by Catman for his Catman Do events. For a precise definition as to what constitutes a "do," you may wish to seek him out and hear it straight from the "horse's mouth."

Edited because I edited my first post above and I have also chatted privately with B747437B about what I meant.



[This message has been edited by techgirl (edited 05-22-2002).]

I think it's probably either 3a, 3b or 6.

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

To DO or NOT to DO, that is a confusing question!

I agree there are too many DO-DOs lately and it's a bit labourious trying to keep up with what DO, when DO, where DO, who DO and how DO.

Speaking as one for the more the merrier, and one who loves to do as many DOs as possible, I hereby second and would appreciate an FT DOs-At-A-Glance calendar to help planning ahead.

BTW, as far as I could remember, there has never been an Atlanta DO?

I don't remember an Atlanta Do, but I remember reading with envy of the fun had at dinners in Atlanta - in which you were often a participant, I believe. So do we get to attend an Atlanta Do one of these days?

For the purpose of this exercise, I was considering a Doo to be a weekend long event, planned for the reason of getting a lot of people together (like SeaDoo)...as opposed to the "I'm flying into town lets do something" get togethers (like all of the mini-SeaDoo's we seem to have)

I think the events section is a great tool, and just needs to be made known. Perhaps if someone could be diligent in reminding event hosts to use it? (I'm headed there myself to post SEADoo IV in a minute)

As for competing do's..I think FT is big enough that we don't really need to worry much about it. People will go where they want. Even if it means "not posting" the do for fear of seeming to compete with the other do, and I'd hate to think that someone who could have gone to the secondary do wasnt able to find out about it.

While I'd much rather have BoSoxFan bring his box-o-steaks to Seattle that weekend, if he wants to have a barbeque with the understanding that the potential group of participants may be smaller because something else is going on he shouldnt have to alter his schedule. It's sad enough that he lives in a state with a crappy baseball team. He shouldnt have to lose to our Do as well


So basically, I just repeated TransworldOne, with a lot of extra words to muck things up.

One clarification (since a couple of people have asked me about my intent in being "judgmental" about what is right and wrong).

I essentially agree that we are going to have conflicting "do's" from time-to-time. Sometimes these happen because lots is going on in the world and two or more great things happen simultaneously. Sometimes they happen because someone doesn't KNOW that someone already has a "do" posted.

What I don't want to see happen - and again guys, this is only my opinion (and my 12th grade social studies teacher Mrs. Nelson always told me an opinion can't be WRONG if you truly believe it ) - is that if someone INTENTIONALLY plans to have a do solely for the purpose of competing with another do, then that is just not right (not as in right vs. wrong but as in that is LOW). I guess I'm in the minority... either that or it just makes me sad to have to choose between where I have to go.

What is the big deal about all of this? If someone wants to put together a gathering of FT'rs for a weekend in whatever city, then go for it. If someone wants to have a private gathering for a few of his/her friends in whatever city, then go for it. I have been to small public dinner parties, large events such as the PIP in Hawaii, small private dinner parties, and just getting together with friends to drink.

No one is going to tell me where I have to be on a certain weekend and who I have to have dinner with or drink with, I will make that decision. For example, there will be a gathering of FT'rs the last weekend in July in both PDX and YYZ. I personally am going to PDX because I went last year and want to attend again this year. There might only be 4 or 5 people but it is ok. If it wasn't for PDX, I might have decided to go to YYZ. My decision is not based on Sean or the distance, it is just that I enjoyed the Portland BeerFest and want to go back. I miss seeing SXJ. I happened to be in YYZ last week and invited Sean to dinner and to hang out but he was busy.

As for the Chicago events, even though I don't personally like the larger events, I am still going to Chicago to see Anna and her city. I might not go to every dinner with everyone but I will still be there and will have fun. I will also be going to Seattle as I haven't missed one yet and I have a lot of friends up there, both FT'rs and not.

To me, it doesn't matter if there is something going on every weekend or not. It is up to me to choose what I want to do with my time and money. I have made a lot of good friends on FT and love to get together with them during the year for dinner and drinks. I also have been to a few private parties and have also have not been invited to a few private parties. I still sleep at night.

I think that we need to just stop worrying about who we might offend or who we might run into at an event and just get on with our lives.

Ibid.

Life is too short not to meet other cool people.

Power to the people who want to plan big party-do's.

But the little ones, like the ones we find off of looking at others itineraries, or the medium-sized 'chopped liver' Seattle event, and the other ones that Rudy mentioned, sound like the spirit of the FT community.

To me, ANY chance to connect in person with others helps make a virtual community stronger.