[penguicon-general] Big first names on nametags

[roxanne at narbat.com]

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [penguicon-general] Big first names on nametags
> From: Wolfger <wolfger at gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, June 27, 2007 5:42 am
> To: penguicon-general at penguicon.org
> 
> On 6/27/07, Seth <sethb at panix.com> wrote:
> 
> > I have better ways to spend Penguicon than asking 200 strangers who
> > they are.  That's what namebadges are for.
> 
> Well, now, I guess that really is the heart of the question:
> What are name badges for? Or, more to the point, *who* are they for?

Namebadges have two main purposes. At large cons, such as the huge Anime
fests and DragonCon, they serve as your ticket. If you have one, you get
access to the venue. That's true at Penguicon as well. Your name is on
the badge so as to identify you as the person who bought the ticket.
There are periodic discussions of replacing the namebadge with a modern,
washable wristband, but at Penguicon, we'd still want the namebadge. 

At the small cons, there's an effort to promote a sense of community. We
want people to recognize and talk to each other. At events where any
person is likely to meet twenty or fifty new people, it's helpful to all
to have the name in large, friendly letters on the namebadge. (I
remember long ago not recognizing a Famous Author in an elevator,
because he wasn't wearing a namebadge. How was I supposed to know what
he looked like?) These days, it's more how to recognize people from
LiveJournal or other blogs, where there is no real identifying
information other than the blog itself. 

That's what namebadges are for: Part security, part social interaction.
That second purpose means that Your Name in Large Friendly Letters is
good. 

Roxanne Meida King
roxanne at narbat dot com