How to Make Your 2021 DDP Entry Easiest for Organiser

[Grim Up North 3,725]

Hi everyone

 

The DDP 2021 has launched and having been through the entry process last time I know the things that take me time where you lot can help. 

 

If you can all spend a little time following these instructions on your own entries (maximum 3 to deal with) then you can all save me time on the 4 to 500 entries I will have to input.

 

Many of you provide a lot of helpful well intentioned detail in your entries with the plan that it makes my life easier but the reality is that because you have no insight to the process in actual fact it adds tasks that are unnecessary if you could present in a different way.

 

Format

Popular Misspells

Additional Information and best way to Provide

 

Ultimately (and I'm not after sympathy here) it took between 70 and 80 hours to input all the entries last year and if the DDP is to continue to find volunteers to do these tasks this process needs to become less time consuming - it may be that in the future we can find system process changes that will reduce the time required but they need to be free and right now we aren't there.

 

So please have a read of the posts below and try and follow the advice.

 

In each post I'll try and explain how the process works on my side so you understand why I am asking you to present your entry/check your spellings.

 

Cheers, GUN

 

PS For now I'm just going to post 3 more posts after this one to save the spaces for the explanations.

 

 

[Grim Up North 3,725]

Format of Entry

 

EDIT: An email has been sent out to all the email addresses on the DDP Database with an Excel sheet attached which is the preferred method of entry - all information required for entry of a team can be submitted on that form.

 

For anyone reading this who wants to enter this year and is happy to do so by excel but has not received the email with the excel form attached if you PM me with your email address I will send you the form.

 

 

FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD PREFER NOT TO USE THE EXCEL FORM THEN IF THE ADVICE BELOW COULD BE FOLLOWED THAT WOYLD BE APPRECIATED.

 

 

I need to turn all your entries into this format (names used for example purposes)

 

Previous Team Name (if name has changed)

 

If Theme Team What is Theme?

 

Team Name: XYZ are going to Die in Next 12 Months

 

Prince Philip

John Smith

Trevor Jones

Ian Roberts

Andrew Brown

Colin Black

Tony Collins

Shirley Gray

Anne Thrush

Deborah Peters

Sean Meakin

David Higginson

Lisa Purves

Barbara Hall

Simone Yates

Frank Baker

Barry Crowther

Boris Decker

Gary Hills

Bethany Richardson

 

Steven Morrison

Leroy Hanover

Ranjit Singh

 

Points to Note

 

No numbers - every single number I have to delete.

No email links - every single link added beside a name I need to delete (see next post though).

No extra information about who the picks are - every single additional piece of information added I need to delete.(see next post though).

Don't put a heading in for Reserves - just leave a one line gap - again I just need to delete this.

No Joker in brackets - the joker is the pick at the top of your list - why - because if you write joker I have to delete.

 

Only then do I have the names in the format when the database will recognise them.

 

If everyone submitted like that I reckon I would save about 4 hours (30 seconds an entry) and maybe double that.

 

A small difference for each of you making a huge difference to me.

[Grim Up North 3,725]

Additional Information and Best Way to Provide

 

Lots of you provide lots of information - you are very proud of your picks or they are obscure and you want to make sure we know who they are and that we select the right John Smith. Some of the information provided on the picks is really interesting and on the theme teams is often what makes the theme team interesting and relevant - all part of the fun.

 

So simply replicate all that information including duplicating the names and include the numbers 1 to 20, joker, if you want below the information in the format that I actually need to convert it to. Alternatively just a note about any specific celebrities that you want to clarify or provide details for.

 

That way I get what I need with little effort from you and yet the information that needs passed on and referred to sometimes is still present in your entry.

We do use this information so it is useful and appreciated I just need the very basic data separated from it. 

[Grim Up North 3,725]

Popular Spelling Mistakes and How to Present Certain Names the DDP Way

 

Basically for a pick to be recognised by the DDP database every name needs entered in a uniform way. So every spelling variation away from this needs amended whether a simple spelling mistake or the fact that there are sometimes many variations of writing the same persons name.

 

Qaboos etc last time was a classic where there were about 20 variations of entry and all needed converted to one name. 

 

Now I can't address the new names this year because that is sharing information from people's picks but I think it is reasonable to share the correct DDP way that matches the Database for some very popular historical picks as follows:-

 

Prince Philip - note one L

Queen Elizabeth II - not The Queen or Queen Elizabeth or Elizabeth Windsor

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI - this is one of those that has so many variations but this is what they all get changed to

 

 

 

 

I'll add to this list as I start going through entries and remind myself - it's only the popular names that make a difference - each of you taking time to spell basic names correctly though does save me time on each entry.

 

As above to do this for your entries means doing the checks 3 times, but if nobody does I'm doing 400 times.

 

Names not being recognised, checking the databases for the correct spelling, finding the correct spelling, amending probably takes a similar amount of time to the changing of the format so again could be 30 seconds per team on average. Another 4 hours.

 

I think with a little bit of cooperation we could take 10 hours out of the team entry process which would be massive for me.

 

All terribly boring I know but thanks if you have taken the time to read and doing your best to help.

 

Cheers, GUN 

 

 

[YoungWillz 21,044]

Damn!

 

Revealed my Barry Crowther pick!

 

(Not really!)

[Spade_Cooley 9,525]

For the "misspelled names" entry, the numerous ways Pope Benedict is typed was my biggest problem.

[msc 18,444]

I think we're all glad Shivakamura Swanjii never made the Drop 40. But yes, every little help to the part of the team actually coding your teams into the game engine helps!

[Joey Russ 7,227]

You’re just glad you weren’t around for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. Apparently themaninblack had to deal with over 50 spellings of his name. 

[Grim Up North 3,725]

Whoever pinned this - THANKS!

[YoungWillz 21,044]

Because of the format you want entries in, I'm going to change my normal submission.

 

I'd normally stick all three teams in one email, but if I'm to do it by essentially providing two lists for each team that's just going to be a monster and most likely junked or bounced.

 

Nearly there, just have to tweak the Theme teams. I always find submitting early during the quieter period leads to a perfect result on the DDP page of celebs. Later it's left you get the double entries and/or the wrong person being revealed (e.g. instead of a singer, you've got some obscure Chelsea footballer who was previously picked in 2009)!

[Toast 16,140]

Theme teams can be fun, but I think one is enough.

[Grim Up North 3,725]

1 hour ago, YoungWillz said:

Because of the format you want entries in, I'm going to change my normal submission.

 

I'd normally stick all three teams in one email, but if I'm to do it by essentially providing two lists for each team that's just going to be a monster and most likely junked or bounced.

 

Nearly there, just have to tweak the Theme teams. I always find submitting early during the quieter period leads to a perfect result on the DDP page of celebs. Later it's left you get the double entries and/or the wrong person being revealed (e.g. instead of a singer, you've got some obscure Chelsea footballer who was previously picked in 2009)!

 

We've actually just trialled a prototype email entry sheet - not sure why we hadn't tried it earlier - I'll be emailing it out to all tomorrow or Saturday - if you don't like excel then you don't have to use it but just thought I would let you know. In the trial it has performed admirably .

[YoungWillz 21,044]

Excel is poison to me! 

 

Never understood it.

[msc 18,444]

1 hour ago, Grim Up North said:

 

We've actually just trialled a prototype email entry sheet - not sure why we hadn't tried it earlier - I'll be emailing it out to all tomorrow or Saturday - if you don't like excel then you don't have to use it but just thought I would let you know. In the trial it has performed admirably .

 

If it helps, the guinea pig in the trial was me, whose tech skills are so low my computer does actually say no!

[The Old Crem 3,596]

On 01/12/2020 at 17:42, Grim Up North said:

Additional Information and Best Way to Provide

 

Lots of you provide lots of information - you are very proud of your picks or they are obscure and you want to make sure we know who they are and that we select the right John Smith. Some of the information provided on the picks is really interesting and on the theme teams is often what makes the theme team interesting and relevant - all part of the fun.

 

So simply replicate all that information including duplicating the names and include the numbers 1 to 20, joker, if you want below the information in the format that I actually need to convert it to.

 

That way I get what I need with little effort from you and yet the information that needs passed on and referred to sometimes is still present in your entry.

We do use this information so it is useful and appreciated I just need the very basic data separated from it. 

