The Personalization Poll--please vote

[Matt]

So here is the deal you guys.

SK flat signed the Omnibus a month or so ago when he was in Maine. Ms Mod wanted to make sure it got signed in case there was some reason he couldn't come back in June as scheduled.

The personalization is to happen this weekend when he comes back (for Memorial Day and the start of Summer I presume)

I am trying to decide if I should have him personalize it to our winner, the elusive Sarah B--or if I should ask that he wait until we are sure we can find her.

If I ask him to wait, there is a good chance it won't get personalized at all. :(

If he personalizes it and I can't find Sarah--have to redraw...well you can see the problem there.

So the vote is to help me decide.

[sarah]

how about you have him personalize it to thedarktower.org? then if it has to be redrawn then someone elses name won't be on it.

[Rjeso]

I say that if Sarah B. doesn't answer by the time SK comes back, either re-draw right then and there to have a new name for SK to personalize it to, or don't bother with the name at all.

[Matt]

how about you have him personalize it to thedarktower.org? then if it has to be redrawn then someone elses name won't be on it.

That's an interesting idea, thanks Sarah :huglove:


I say that if Sarah B. doesn't answer by the time SK comes back, either re-draw right then and there to have a new name for SK to personalize it to, or don't bother with the name at all.

Our giveaway guidelines say that you have a month to claim the prize and I can't arbitrarily change that :(

[Rjeso]

Ah, I didn't notice that. Sorry.

[Nerak]

I would go with "To the Grand prize winner! Thanks for helping tdt.com achieve it's goal!:

[Matt]

I like that--its a way to go for sure.

I do not want to impose on SK but we will know if we have found her by 6/17. Perhaps we could have him wait until then to sign it at all if he is spending the summer in Maine. I will ask about that but its nice to have other options.

[alinda]

If it were not signed due to SB's identity issue
what was the point of having it personalized at all?
Matt, I think Karens idea is a good one, that way
if we ever find out who SB is okay, if not ok.
Otherwise just have him make it out to "my #1fan"
I think its safe to say we all fit that bill! :lol:

[Daghain]

I like Karen's idea, although I originally voted to omit the personalization if we can't find her.

Of course, if he wants to make it out to Daghain........

[alinda]

Quote: omit the personalization if we can't find her.


I thought having it personalized was what made the omnibus special
otherwise isnt it just the same as the unsigned one?

[Rjeso]

Oh, it's already signed by SK, just not personalized, so it'd still be a cool prize to have.

[Woofer]

I like Karen's idea, although I originally voted to omit the personalization if we can't find her.

Of course, if he wants to make it out to Daghain........

Likewise.

[mia/susannah]

I like Karens idea as well. I also like Marelyns idea. I think I would go with one of them if you cannot not fine the winner and have to redraw.

[alinda]

I see, I must have missed something there. It's a sad fact sometimes I have to read something more than once to grasp all the details of it. Still.....
I wish I could say what I really think about not knowing who this SB is, or if and when she'll ever be found in time :pullhair: very frustrating I am sure!
It's just a shame is all. I hope you hear from her Matt...maybe.

[Patrick]

As you said, either she responds by 6/17 or she does not, so this is not an endless waiting game. I vote to wait on the personalization.

If something needs be done sooner due to SK's time constraints, then one of the earlier generalized personalizations would be great.

[turtlex]

Hey Matt -

Maybe have the Big Guy just sign it with something generic.... like "To The Haven Foundation Fundraiser Winner." Or maybe "My friend at TDT.com"

I honestly don't think it should be signed to Sarah B unless we're sure the woman will get it.

I hope I'm not being selfish, but I also think it's kinda rude to ask SK to wait on us. I mean, it's SK.

[Jimmy]

I am Sarah B!

Please have Mr. King personalize the book "To my constant reader Jimmy. I couldn't have done it without you. You are teh secks"

:thumbsup:

[alinda]

I agree with turtlex 100%

[The Lady of Shadows]

i think turtlex has a fine idea (and, no, it's not just cause we're fellow turtles on the beam ;) ) a "generic" inscription to his friend at thedarktower.org would be better just in case. you never know what ka will bring. . . .

