8 FEBRUARY 2014
So we've had our first lottery. How is everyone feeling? Pissed, victorious, cynical?
It was slow torture for many of us. We logged early into the waiting room (because that's what we do) and then spun ourselves out with anxiety waiting for the sale to go live; then it did and there was nothing to do but wait again while the yellow box patronizingly announced that other people were buying our badges and that maddening blue circle spun and spun.
My laptop that logged in early got up to bat right away and got Preview Night badges. My other laptop, under a friend's member ID, logged into the waiting room at 8:50 am and got in to buy badges at 9:58, which we thought was awful, but all four days were available. It was all just very slow. As far as I can tell, it was all fairly random and there was no connection between when you entered the waiting room and where you wound up in line. A friend who entered at 8:58 bought his badge at 9:20.
While it wasn't as glitchy as past years, people did run into trouble. Getting into the sale screen and having the session close prematurely; getting messages that their Member ID had already bought a badge; having the blue circle freeze; other random issues. If this happened to you, document everything and email CCI now. Last year they held a private sale for people who froze in the waiting room and sent the screen shots to prove it. There's no guarantee they'll make that kind of redress this year but it can't hurt to make yourself known.
No doubt everyone has an opinion on the new system. It's easy for me, a victor, to say it went smoothly; I'm guessing people who spent a long time in the waiting room were pulling their hair out. I will say this: the year when Registration crashed again and again and had to be rescheduled repeatedly wasn't better. The year we all camped outside overnight to pre-register and many of us still didn't get badges wasn't any better. There is no perfect solution here.
One minor change that might help: bringing back the numbering system that told people where they were in line. Not knowing seemed to drive people insane.
And if you were one of the people who emailed me a complaint about it not working on your iPhone, or expressing confusion because you want to go to Comic-Con for the first time but couldn't get into the waiting room - I have no sympathy for you. Pay attention! There's still a Darwinist element to Comic-Con where people who read updates and stay prepared are more likely to get a badge. If you think that's a pain in the ass, then you have no business going to Comic-Con, which is the ultimate pain in the ass on multiple levels.
That said, I have the deepest sympathies for those of you who didn't get a badge. My fingers are crossed for you regarding Open Registration.
Showing posts with label 2014 pre-reg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014 pre-reg. Show all posts
Pre-registration is here
8 FEBRUARY 2014
11:15
Comic-Con is sold out.
10:51
Thursday is apparently sold out. Not that that matters to the attendees who only care about Kid's Day on Sunday or the Supernatural/Sons of Anarchy/Dr. Who bonanza in Hall H.
10:26
Friday and Saturday are gone. Remember, you can try for them during Open Reg, so go ahead and buy Thursday and Sunday today if you get the chance. You can always request a refund later if you decide to skip the whole thing and hit Dragon*Con instead.
10:19
Friday is running low too.
On a separate note, don't worry if you haven't gotten your acknowledgement email. I haven't gotten mine, and neither have my friends. I did screenshot my confirmation screen because I have serious trust issues when it comes to Comic-Con registration so consider that as an option if you're nervous.
10:14
Saturdays are running low.
10:10
Friend just got all four days. Definitely the slowest online registration that I can remember.
10:02
I've lost my visibility into what's selling out, but so far every day (without Preview Night) seems to be available. I think they're just processing people very slowly. I know it's nerve-wracking, but it's better than the system crashing.
9:32 am
Preview Night has sold out per CCI.
9:22 am
Got my Preview Night badges. A few observations which may mean nothing - I was running two laptops with two member IDs. The one I logged into the waiting room early on was the one that got processed fast, and it also got the yellow update messages about 2 minutes before the other one.
Also, each screen had to "think" after I entered information - so don't panic and start hitting keys if your screen doesn't seem to move on for a few seconds. Be patient.
How's everyone else doing?
8:58 am
Game time! But CCI said the sorting process could take 10-15 minutes so don't flip out if you're not chosen right away.
7:26 am
People appear to be driving themselves crazy on Twitter. This is the easy part, people. Go out to breakfast, make a mimosa, do something for the next 90 minutes. Save your nerves for when it goes live and you wait helplessly to see if the sorting hat puts you in Failure House or Comic-Con House. This is nothing right now.
7:09 am
So far so good...
6:30 a.m.
Our day is here. I know I said last night was my "final" advice but here's two more points before we get started - please don't rush into the system at 7 am PST on the dot and crash it. Secondly, as I've said before, don't get rattled by the rumors flying around on Twitter and Facebook because they're often pure horseshit. People jump the gun and post hysterical things like "Preview Night is Sold Out! Now Saturday's gone!" that just aren't true because they want to be the Paul Revere of Registration Day.
And of course, don't pin all your hopes on today. It's a limited number of badges, and a large number of us. You can try again in Open Registration. Also - unpopular opinion - it's not necessarily a bad thing if you only get two day badges. Sometimes that's enough Comic-Con for anyone, and you'll save a lot of money to boot. Ditto if you're missing a day in the middle - you can spend that day doing the attractions around the area (like last year's Godzilla and GOT experiences) and not miss a thing. My point is, don't feel like Comic-Con is Preview Night or nothing. (Which I'll admit is a vantage point I tend to foster - but Preview Night has been getting more and more crowded, with annoying lines, and not especially special.)
I'll post developments as they happen, including any common glitches that seem to be happening, so let me know what you run into.
11:15
Comic-Con is sold out.
10:51
Thursday is apparently sold out. Not that that matters to the attendees who only care about Kid's Day on Sunday or the Supernatural/Sons of Anarchy/Dr. Who bonanza in Hall H.
10:26
Friday and Saturday are gone. Remember, you can try for them during Open Reg, so go ahead and buy Thursday and Sunday today if you get the chance. You can always request a refund later if you decide to skip the whole thing and hit Dragon*Con instead.
10:19
Friday is running low too.
On a separate note, don't worry if you haven't gotten your acknowledgement email. I haven't gotten mine, and neither have my friends. I did screenshot my confirmation screen because I have serious trust issues when it comes to Comic-Con registration so consider that as an option if you're nervous.
10:14
Saturdays are running low.
10:10
Friend just got all four days. Definitely the slowest online registration that I can remember.
10:02
I've lost my visibility into what's selling out, but so far every day (without Preview Night) seems to be available. I think they're just processing people very slowly. I know it's nerve-wracking, but it's better than the system crashing.
