Sender: emarcus@CUTTER-JOHN.MIT.EDU
To: sipb-discussion@mit.edu
Subject: tours
From: Emily Marcus <emarcus@MIT.EDU>
Date: 29 Jul 2002 20:57:36 -0400
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[This first message is bcc'd to sipb-office; discussion should happen
on sipb-discussion]

Last year, there were a number of observations/complaints about
computer tours.  I'd like to see some discussion of this occur before
plans for this year start in earnest.

For those who don't know, the format of it last year was lobby 10 ->
W91 machine room tour -> N42 helpdesk.  At this point, the tour split
into three smaller groups.  Each of these groups went to the
Intelligent Room (AI lab) and the Wearables group (Media Lab).  Then
both tours went to 1-135 to hear stories (Jeff Schiller) and eat food.

Complaints/observations that i heard last year include...

- this is a lot of walking.  We lose the patience of a significant
  number of people along the way (as much as half).  This is sad.

- tours in their current format aren't very sipb-oriented; frosh don't
  get much of a sense of what sipb is and what we do. 

- few sipb-related folks (both members and prospectives) were willing
  to be tour guides (this was a big problem last year in particular).

- most people who were on the tour were mostly interested in the AI
  lab/Media lab end of things; they were less interested in the W91
  and N42 stops.  (this might just be a function of the advertising,
  however)

So, what should change?  What shouldn't?

-Emily

(jtu has agreed to be tours sucker this year; if you're interested in
being co-sucker with her, please let me know.  kenta is handling food.)