[Jimmy]

It seems an awful shame that this person should donate money, win a prize and not be able to receive it. What's been done to locate her?

A huge "Attention : Sarah B!" link on the main page might bear fruit.

[turtlex]

Jimmy - She's going to get the prize, unless a month passes. This is about the personalization of the prize. Matt sent emails to the email address supplied and said something about a registered letter. Some responsibility does lie with her. She knew when the drawing was.

Personally, I hope she pops in here and accepts all the congratulations we have given her and get's a cool personalization. It's a cool thing she did. Unfortunately, SK has some time issues too, when he's making himself available to us. etc.

I think we have to be realistic, that's all.

Also, let's consider that she might not want it personalized to herself, but maybe it's a gift for someone?

[Jimmy]

Oh ok. Sorry. I misunderestimated my brainial deficiotomies.

Duh.

[turtlex]

Oh ok. Sorry. I misunderestimated my brainial deficiotomies.

Duh.

:rofl:

Thanks, I needed a LOL.

[Jimmy]

:rofl:

Thanks, I needed a LOL.

That's what I'm here for.... that and killing Movie Trivia threads.

[Nerak]

The only problem with making it out to SOMEONE at tdt.com...what happens if it's not someone who is a member, Like Sarah....

[Hannah]

I'm thinking if you can find out if he'll be available to still personalize it in june if she doesn't claim it then we wait, but if he won't be available have him sign it to the winner. :D

[John Blaze]

It seems an awful shame that this person should donate money, win a prize and not be able to receive it. What's been done to locate her?

A huge "Attention : Sarah B!" link on the main page might bear fruit.

Actually, one here and one at SKMB might do it.

Matt, have you tried asking Ms. Mod if she knows who it is? Maybe it's a regular at SKMB.

If not claimed and soon, I'd rather rush the wait and do a redraw, it's not really fair to Sarah, but it's not fair to SK to keep him waiting. Like Turtle said, it IS SK, and he's doing us a major SOLID.

[Daghain]

Good point!

[Erin]

I think Matt said somewhere in another thread that he did check with Ms. Mod and Sarah B is not a registered user at SKMB. I think she either found us as a random guest stopping by or from ebay during one of the fundraising auctions.

[Matt]

That is correct. Believe me you guys, this is too important for me to not have tried every way I can think of to get a hold of her.

[Brice]

I am thinking if Sarah B. doesn't step forward in the alloted time perhaps you could just ask that King personalize it to whoever wins at his own convenience...whenever that is.

[Jimmy]

I am thinking if Sarah B. doesn't step forward in the alloted time perhaps you could just ask that King personalize it to whoever wins at his own convenience...whenever that is.

Or perhaps it could be sold on an eBay auction to garner more money for the charity.

[Brice]

I am thinking if Sarah B. doesn't step forward in the alloted time perhaps you could just ask that King personalize it to whoever wins at his own convenience...whenever that is.

Or perhaps it could be sold on an eBay auction to garner more money for the charity.


Hmm...I don't think that would be right. Someone already won. If they don't claim it it should be redrawn.

[John Blaze]

Yeah, the average Joe or Jane cannot afford a personalized signature from SK, it wouldn't be right for all the people who donated hoping to be the lucky winner. It would also be a shame to not get it personalized at all, it's way too important for that.

[Matt]

Here in lies the problem :lol:

But I love the suggestions, keep them coming. I have until this weekend.

[Brice]

I say just redraw and wait till it's convenient for Mr. King to personalize it.

[alinda]

I'm all a muddle about this, no luck then on the elusive SB?
If it's KA, then I've changed my mind....KA sucks big time!
Now I do not wish to sound undiplomatic here, but I'm really
starting to hope there will be a redraw in the allotted time.
( Cry pardon to the missing lady ) Matt, may I respectfully
add that next time we mandate better contact info for non members?

[Matt]

That is in the action plan for sure. My only problem is that even established members of the site would be hard to contact if they didn't visit.

I have a full mailing address on pay pal but I am not sure if anything we do (beyond giving it to one of the 50 or so people that are here everyday) will mean that it's easier, just luck of the draw.

However, we are going to hold a full after action review and figure out how to best handle the questions that came up during this event.