9:32 am
Preview Night has sold out per CCI.
9:22 am
Got my Preview Night badges. A few observations which may mean nothing - I was running two laptops with two member IDs. The one I logged into the waiting room early on was the one that got processed fast, and it also got the yellow update messages about 2 minutes before the other one.
Also, each screen had to "think" after I entered information - so don't panic and start hitting keys if your screen doesn't seem to move on for a few seconds. Be patient.
How's everyone else doing?
8:58 am
Game time! But CCI said the sorting process could take 10-15 minutes so don't flip out if you're not chosen right away.
7:26 am
People appear to be driving themselves crazy on Twitter. This is the easy part, people. Go out to breakfast, make a mimosa, do something for the next 90 minutes. Save your nerves for when it goes live and you wait helplessly to see if the sorting hat puts you in Failure House or Comic-Con House. This is nothing right now.
7:09 am
So far so good...
6:30 a.m.
Our day is here. I know I said last night was my "final" advice but here's two more points before we get started - please don't rush into the system at 7 am PST on the dot and crash it. Secondly, as I've said before, don't get rattled by the rumors flying around on Twitter and Facebook because they're often pure horseshit. People jump the gun and post hysterical things like "Preview Night is Sold Out! Now Saturday's gone!" that just aren't true because they want to be the Paul Revere of Registration Day.
And of course, don't pin all your hopes on today. It's a limited number of badges, and a large number of us. You can try again in Open Registration. Also - unpopular opinion - it's not necessarily a bad thing if you only get two day badges. Sometimes that's enough Comic-Con for anyone, and you'll save a lot of money to boot. Ditto if you're missing a day in the middle - you can spend that day doing the attractions around the area (like last year's Godzilla and GOT experiences) and not miss a thing. My point is, don't feel like Comic-Con is Preview Night or nothing. (Which I'll admit is a vantage point I tend to foster - but Preview Night has been getting more and more crowded, with annoying lines, and not especially special.)
I'll post developments as they happen, including any common glitches that seem to be happening, so let me know what you run into.
Final advice for tomorrow
7 FEBRUARY 2014
It's Pre-registration Eve and the air is electric. Curious and impatient nerds have crashed the landing page already (it's back up now) and other people are complaining about failing the pre-check test. It all feels so ominously familiar. But I think we can all admit that CCI has gone to their most extreme lengths yet to create, test and communicate a better system. As for whether it's enough - well, we'll find out tomorrow.
Here's a final run-through.
Good luck, everyone. Talk to you tomorrow.
It's Pre-registration Eve and the air is electric. Curious and impatient nerds have crashed the landing page already (it's back up now) and other people are complaining about failing the pre-check test. It all feels so ominously familiar. But I think we can all admit that CCI has gone to their most extreme lengths yet to create, test and communicate a better system. As for whether it's enough - well, we'll find out tomorrow.
Here's a final run-through.
- Have everyone's Member ID, last name and registration code ready to go. This part of the process isn't a race like it used to be, but you should still be organized. If your last name is wrong in your Member ID account, use that spelling to buy your badge and get it corrected later. If you're part of a large group, be very clear on who's buying for who.
- Make sure Javascript and cookies are enabled. If you're not sure, you can go to EPIC site now at http://landing.cloudapp.net/ and do their pre-check test.
- You can only use one device and one browser per Member ID. That browser should be Safari, Chrome, IE or Firefox, and that device should be a desktop or laptop - not a mobile device.
- Once inside the waiting room, don't refresh. A yellow status box will keep you updated every 120 seconds during the sorting process.
- Make sure your computer doesn't go to sleep while you're waiting. Adjust the power save settings if necessary.
- Don't ever use the back button.
- Have your credit or debit card ready. It can be under someone else's name; that's fine. But you can only use one card to pay for everything and you can't use Paypal.
- If you're willing to let someone buy you a badge at a mark-up, decide now how much you want to pay and stick to that limit tomorrow.
- If some kind of glitch freezes you, boots you or refuses you admission into the waiting room, document everything. Last year CCI held a badge sale for people who were unfairly glitched out of Open Registration and had the screen shots to prove it.
Good luck, everyone. Talk to you tomorrow.
Pre-registration timeline
5 FEBRUARY 2014
I'm going to spare you all my usual sarcasm and stick to the facts. Because this is the most complicated any Comic-Con registration has ever been and I want to make sure everyone gets it.
If you attended San Diego Comic-Con last summer and you want to go again this summer, Saturday morning - this Saturday morning - is your chance. Everyone else, this doesn't pertain to you. It doesn't matter if you were there as a pro last summer, or went faithfully as an attendee 2005-2011 - you had to be wearing an attendee badge around your neck in July 2013 to qualify for this Saturday. If you're not sure, check your Member ID. It will tell you.
Countdown to Pre-Registration
Yesterday, 4 Feb:
You should have gotten an email from CCI telling you about Pre-registration. If you didn't, go check your Member ID account and see if you're eligible.
Weds, 5 Feb -Friday, 7 Feb:
Sometime in the next few days you'll get another email from CCI with the link to the EPIC waiting room and your personal registration code. If you haven't received an email by Friday, go into your Member ID account and the code should be in there under the Registration Info tab. If it isn't, email CCI.
ETA: These emails have now started out going - Thursday, Feb 6.
Make sure you and your friends have each other's Member IDs and other information, as well as a solid game plan with contingencies that cover who buys for who.
Make sure your browser has JavaScript and cookies enabled.
Saturday, Pre-Registration Day
7 am - 9 am PST: You'll use your Member ID and registration code to get into the EPIC waiting room. You'll do this using a Chrome, IE, Safari or Firefox browser, NOT on a mobile device. You will only use one computer, because if you try to log in on a 2nd device with your Member ID, it'll just cancel out the previous one. According to CCI, it doesn't matter when you get in.
Shortly after 9 am PST: Pre-registration will go live. Everyone floating around the waiting room will be randomly sorted into a line for registration sessions. Don't refresh; you'll go to the back of the line. Apparently this can take 10-15 minutes to complete. Watch for a spinning blue circle on the page that indicates your page is still active.
Once/if you're selected, you'll enter the number of people you're buying for, then your name and their names and Member IDs, and arrive at this kind of screen:
Check Preview Night, and every box is checked for you. Otherwise, just check the dates you want. You have 15 minutes to complete this phase.
ETA: If the kind of badge you want is not available, go ahead and select the days you want that are available. You aren't eternally stuck with what you get during Pre-reg; you can "upgrade" later during Open Registration. So if you want a Preview Night badge, but can only get Thursday, Friday and Sunday badges, go ahead and buy them. You can try again for Preview Night during Open Registration. If you get it then, it will override the day badges you bought during Pre-reg. If you don't - well, you've still got those days at least. So if you're in the "something's better than nothing" camp, don't just bail on the whole process.
Payment: only American Express, Mastercard or Visa are accepted. No Paypal, no multiple cards.
The odds: You're competing against all of the 2013 attendees who want to go again. Despite how annoying Comic-Con can be, that's almost all of us, overwhelmingly so. How many badges are up for sale? No idea. It seems to be more than the number of badges that used to be sold during on-site pre-reg, but that's just my feeling.
Glitches: Like always, this is hard to anticipate. Sure, the waiting room could freeze, you could get booted, the whole system could spiral down into dust, who knows. It could even go smoothly. CCI wants you to know in advance that any snafus are not their fault; many villains could be to blame, from your personal applications to user error to random ISP issues. "We make no guarantees that your efforts will result in a successful badge purchase regardless of when you enter the process." We know, CCI. We know.
If you don't get a badge: you can still take a shot during Open Registration Day, but I know that won't be much consolation this weekend.
Quick Links:
Member ID
Instructional Video
CCI's Pre-registration page
I will be in the mix just like the rest of you and I'll be live-tweeting and blogging it. Feel free to share your pain and your triumphs with me. I like to know what's happening.
I'm going to spare you all my usual sarcasm and stick to the facts. Because this is the most complicated any Comic-Con registration has ever been and I want to make sure everyone gets it.
If you attended San Diego Comic-Con last summer and you want to go again this summer, Saturday morning - this Saturday morning - is your chance. Everyone else, this doesn't pertain to you. It doesn't matter if you were there as a pro last summer, or went faithfully as an attendee 2005-2011 - you had to be wearing an attendee badge around your neck in July 2013 to qualify for this Saturday. If you're not sure, check your Member ID. It will tell you.
Countdown to Pre-Registration
Yesterday, 4 Feb:
You should have gotten an email from CCI telling you about Pre-registration. If you didn't, go check your Member ID account and see if you're eligible.
Weds, 5 Feb -Friday, 7 Feb:
Sometime in the next few days you'll get another email from CCI with the link to the EPIC waiting room and your personal registration code. If you haven't received an email by Friday, go into your Member ID account and the code should be in there under the Registration Info tab. If it isn't, email CCI.
ETA: These emails have now started out going - Thursday, Feb 6.
Make sure you and your friends have each other's Member IDs and other information, as well as a solid game plan with contingencies that cover who buys for who.
Make sure your browser has JavaScript and cookies enabled.
Saturday, Pre-Registration Day
7 am - 9 am PST: You'll use your Member ID and registration code to get into the EPIC waiting room. You'll do this using a Chrome, IE, Safari or Firefox browser, NOT on a mobile device. You will only use one computer, because if you try to log in on a 2nd device with your Member ID, it'll just cancel out the previous one. According to CCI, it doesn't matter when you get in.
Shortly after 9 am PST: Pre-registration will go live. Everyone floating around the waiting room will be randomly sorted into a line for registration sessions. Don't refresh; you'll go to the back of the line. Apparently this can take 10-15 minutes to complete. Watch for a spinning blue circle on the page that indicates your page is still active.
Once/if you're selected, you'll enter the number of people you're buying for, then your name and their names and Member IDs, and arrive at this kind of screen:
Check Preview Night, and every box is checked for you. Otherwise, just check the dates you want. You have 15 minutes to complete this phase.
ETA: If the kind of badge you want is not available, go ahead and select the days you want that are available. You aren't eternally stuck with what you get during Pre-reg; you can "upgrade" later during Open Registration. So if you want a Preview Night badge, but can only get Thursday, Friday and Sunday badges, go ahead and buy them. You can try again for Preview Night during Open Registration. If you get it then, it will override the day badges you bought during Pre-reg. If you don't - well, you've still got those days at least. So if you're in the "something's better than nothing" camp, don't just bail on the whole process.
Payment: only American Express, Mastercard or Visa are accepted. No Paypal, no multiple cards.
The odds: You're competing against all of the 2013 attendees who want to go again. Despite how annoying Comic-Con can be, that's almost all of us, overwhelmingly so. How many badges are up for sale? No idea. It seems to be more than the number of badges that used to be sold during on-site pre-reg, but that's just my feeling.
Glitches: Like always, this is hard to anticipate. Sure, the waiting room could freeze, you could get booted, the whole system could spiral down into dust, who knows. It could even go smoothly. CCI wants you to know in advance that any snafus are not their fault; many villains could be to blame, from your personal applications to user error to random ISP issues. "We make no guarantees that your efforts will result in a successful badge purchase regardless of when you enter the process." We know, CCI. We know.
If you don't get a badge: you can still take a shot during Open Registration Day, but I know that won't be much consolation this weekend.
Quick Links:
Member ID
Instructional Video
CCI's Pre-registration page
I will be in the mix just like the rest of you and I'll be live-tweeting and blogging it. Feel free to share your pain and your triumphs with me. I like to know what's happening.
Pre-registration is Saturday, 8 Feb
4 FEB 2014
Clear your calendar: this Saturday morning is Pre-registration.
TIMELINE
When you get your email with the link and "personal registration code": sometime later this week.
When you enter the waiting room: anytime from 7 am - 9 am PST Saturday morning.
When Pre-reg goes live: shortly after (CCI is very clear on this) 9 am PST, Saturday.
CCI says you can also access your registration code by logging in to your Member ID account and clicking the “Registration Info” tab so if you haven't gotten your email by Friday morning, definitely do that. There's supposed to be an instructional video, which historically have been highly entertaining, but I don't think it's out yet.
ETA: Yes, it is. Enjoy.
I'll post more details and advice later but you can get more details here for now. At least the waiting is over.
Clear your calendar: this Saturday morning is Pre-registration.
TIMELINE
When you get your email with the link and "personal registration code": sometime later this week.
When you enter the waiting room: anytime from 7 am - 9 am PST Saturday morning.