To prevent the emails being too long would it be easier if after the list we only repeat names we have to clarify eg

 

Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II

Tom Smith

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Michelle Williams

 

# Tom Smith (Rugby player born 1971)

# Michelle Williams ( Actress born 1980)

[Grim Up North 3,725]

5 hours ago, The Old Crem said:

To prevent the emails being too long would it be easier if after the list we only repeat names we have to clarify eg

 

Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II

Tom Smith

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Michelle Williams

 

# Tom Smith (Rugby player born 1971)

# Michelle Williams ( Actress born 1980)

 

Yes of course that is all that is required but one team per email is also nice and tidy for me. I just said the list the whole team thing because some people can't count. Based on last year I can expect to receive a handful of entries with numbers beside the names where there are still not 20 names - if you can think of something to make a submission wrong then there is someone out there in our community who will find a way of doing it 

 

I've edited the advice to reflect your comment. Thanks.

[Grim Up North 3,725]

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT ALREADY ENTERED THE 2021 DDP I HAVE JUST EMAILED OUT AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET WHICH CAN BE USED AND HAS BEEN TESTED TO EASE THE PROCESS.

 

I've amended the advice in the second post of this thread to take account of that.

 

For anyone reading this who wants to enter this year and is happy to do so by excel but has not received the email with the excel form attached if you PM me with your email address I will send you the form.

 

Cheers, GUN

[Joey Russ 7,227]

1 hour ago, Grim Up North said:

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT ALREADY ENTERED THE 2021 DDP I HAVE JUST EMAILED OUT AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET WHICH CAN BE USED AND HAS BEEN TESTED TO EASE THE PROCESS.

 

I've amended the advice in the second post of this thread to take account of that.

 

For anyone reading this who wants to enter this year and is happy to do so by excel but has not received the email with the excel form attached if you PM me with your email address I will send you the form.

 

Cheers, GUN

Alright, sent in my counterculture theme team in the spreadsheet to be a test dummy of sorts. For those wondering, the team is exactly the same as last year except the late Michael McClure gets replaced by the other Smothers Brother (the first one only got in due to the unfortunate demise of Ram Dass)

[msc 18,444]

6 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

Alright, sent in my counterculture theme team in the spreadsheet to be a test dummy of sorts. For those wondering, the team is exactly the same as last year except the late Michael McClure gets replaced by the other Smothers Brother (the first one only got in due to the unfortunate demise of Ram Dass)

 

You might remember him from such DDP hits...

 

My great moment of inspiration for the year in the DDP obits. Well, that and Steiner Decliner which went over the heads of nearly everyone...

[Grim Up North 3,725]

8 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

Alright, sent in my counterculture theme team in the spreadsheet to be a test dummy of sorts. For those wondering, the team is exactly the same as last year except the late Michael McClure gets replaced by the other Smothers Brother (the first one only got in due to the unfortunate demise of Ram Dass)

 

 Thanks Joey - you'll actually be Live Test Dummy 2.

 

In fact that's your team successfully entered in about 3 clicks (helped by the fact all the picks had been selected before). I am struggling to contain the excitement - early days but this could transform the entry process - if we only have to worry about name mismatches and new selections in the year then this starts being a manageable process.

 

EDIT: I DON'T REALLY WANT THIS THREAD TO GO BEYOND ONE PAGE SO PERHAPS PM ME IF YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ENTRY PROCESS.

[msc 18,444]

Just now, Grim Up North said:

 

 Thanks Joey - you'll actually be Live Test Dummy 2.

 

In fact that's your team successfully entered in about 3 clicks (helped by the fact all the picks had been selected before). I am struggling to contain the excitement - early days but this could transform the entry process - if we only have to worry about name mismatches and new selections in the year then this starts being a manageable process.

 

Yeah if this works it'll cut the entry time per team down by...about 80% or so.

[the_engineer 1,415]

On 01/12/2020 at 19:37, Joey Russ said:

You’re just glad you weren’t around for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. Apparently themaninblack had to deal with over 50 spellings of his name. 

 

Me spelling his name as 'wanker from Libya' was apparently 'incorrect'. 

[the_engineer 1,415]

On 03/12/2020 at 16:25, Toast said:

Theme teams can be fun, but I think one is enough.

 

Theme teams are alot like women.

[Toast 16,140]

3 hours ago, the_engineer said:

 

Theme teams are alot like women.

 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

I’d  love to help out but I work 98% on my iPhone and I didn’t bring my laptop to the UK and the plug doesn’t fit anyway .  So it’ll be lists and lists only from SirCunto.  Many apologies in advance.