[alinda]

Maybe include a statement to the entrants
to be sure to check back and see if they
have won.(simple answer I know but effective)
I really thought the other obvious problems
were just so funny as to consider them a
bonus tho' I am sure some of it was a major
headache for you guys out there, but technical
issues aside did you have so many other problems
that were not aware of? I hope not, cuz for us
this whole thing has been and continues to be
a blast from start to finish. Whatever you decide
boss, were behind you all the way.I'll shut up now.

[Matt]

You know I love your input Linda :wub:

There were some minor mis communication's that we wanted to fix.

I do like your idea though, I believe we may just have to simply but the amount of time you have to claim it down a bit.

However, this does add a bit of intrigue to the whole thing. :lol:

[alinda]

And isnt that why we read the books we all read ?
We all love the intrigue, and mystery after all!:lol:

[EXPLORER]

I would go with "To the Grand prize winner! Thanks for helping tdt.com achieve it's goal!:

I think this (Karen's suggestion) is the perfect answer if we need to supply something for Mr King to say in way of personalization if Sarah B is not located within the time constraints needed prior to signing.

I state if we need to supply wth the thought that if we simply discribe to Mr King the situation, he may have an idea of how he would personlaize..... I have found he tends to be a pretty creative writer!!

Having a set name such as Sarah B is not the only way to personalize.
I feel anyone woul be happy with any personal thought Sai King puts to it.

[Matt]

I really like the idea of allowing him to be creative with it. That works very well.

I have found out that we may have one last shot at him on June 30th, if that is the case then we may be okay.

That would encompass a re-draw of course.

I have sent Sarah another email, which I will do twice a week until the 17th of June. She will also be getting a registered letter that will go out on Monday. I believe this may actually get to her.

[alinda]

[QUOTE=EXPLORER;I state if we need to supply wth the thought that if we simply discribe to Mr King the situation, he may have an idea of how he would personlaize..... I have found he tends to be a pretty creative writer!!

That is a spectacular idea!:thumbsup:

[turtlex]

I really like the idea of allowing him to be creative with it. That works very well.

I have found out that we may have one last shot at him on June 30th, if that is the case then we may be okay.

That would encompass a re-draw of course.

I have sent Sarah another email, which I will do twice a week until the 17th of June. She will also be getting a registered letter that will go out on Monday. I believe this may actually get to her.


Here's hoping. You're doing great, Matt.

[Matt]

Thank you, that really means a lot to me. I hate a fly in the ointment.

I had a miscommunication actually--looks like we have until May 30th. If I have not heard from her by then we will be receiving the flat signed book and I will send it out to whoever wins.

[Mist_on_the_Water]

I really like Nerak's idea if she doesn't show in time...it's nice and generic but it's personalized SOMEHOW...it's better than nothing..although I'd kill for a signed book, personal or not! XD

[Nerak]

I, too, would rather have it mention the cause from which we all contributed to to be able to obtain such a treasure than just a flat signed book...But that's just my opinion

[Matt]

I will see if I can make that happen instead of anything else. I think we need to just try and make it as easy on SK as possible.

He is terribly busy.

So I will see if we can have a phrase written on there. But May 30th is the last day that anything can be done. I feel like I should just forget the "name personalization" (which is hard because I really worked for it) and ask her to just have him sign something about the fund raiser.

:panic:

Man, this is rough. I wish one of you had one it. :lol:

[Randall Flagg]

You have done "due diligence". If the winner does not respond or is unreachable (as is the case), have King inscribe the book:
"To the winner of thedarktower.org drawing-Ka like a wheel
SK"
Then do a redraw with the caveat that the next "winner" has 10 days to respond. No response, another drawing-etc.
Three drawings and no response-an auction with all proceeds towards The Haven Foundation.

[Matt]

Not bad Jerome...not bad :orely:

[sarah]

great idea, Randall Flagg!!

[NeedfulKings]

Matt, you went well above what's expected for the grand prize and to see the personalized inscription fall through does suck. But, in the event that she doesn't show, the generic inscription (or hell, just the signed book) is prize enough for anyone!!!

I do vote NOT to put her name on it until contact has been confirmed.