When Pre-reg goes live: shortly after (CCI is very clear on this) 9 am PST, Saturday.
CCI says you can also access your registration code by logging in to your Member ID account and clicking the “Registration Info” tab so if you haven't gotten your email by Friday morning, definitely do that. There's supposed to be an instructional video, which historically have been highly entertaining, but I don't think it's out yet.
ETA: Yes, it is. Enjoy.
I'll post more details and advice later but you can get more details here for now. At least the waiting is over.
A few answers on Pre-reg
29 JANUARY 2014
Another day, another trickle of information about Pre-registration. This almost makes me nostalgic for the great Pre-reg camp-out fail of 2011. (But not really.)
CCI released a few more details today:
So there it is. The era of the lottery has arrived.
Another day, another trickle of information about Pre-registration. This almost makes me nostalgic for the great Pre-reg camp-out fail of 2011. (But not really.)
CCI released a few more details today:
- Notification: We'll get an email at least 24 hours in advance of the sale that contains our own personal registration code and link. Their advice is kind of hilarious: "if you do not receive an email, don't fret. You will be able to access your personal registration code by logging into your Member ID account." Unless, you know, you don't know to check your account because you didn't receive an email telling you about the sale.
- The much-discussed registration code: this is to keep out ineligible rabble and bots "that want to crash the system." Right, all the past crashes were due to a big bot conspiracy. This code is NOT the badge code we were previously instructed to use; that was eliminated, and now there's a new personal code you'll receive in the above email.
- The timeframe: we'll get two hours to enter our registration codes and access the waiting room, beginning at 7 am PST. So no worries about making a typo in your code. You can relax. THEN the sale will go live at 9 am and the melee will begin. Just kidding - it will be more like silent, hopeless fury as EPIC randomly sorts people for registration. Your place in line will not be connected to when you joined the waiting room. Unless, that is, you enter after the 9 am time. Then you'll go to the back of the line.
- The number of devices allowed: You can only use that registration code on one device, for one admission to the waiting room. No operating a network of tablets and phones and laptops. One person, one device.
- On refreshing: don't do it during the sale or you'll go to the back of the line. We've been given this advice before and it wasn't always the right advice - but you're still probably better off trusting it this time.
- Buying for friends: Yep, you can still buy for 3 people total (presumably yourself and 2 others.) Even if your friends are in line, it's ok. Now here's where it gets interesting: if you're in line and your best friend buys your badge, you can now use your turn to buy three badges for other people. That means that groups traveling together can up their chances slightly over people who are just buying for one or two people. I predict it also means that we'll see more people offering to buy marked-up badges for others.
So there it is. The era of the lottery has arrived.
Pre-reg will be "randomized"
28 JAN 2014
In case the whole single-day-badges-only announcement didn't rock your world, here's a shattering new announcement: pre-registration will be "randomized."
Just typing that word twists my gut with anxiety. Here's the deal; CCI recognizes that current process of everyone trying to get a badge at the same second has been "extremely problematic." You don't say. So they've come up with a solution - a randomized waiting room. We'll all be assigned a time frame in which we can log into the waiting room prior to the sale. Once the sale goes live, everyone inside the waiting room will be randomly assigned to a registration session and processed in that random order. This is NOT tied to the time you entered the waiting room.
In other words, it just got a lot harder to game the system. Having eight laptops blazing away won't do you any good; you can only use your member ID on one device to get into the waiting room, as far as I can tell, and then you'll just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Since you can buy for yourself and 2 others, it's in your interest to team up with two other friends to triple your chances of getting a good session assignment. But that begs the question; if all three of you are hanging out in your individual sessions, can the first one up to bat still buy your badge for you under your Member ID? Even though that Member ID is currently logged into the system? What if two friends get called up at roughly the same time and they both try to buy badges for each other?
CCI states they feel this is the fairest option possible, and even hinted it would reduce the stampede and ensuing technical meltdowns. You'll have to forgive my skepticism on that front. However, I do appreciate that they are trying to fix a problem that clearly has no perfect solution.
So all of you "make it a lottery" advocates should feel victorious - this is your day. The rest of us will put aside our ninja registration tricks and suffer the randomization process. Will it go like this for real Registration Day? It's a safe bet.
As for when Pre-reg will be - all they've said is it won't be this weekend, Feb 1. And so the endless vigil continues.
In case the whole single-day-badges-only announcement didn't rock your world, here's a shattering new announcement: pre-registration will be "randomized."
Just typing that word twists my gut with anxiety. Here's the deal; CCI recognizes that current process of everyone trying to get a badge at the same second has been "extremely problematic." You don't say. So they've come up with a solution - a randomized waiting room. We'll all be assigned a time frame in which we can log into the waiting room prior to the sale. Once the sale goes live, everyone inside the waiting room will be randomly assigned to a registration session and processed in that random order. This is NOT tied to the time you entered the waiting room.
In other words, it just got a lot harder to game the system. Having eight laptops blazing away won't do you any good; you can only use your member ID on one device to get into the waiting room, as far as I can tell, and then you'll just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Since you can buy for yourself and 2 others, it's in your interest to team up with two other friends to triple your chances of getting a good session assignment. But that begs the question; if all three of you are hanging out in your individual sessions, can the first one up to bat still buy your badge for you under your Member ID? Even though that Member ID is currently logged into the system? What if two friends get called up at roughly the same time and they both try to buy badges for each other?
CCI states they feel this is the fairest option possible, and even hinted it would reduce the stampede and ensuing technical meltdowns. You'll have to forgive my skepticism on that front. However, I do appreciate that they are trying to fix a problem that clearly has no perfect solution.
So all of you "make it a lottery" advocates should feel victorious - this is your day. The rest of us will put aside our ninja registration tricks and suffer the randomization process. Will it go like this for real Registration Day? It's a safe bet.
As for when Pre-reg will be - all they've said is it won't be this weekend, Feb 1. And so the endless vigil continues.
Pre-registration tutorial
11 JANUARY 2014
Now that we've recovered from the single day badge shock, let's review what we know about Pre-Registration - the date of which will probably be announced soon.
Who's eligible: anyone who attended San Diego Comic-Con last summer with an attendee badge. If you stayed home, or if you attended as a pro, exhibitor, etc, you can't participate.
How many people you can register: 3 - yourself and 2 others. Your friends have to be eligible per the above definition.
What you should do now: check your Member ID account, make sure you remember your password, note any last name misspellings and duplicate them during pre-reg, and change your status (Senior, Military) if applicable. Also make sure your status says you're eligible for Pre-reg - and if it doesn't, contact CCI immediately.
How much the single day badge policy will disrupt everything: probably not a whole lot, since the main change seems to be in name only.
How it'll all go:
You'll hit the link and probably be rebuffed at first, and eventually become either a bitter failure statistic or one of the lucky few to get in. If the latter, you'll wait to reach the front of the room, experiencing unbearable anxiety all the while about whether or not your preferred badges will be available. Finally you'll get up to bat and it'll look like this:
If you want to attend every day, you'll click Preview Night and voila, all days are checked. Otherwise you'll pick the days you want, then repeat the process for your other 2 people. Then you'll go directly to check out, pay with a credit card, and congratulate yourself on becoming one of the most envied geeks in the world.
What's new that's good: a shopping cart to hold available badges for all members of your party during registration. You might think "who cares, the whole thing takes 30 seconds" - but it only takes a nanosecond for your dream badge to go extinct. You also don't have to start the whole shebang over for each person; this year, you make one purchase and that wraps it all up.
What's new that's bad: to keep out non-eligible people, you'll have to enter a unique registration code prior to getting at the landing page. I realize the code's purpose is to our benefit, but it's yet another opportunity to make a major flub and lose crucial moments.
On badge codes: if you dimly remember the warning to save last summer's badge for the code, never mind. The code has been entered for you. However, if your kid was 12 last summer and turned 13 by 1 November, they do need their physical badge and the code on it.
On problems: take screen shots of any issues. Do not give up, even if ten minutes have gone by and you figure all badges are gone. You have no idea what new errors and malfunctions will rise up this year (and there will be some) and their effect on the process. It's not over until you see it blasted repeatedly from official sources that all badges are sold out.
On social media: I said "official" above because social media will be rampant with misinformation. Do NOT listen to all the fear-mongering and "All Preview Night sold out!" hysteria that goes on. A lot of times it isn't true.
On usury: Decide now what kind of mark-up you're willing to pay for a badge. On Twitter you will see offers from people already in the waiting room who will get you your badge for a profit. Think about it now, while you're relatively calm, and decide if you're willing to go this route, should you be blocked from the waiting room.
I think you know the rest. Approach as a team, with all friends on all devices. Don't drop out even if your friend is in line ahead of you; see it through until the deal is done. Have your credit cards ready, your laptops and phones charged, your nerves steeled.
And remember - if you wind up one of the unlucky many who can't even get close to a badge on Pre-Registration Day, this is only round one. You can try again on regular Registration Day when a greater number of badges go up for sale.
Now that we've recovered from the single day badge shock, let's review what we know about Pre-Registration - the date of which will probably be announced soon.
Who's eligible: anyone who attended San Diego Comic-Con last summer with an attendee badge. If you stayed home, or if you attended as a pro, exhibitor, etc, you can't participate.
How many people you can register: 3 - yourself and 2 others. Your friends have to be eligible per the above definition.
What you should do now: check your Member ID account, make sure you remember your password, note any last name misspellings and duplicate them during pre-reg, and change your status (Senior, Military) if applicable. Also make sure your status says you're eligible for Pre-reg - and if it doesn't, contact CCI immediately.
How much the single day badge policy will disrupt everything: probably not a whole lot, since the main change seems to be in name only.
How it'll all go:
You'll hit the link and probably be rebuffed at first, and eventually become either a bitter failure statistic or one of the lucky few to get in. If the latter, you'll wait to reach the front of the room, experiencing unbearable anxiety all the while about whether or not your preferred badges will be available. Finally you'll get up to bat and it'll look like this:
If you want to attend every day, you'll click Preview Night and voila, all days are checked. Otherwise you'll pick the days you want, then repeat the process for your other 2 people. Then you'll go directly to check out, pay with a credit card, and congratulate yourself on becoming one of the most envied geeks in the world.
What's new that's good: a shopping cart to hold available badges for all members of your party during registration. You might think "who cares, the whole thing takes 30 seconds" - but it only takes a nanosecond for your dream badge to go extinct. You also don't have to start the whole shebang over for each person; this year, you make one purchase and that wraps it all up.
What's new that's bad: to keep out non-eligible people, you'll have to enter a unique registration code prior to getting at the landing page. I realize the code's purpose is to our benefit, but it's yet another opportunity to make a major flub and lose crucial moments.
On badge codes: if you dimly remember the warning to save last summer's badge for the code, never mind. The code has been entered for you. However, if your kid was 12 last summer and turned 13 by 1 November, they do need their physical badge and the code on it.
On problems: take screen shots of any issues. Do not give up, even if ten minutes have gone by and you figure all badges are gone. You have no idea what new errors and malfunctions will rise up this year (and there will be some) and their effect on the process. It's not over until you see it blasted repeatedly from official sources that all badges are sold out.
On social media: I said "official" above because social media will be rampant with misinformation. Do NOT listen to all the fear-mongering and "All Preview Night sold out!" hysteria that goes on. A lot of times it isn't true.
On usury: Decide now what kind of mark-up you're willing to pay for a badge. On Twitter you will see offers from people already in the waiting room who will get you your badge for a profit. Think about it now, while you're relatively calm, and decide if you're willing to go this route, should you be blocked from the waiting room.
I think you know the rest. Approach as a team, with all friends on all devices. Don't drop out even if your friend is in line ahead of you; see it through until the deal is done. Have your credit cards ready, your laptops and phones charged, your nerves steeled.
And remember - if you wind up one of the unlucky many who can't even get close to a badge on Pre-Registration Day, this is only round one. You can try again on regular Registration Day when a greater number of badges go up for sale.
Single day badges only sold for 2014
10 JANUARY 2014
Oh dear god. Why? Why? Why?
It's true; you can only buy single day badges for this year's San Diego Comic Con. Which CCI announced with a jaunty little "New!" as if this was some kind of especially thrilling news. As for the genius thought process behind this decision: they mentioned giving us more "flexibility" (there's a word I'll never associate with Comic-Con) and no longer offering "a discount."
Speaking of prices:
Preview Night: $35
Thursday, Friday and Satuday badges: $45 each
Sunday badge: $30
(That's $200 for us lucky winners who get to buy it all.)
You can read the details here - and more here - but here's how it'll look in practice. Once you get up to bat in the EPIC waiting room, you enter your Member ID and last name like always, the people you're buying for, and then you see a badge grid, seen here. If you want every badge possible, just check Preview Night and all other badges are clicked for you. Otherwise, just check the days you want. But you can't check Preview Night on its own or just do Saturday and Preview Night- it's still all or nothing. Somehow that option didn't get factored into the quest for "flexibility."
So how much will this change anything? Will it be as annoying and complicated as it sounds? It probably won't be much worse - "I have a Preview Night badge" is the new "I have a four-day badge" - though sometimes these announcements feel like CCI is just endlessly trolling us, seeing how much we can take.
I'll post more about pre-reg tomorrow. Right now I'll let you absorb this news.
Oh dear god. Why? Why? Why?
It's true; you can only buy single day badges for this year's San Diego Comic Con. Which CCI announced with a jaunty little "New!" as if this was some kind of especially thrilling news. As for the genius thought process behind this decision: they mentioned giving us more "flexibility" (there's a word I'll never associate with Comic-Con) and no longer offering "a discount."
Speaking of prices:
Preview Night: $35
Thursday, Friday and Satuday badges: $45 each
Sunday badge: $30
(That's $200 for us lucky winners who get to buy it all.)
You can read the details here - and more here - but here's how it'll look in practice. Once you get up to bat in the EPIC waiting room, you enter your Member ID and last name like always, the people you're buying for, and then you see a badge grid, seen here. If you want every badge possible, just check Preview Night and all other badges are clicked for you. Otherwise, just check the days you want. But you can't check Preview Night on its own or just do Saturday and Preview Night- it's still all or nothing. Somehow that option didn't get factored into the quest for "flexibility."
So how much will this change anything? Will it be as annoying and complicated as it sounds? It probably won't be much worse - "I have a Preview Night badge" is the new "I have a four-day badge" - though sometimes these announcements feel like CCI is just endlessly trolling us, seeing how much we can take.
I'll post more about pre-reg tomorrow. Right now I'll let you absorb this news.
Pre-reg will happen in early 2014
10 DECEMBER 2013
As I predicted a few posts back, pre-registration has jumped from December to January. While this might disappoint some of you, I think it's for the best. As for how pre-reg is going to go down, the process has changed once again - and it's anyone's guess how well it will all work out.
You can read all about the changes here, but this about sums it up:
Basically, they understand we are frustrated and cynical. They probably are too. Will 2014 be the year that registration goes smoothly? No, not for everyone - not even if they devise the most perfect infrastructure in the world, because there's still just too damned many of us. Especially for pre-registration where there's only a fraction of the badges available.
So that's that. You're free to have all the weekend holiday hangovers you want this month because December's Saturdays are now wide open.
As I predicted a few posts back, pre-registration has jumped from December to January. While this might disappoint some of you, I think it's for the best. As for how pre-reg is going to go down, the process has changed once again - and it's anyone's guess how well it will all work out.
You can read all about the changes here, but this about sums it up:
- This time, we all get shopping carts "to hold available badge inventory." What? To me, this just sounds like another element that could go wildly off the rails.
- Unlike before, when you had to buy badges one at a time, now you can just enter the number of people you're buying for. This is the most sensible change yet. No more families or groups of friends where everyone has a badge for a different day.
- This is news to me: apparently in the past "non-members and ineligible attendees" could get into the waiting room and hog up all our space. To keep them out, there's going to be a new unique registration code that we'll have to enter prior to arriving at the landing page. Oh yay, another extra step.
- But fear not! We are in the hands of "experienced engineers" who are working their load-testing magic to pinpoint problem areas. And resolve them, hopefully, though CCI doesn't say that.
Basically, they understand we are frustrated and cynical. They probably are too. Will 2014 be the year that registration goes smoothly? No, not for everyone - not even if they devise the most perfect infrastructure in the world, because there's still just too damned many of us. Especially for pre-registration where there's only a fraction of the badges available.
So that's that. You're free to have all the weekend holiday hangovers you want this month because December's Saturdays are now wide open.
Preparing for pre-registration
4 DECEMBER 2013
If perchance you've been ruminating anxiously on pre-registration, wondering when it will be held and if it'll be at a convenient time in this busy holiday season, here's something you can do now to prepare: check your Member ID account.
I know it's not the most enthralling activity. But you'll get your chest pains and skyrocketing blood pressure soon enough on Pre-Registration Day, so right now just do the responsible thing and make sure you remember your password and confirm that your account is current and correct.
If it is, you'll see the above message affirming you're eligible. If you've changed from civilian to military, or into a senior, or any other category that provides a discount, change your Membership type.
Make sure also that you haven't opted out of Comic-Con emails and finally, make sure your last name, address and other information are correct. If your last name is spelled wrong, here's CCI's advice: "Even if your last name is spelled incorrectly, enter the login info exactly as shown on the sale day or you may get locked out! You may change the spelling of your name after the sale."
(I would take that to heart; remember what happened to people with apostrophes in their names a few years ago.)
As for when the blessed event will take place - Comic Con says we'll have 48 hours advance notice at least. If they hold the sale on a Saturday morning, like usual, we'll know by Thursday morning. So let's assume it won't be this Saturday, the 7th. That brings us to the following weekend, a reasonable possibility - but I would say that the following Saturday, the 21st, is not, since it's a travel day for so many people and I hope they'd take that into consideration.
Really I'd like to see CCI delay the whole thing until January. Right now everyone is busy shopping and taking finals and going to parties and traveling. No one needs pre-registration angst right now.
ETA: Remember that pre-registration is open only to people who attended Comic-Con this past summer. If you did not attend, or were there as an exhibitor/pro/in some other capacity, you cannot participate in pre-registration. Instead you'll be notified later in 2014 of Registration Day, which is open to everyone with a Member ID account - whether or not they've ever attended Comic-Con.
And if you were at Comic-Con with an attendee badge this summer, yet CCI says you're ineligible for pre-reg, contact them now. They're pretty good about getting that kind of thing resolved.
If perchance you've been ruminating anxiously on pre-registration, wondering when it will be held and if it'll be at a convenient time in this busy holiday season, here's something you can do now to prepare: check your Member ID account.
I know it's not the most enthralling activity. But you'll get your chest pains and skyrocketing blood pressure soon enough on Pre-Registration Day, so right now just do the responsible thing and make sure you remember your password and confirm that your account is current and correct.
If it is, you'll see the above message affirming you're eligible. If you've changed from civilian to military, or into a senior, or any other category that provides a discount, change your Membership type.
Make sure also that you haven't opted out of Comic-Con emails and finally, make sure your last name, address and other information are correct. If your last name is spelled wrong, here's CCI's advice: "Even if your last name is spelled incorrectly, enter the login info exactly as shown on the sale day or you may get locked out! You may change the spelling of your name after the sale."
(I would take that to heart; remember what happened to people with apostrophes in their names a few years ago.)
As for when the blessed event will take place - Comic Con says we'll have 48 hours advance notice at least. If they hold the sale on a Saturday morning, like usual, we'll know by Thursday morning. So let's assume it won't be this Saturday, the 7th. That brings us to the following weekend, a reasonable possibility - but I would say that the following Saturday, the 21st, is not, since it's a travel day for so many people and I hope they'd take that into consideration.
Really I'd like to see CCI delay the whole thing until January. Right now everyone is busy shopping and taking finals and going to parties and traveling. No one needs pre-registration angst right now.
ETA: Remember that pre-registration is open only to people who attended Comic-Con this past summer. If you did not attend, or were there as an exhibitor/pro/in some other capacity, you cannot participate in pre-registration. Instead you'll be notified later in 2014 of Registration Day, which is open to everyone with a Member ID account - whether or not they've ever attended Comic-Con.
And if you were at Comic-Con with an attendee badge this summer, yet CCI says you're ineligible for pre-reg, contact them now. They're pretty good about getting that kind of thing resolved.
Pre-registration update
21 NOVEMBER 2013
CCI has thoughtfully updated us on the state of pre-registration, via their Toucan blog. Here are the facts and a bit of conjecture.
Facts:
Conjecture:
The original pre-registration timeframe was for November-December; therefore, the logical mind would assume pre-reg will be taking place in December. But this is Comic-Con registration and "fine tuning the process and needs a little more time to make sure everything is in order" sounds like code for "the system is effed up even worse than usual, possibly due to our weird new badge codes that we created and then volunteered to implement for you, and we have no idea when it will all be fixed."
So for now, be cautiously optimistic that pre-reg will probably take place in December - but don't be too surprised if it doesn't.
CCI has thoughtfully updated us on the state of pre-registration, via their Toucan blog. Here are the facts and a bit of conjecture.
Facts:
- Pre-registration will NOT be happening in November.
- This is because EPIC is "fine tuning the process and needs a little more time to make sure everything is in order."
- We will all be notified at least 48 hours in advance of the pre-registration date.
Conjecture:
The original pre-registration timeframe was for November-December; therefore, the logical mind would assume pre-reg will be taking place in December. But this is Comic-Con registration and "fine tuning the process and needs a little more time to make sure everything is in order" sounds like code for "the system is effed up even worse than usual, possibly due to our weird new badge codes that we created and then volunteered to implement for you, and we have no idea when it will all be fixed."
So for now, be cautiously optimistic that pre-reg will probably take place in December - but don't be too surprised if it doesn't.
Pre-registration update
30 SEPTEMBER 2013
If you were planning on most people accidentally tossing their badge before pre-registration, thereby giving you a competitive advantage, never mind. You don't need your badge for pre-registration next month. Instead Comic-Con will enter the badge code for you "as a one-time courtesy." I actually trust myself manually entering the code more than I trust CCI's programmers, but anyway.
This applies to everyone EXCEPT for those attendees who attended Comic-Con this summer as a child but will be 13 as of 1 November. They must try to pre-register along with everyone else - and they still need their badge to do so. In other words, kids who got in free this summer for being kids will stop being kids in CCI's eyes if they've turned 13 by 1 November. If that's your offspring, save their badge - they'll need it.
Now, as far as needing your badge for pre-registration - that's still going to happen next year. By which I mean the pre-registration in 2014 for the 2015 Con. The switcheroo this year is just a last-minute change marketed as a courtesy. Oh Comic-Con, never change.
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This applies to everyone EXCEPT for those attendees who attended Comic-Con this summer as a child but will be 13 as of 1 November. They must try to pre-register along with everyone else - and they still need their badge to do so. In other words, kids who got in free this summer for being kids will stop being kids in CCI's eyes if they've turned 13 by 1 November. If that's your offspring, save their badge - they'll need it.
Now, as far as needing your badge for pre-registration - that's still going to happen next year. By which I mean the pre-registration in 2014 for the 2015 Con. The switcheroo this year is just a last-minute change marketed as a courtesy. Oh Comic-Con, never change.
Pre-registration for 2014 happening Nov-Dec
1 AUGUST 2013
It looks like we're going to get a respite from the online inferno that is San Diego Comic-Con pre-registration. It's not happening until November or December.
Who it's for: Anyone with an attendee badge from this year. No pros, volunteers, press, exhibitors, etc. Just people who wore an attendee badge around their necks two weeks ago.
When: between November 1 - December 31. Let's hope it's closer to November because no one wants to add another burden to their credit card in December.
How: eligible attendees will get one of those special CCI emails sometime in November with information. It will be sent to the email associated with your Member ID.
Special instructions: if your child attended Comic-Con this year as a kid (if they were 12 and under) BUT they'll be a worldly thirteen come November 1, they'll have to register for a Member ID to participate in pre-reg. They'll have to log into their Member ID account after 8 August and follow specific instructions to qualify for pre-registration.
And of course everyone needs to use this year's badge to pre-register.
Why? On a practical level: probably because of the numeric code on it. On a strategic level: probably because CCI is secretly hoping that enough of us will lose/misplace/toss out our badge over the coming months that the pre-registration swarm won't be quite so deadly.
So there you have it. Some of us will be getting a 4-day badge for Christmas and others, a round of impotent fury and disgust.
And remember, people for whom this will be the first pre-registration, only a small percentage of total badges go on the block for pre-reg. Yes, the world at large has been eliminated as competition and you're only competing with your fellow 125,000 attendees from this year - those bastards - but you're all competing for a small number of badges. Don't ask me how many. I don't know. My point is, this isn't your only shot at a 2014 badge. The public badge sale will be a few months later and you can try again then if this doesn't work out.
That said, hold onto your badge.
It looks like we're going to get a respite from the online inferno that is San Diego Comic-Con pre-registration. It's not happening until November or December.
Who it's for: Anyone with an attendee badge from this year. No pros, volunteers, press, exhibitors, etc. Just people who wore an attendee badge around their necks two weeks ago.
When: between November 1 - December 31. Let's hope it's closer to November because no one wants to add another burden to their credit card in December.
How: eligible attendees will get one of those special CCI emails sometime in November with information. It will be sent to the email associated with your Member ID.
Special instructions: if your child attended Comic-Con this year as a kid (if they were 12 and under) BUT they'll be a worldly thirteen come November 1, they'll have to register for a Member ID to participate in pre-reg. They'll have to log into their Member ID account after 8 August and follow specific instructions to qualify for pre-registration.
And of course everyone needs to use this year's badge to pre-register.
Why? On a practical level: probably because of the numeric code on it. On a strategic level: probably because CCI is secretly hoping that enough of us will lose/misplace/toss out our badge over the coming months that the pre-registration swarm won't be quite so deadly.
So there you have it. Some of us will be getting a 4-day badge for Christmas and others, a round of impotent fury and disgust.
And remember, people for whom this will be the first pre-registration, only a small percentage of total badges go on the block for pre-reg. Yes, the world at large has been eliminated as competition and you're only competing with your fellow 125,000 attendees from this year - those bastards - but you're all competing for a small number of badges. Don't ask me how many. I don't know. My point is, this isn't your only shot at a 2014 badge. The public badge sale will be a few months later and you can try again then if this doesn't work out.
That said, hold onto your badge.
Comic-Con for the first time
24 JULY 2013
Most of my first-timers have weighed in. On the whole, they had a more positive experience than last year's.
Alex I – He is a Star Wars fan
from Mexico who's experienced in big conventions, but had never gone to SDCC. The lines took him
aback, as did his inability to land the 6” Boba Fett, despite many valiant
efforts to do so. That is the worst feeling, isn't it? He experienced that fun dilemma where you’re told you can’t
form a line for the exclusives you're hunting, so instead you anxiously circle the booths: “I felt I
was a zombie in walking death.” However, he did get to do Ballroom 20 and Hall
H – and interestingly, his friend actually believed that because Comic Con said
they discouraged camping, there would not be a Hall H line. That is just adorable. Luckily
he overrode her, they camped and got in and were infected by the joyful madness
that tends to sweep Hall H. Overall, as a Star Wars fan, he was somewhat
disappointed, but still intends to go next year and this time he’s wiser: “I wish I had not wasted so much time doing
lines. There is no physical way you can see all and do the lines.”
Sophie – Apparently her Con experience hinged on getting
into the Supernatural panel on Sunday, which she did, so she was happy. She only had passes for
Friday and Sunday, so she spent Saturday doing the events around town –
Godzilla Encounter, Dracula’s Tomb and the Petco Park parking lot, which was actually a smart plan for even people with four-day badges. The surrounding events were really good this year. However, she made the mistake of asking a security guard or
volunteer about a panel line and was told it was already closed; later she
found out it wasn’t. The lesson here: those people don’t always know
what they’re talking about, and while most of them probably have good
intentions, I swear some of them will try to mess with attendees for the sheer
evil thrill of it. (She said she wants to go back.)
Andrew - aka Spider-Man, who had the Midas touch. He got: sketches and autographs from Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, Scott
Snyder, Bryan Michael Bendis; made it onto Good Morning America; cosplayed as Spider-Man and took somewhere around
1500 photos with people; met Stan Lee and won a “golden ticket” drawing for a
Stan Lee signing; did Hall H; got a sketch from Todd Nuack, who drew his
very first Spider-Man comic. This guy was clearly tapped by the nerd gods for great things.
Brendan - He had the most
negative experience. He hates crowds and apparently no one told him that the Con
can feel like an enormous human trash compactor. But to be fair, Travel
Planners also screwed up his room (me too, Brendan) and he kept waiting in
lines for panels that he ultimately failed to get into, and he “didn’t see
anything but overpriced crap” on the floor. Well, then. Comic-Con is not for
everyone. I doubt he'll be back.
Stephanie - She's not a first-timer; she actually
used to go the Con circa 2004, so she was in for a bit of shock on her return.
She hated the lines, hated the disappearance of the booths she used to go to,
and felt the indie artist presence was too diminished and Hollywood too
pronounced for her to belong there anymore. She said she will be sticking to smaller Cons from now on.
Ryan and Katie - As a couple, they technically attended the Con, but spent most of their time going to Gam3rCon,
the Samsung party, other parties and Wooster. I’m including them because all of
that is part of Comic-Con, even if it’s not a typical first-timer’s experience.
They seemed disinterested in the Con proper, but loved everything they went to
and will “probably” go back next year.
Alex II - He is an aspiring
novelist who treated the Con like a giant workshop and networking event. He
went to a lot of the creative workshops and the Comic Creator Connection, which
he said didn’t really deliver for him. It wasn’t clear if that was because he’s
a novelist and not a graphic novel writer, or that event is a bit of a dud. All in all, he felt he got some good
advice and made some valuable connections.
And finally, today I met a first-timer who just shrugged and said "eh" when I asked her how she liked it and I also got an irate - I'd even call it livid - email from a guy who took his son as a birthday present and was just enraged by all the inefficiencies, delays and disappointments. I don't think people anticipate how stressful Comic-Con can be. Especially if you're used to controlling or dominating your environment, in which case the constant bowing down to other forces - long lines, security guards, scheduling conflicts - can feel like an outrage.
I only met two of my first-timers in person, but it's obvious that Con demographics are changing and people attend for widely disparate reasons. I was contacted by a huge number of writers this year, so many that I'm thinking of hosting a networking event for writers next summer. As far as all the nerd talk, the truth is that San Diego Comic-Con is more mainstream than ever. Granted, both "nerd" and "geek" have hopelessly elastic definitions at this point, but the idea of the Con as a giant bee hive of awkward fanboys is outdated. Yes, there are still plenty of eccentric people and others with odd social skills (like the guy who kept asking to borrow toenail clippers from other attendees at my airport gate) but Comic-Con now draws in people of all ages and interests. And I don't see that changing.
I hope you had a good time this year. I hope you'll be back next year. And on that note, I'll be posting in a few weeks - whenever we get ready to plunge down the rabbit hole of pre-registration and start the madness all over again.
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