[Matt]

Thanks you guys, it means a lot to me that folks are okay with this. :grouphug:

I will keep at it and see what I can do.

[alinda]

You have done "due diligence". If the winner does not respond or is unreachable (as is the case), have King inscribe the book:
"To the winner of thedarktower.org drawing-Ka like a wheel
SK"
Then do a redraw with the caveat that the next "winner" has 10 days to respond. No response, another drawing-etc.
Three drawings and no response-an auction with all proceeds towards The Haven Foundation.


Its this manner of thinking that earns a man a title like Assistant Director of Projects:clap: This certainly sounds like the winning solution !

[Heather19]

I am thinking if Sarah B. doesn't step forward in the alloted time perhaps you could just ask that King personalize it to whoever wins at his own convenience...whenever that is.

I like this idea, however if you need to do something immediately, why don't you just leave it up to King to write what he wants in it. I'm sure he could write some generic little message that would apply to anyone if Sarah B doesn't claim it.

[Matt]

I asked about that but I think it may be a bit much for him--Ms. Mod said he is very busy.

Right now, I think we are going to have to hope for a generic personalization like..."Thank you for donating to Haven"

So this thread is now for suggestions on what that could say. I think he would rather just being told what we want.

I love the suggestions already for that so we may just go with one of those. I am going to make the final decision tomorrow so I can contact Ms. Mod with one thing.

[MonteGss]

"Thank you for your support of the Haven Foundation through thedarktower.org. I truly appreciate it!"

Something along those lines anyway. :)

[The Lady of Shadows]

"Thank you for your support of the Haven Foundation through thedarktower.org. I truly appreciate it!"

Something along those lines anyway. :)

damn, monte, that's pretty good. mentions tdt.com, mentions the haven foundation, concise.
nice job :clap:

[turtlex]

We have to remember, Sai King is doing this as a favor. We have to bend to him, to his availability.

I say just see what happens. Lets be respectful of SK. I'm sure that "busy" doesn't begin to describe his schedule and the folks that are probably pulling on him for all kinds of things.

I trust Matt will do what's right. That's what it comes down to.

[The Lady of Shadows]

i thought the whole question was to have the inscription include Sarah B's name or not. also, i thought that matt was putting the question to us, the community, so as not to leave it up to him alone. am i wrong (you know i so often am :doh: ).

[MonteGss]

bump

I asked about that but I think it may be a bit much for him--Ms. Mod said he is very busy.

Right now, I think we are going to have to hope for a generic personalization like..."Thank you for donating to Haven"

So this thread is now for suggestions on what that could say. I think he would rather just being told what we want.

I love the suggestions already for that so we may just go with one of those. I am going to make the final decision tomorrow so I can contact Ms. Mod with one thing.

[Míchéal]

Matt, you went well above what's expected for the grand prize and to see the personalized inscription fall through does suck. But, in the event that she doesn't show, the generic inscription (or hell, just the signed book) is prize enough for anyone!!!

I do vote NOT to put her name on it until contact has been confirmed.
This is my position also...

[Ricky]

Here's my suggestion:

"Thank you for your support for the Haven Foundation! If you'd like to chat, my email address and home phone number are below..."

[mia/susannah]

"Thank you for your support of the Haven Foundation through thedarktower.org. I truly appreciate it!"

Something along those lines anyway. :)

Monte, I personally think you hit the nail on the head. That is very good

[Daghain]

At a minimum, if he can sign it so that he mentions the site, I'd be cool with that. :)

Free advertising, and all.

[Calla_Wolf]

My vote is - Re-draw if the winner doesn't get in touch BEFORE the window of opportunity passes. We all trust you to draw it fairly so no need to video it or anything like that. In the end there has to be an element of personal responsibility on OUR part in all of this. I know it sounds harsh but if I'M in a draw to win something this cool, I make sure to check if I've won.

[Calla_Wolf]

P.S. Have you spoken to Marsha about our problem? What's her view?

[Matt]

I have-we've been doing a back and forth. She just basically said we have until the 30th to figure it out. :lol:

[Matt]

Big news coming on this front. I believe we have what we need so this thread is off to the clearing. :rock: