It's About Participation …
Posted by rajiv on 4 March 2009
As I’ve said before
As FIOFAFI is aimed at working adults and promoting health and fitness, I’m very accommodating of irregular participation or withdrawals due to work and social commitments, illness and injuries.
Ultimately however, FIOFAFI is about participation. I wouldn’t continue with scheduling regular sessions, other activities and this blog, if no one participated.
With this in mind, last month, I renamed “The Contact List” as “The Participant List”. I’m not looking merely to keep a list of contacts who may or may not be interested in sport, football or futsal. It’s about participation.
Since the start of the year, I’ve been adding everyone who plays in a regular session to the list. Currently, there is no other way to be added to the list.
Anyone added to the list will remain on the list as long as they play from time to time. It’s flexible. As described below, even playing only once in six months to a year might suffice to keep a participant on the list.
The Participant List still includes your year of birth, and states whether I have your e-mail address and contact number on file. If I don’t have these details, I’ll ask you for them. Since the end of January, I’ve also started including each participant’s nationality.
If you provide me with your occupation and the club you follow, I’ll add those too. I have the club followed for many of you. I’ll include it even if I pick it up from casual conversation. On the other hand, I’ll add your occupation only if you specifically provide me with it in writing (either by e-mail or on the blog). So far, only Boris and Neil have done so.
Since Andy M raised the issue, I’ll also add a column for ethnicity. Again, I’ll only include it if you specifically provide me with the information in writing (either by e-mail or on the blog).
Once you’ve been added on the Participant List, I’ll keep you there as long as you fall within any of the following:
- You participate in a regular session from time to time. If, at the end of a quarter, you haven’t played in that quarter or the preceding quarter (the end of that attendance period), I’ll remove you from the list. However, if I have your year of birth, e-mail address and contact number, I’ll keep you on the list for a further quarter. Therefore, you could go more than 9 months (and up to almost a year) without playing and still remain on the list.
- You comment on the blog (other than merely to confirm for a session) or participate in other FIOFAFI activity from time to time.
- You’ve been added as an author, and you add a new post at least once every three months.
- You’ve introduced someone within the last 12 months who has played in the current attendance period.
Apart from playing in a regular session, participating in other activities, contributing to the blog or introducing new people is participation as well.
Everyone on the Participant List whose e-mail address is shown as being “On file” will continue to receive the regular Updates and occasional Extras from me.
If you introduce someone new by e-mail, I’ll add them as guests to the Updates and Extras for a while or from time to time, until either it becomes clear they’re not going to play with us anytime in the near future, have no interest in FIOFAFI, or they ask me to remove their name. Once they play in a session, I’ll add them to the Participant List.
If anyone on the Participant List informs me that they do not want to receive the e-mail Updates or Extras anymore, I’ll take them off the mailing list, but they’ll remain on the Participant List as long as they meet any of the above criteria, or they specifically ask me to take them off the Participant List.
With effect from 1 April 2009 onwards, if anyone no longer meets the above criteria and is therefore no longer remains on the Participant List, or asks to be taken off the List, I’ll take them off the mailing list as well, but they can continue to follow what’s going on on the blog or through the Facebook group.
If they later come back to play, they’ll be added to the Participant List again, but the month they return will be shown under the column “First Participated”. They might also have to provide me with their details again, if I don’t still have them. 🙂
In the end, no one has to worry about any of this. It’s more for me, as I have to decide who to keep on in the Participant List when I review the list at the end of each quarter. As the list is about participation, I wouldn’t want too many people on the list who haven’t played for a long time.
The list will be re-made again on 1 April 2009.
… And Sustainability, And Fun « FIOFAFI said
[…] It’s About Participation … […]
rajiv said
Robin has been added to the Participant List.
Chris “confessed” to being a Liverpool fan after the session at The Cage last night.
rajiv said
I’m thinking of splitting the “Club Followed” column into two, one for the major or first club followed, and the other for the minor or second club followed. The minor or second club could be an S. League side, and it doesn’t have to be Geylang United. 🙂
End-Of-Week Stats: 6 March 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] It’s About Participation … […]
rajiv said
Ashwin has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Rafi has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Andy T has been added. That’s the fifth Andy we have on the Participant List.
James is a Hull City fan.
rajiv said
Rafi our first 1966-born participant. As part of his marriage vows, he is a Newcastle United supporter (our first).
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rajiv said
Din has been added to the Participant List.
Yuchi, could you let me have his contact details? Thanks.
jujing said
i want to join you.
The Last 7 Days: 22 March 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] Top Posts Schedule: Week Of 23 March 2009HomeCurrent ScheduleFIOFAFI’s Last Comic Standing, And Anakin SkywalkerIt’s About Participation … […]
rajiv said
After playing last night at The Cage, Jujing becomes our first PRC national.
He also becomes the second person (after Tristan in December last year) to find us through the internet.
rajiv said
Yaseen has informed me that “Jams” is a nickname for Jamil. His details have been added.
I’ll let him decide how he wants to be referred to when he comments.
rajiv said
Bringing someone who doesn’t know anything about FIOFAFI along to play in a session for the first time can be a bit of a hit and miss.
Apart from not knowing how good they are, they won’t know anything about the system, or the way we play.
Like I’ve said before, the simplest way to introduce someone new is to forward the regular e-mail Updates and occasional Extras to them, and copy me.
I can then add them to the e-mail Updates and Extras for a while, so that they can see what FIOFAFI is about, before they decide whether they want to play or not.
yaseen said
I think if someone introduces someone new its best that the person plays in the introducer team. The reason is to make the newbie feels comfortable and blend in gradually… Just a suggestion
rajiv said
I agree. I have been trying to do that.
yaseen said
Thats good Jiv.. Personally, thats what i prefer.. Thanks..
rajiv said
I’ve added Prabhakaran to the Participation List.
I’ll only add those who fill in for a late withdrawal or absentee if they are interested in playing with us on a regular basis.
rajiv said
Siva has been added to the Participation List.
rajiv said
Ryan has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Poh Keng has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Khanh has been added to the Participant List. He is our first US national.
I also finally have Julius H’s year of birth. 🙂
rajiv said
To simplify matters, the Participant List will comprise of every adult (21 and above) who has played with us at least once, and has played in the current or preceding one (if I don’t have their details) or two (if I have their details) quarters, has introduced anyone within the past year who has since played with us since, or has posted or commented on the blog (other than to confirm for a session) in the current or preceding quarter.
A reminder that:
• As this blog is public, full names, e-mail addresses and contact numbers have been suppressed on this Participant List. The full details are kept by me. Your e-mail address and contact number may be shared with the other participants in a session or for any other purposes related to this blog.
• If you are on the Participant List, but wish to be removed from the list, e-mail me to let me know, and I will take your name and details off the list.
Applying the above criteria strictly, Cahir and Nicolas should be dropped from the Participant List today (the start of a new quarter). However, I’ll leave them on the list for an extra quarter.
I have updated the Introducer Ranking to reflect that everyone who had played before 1 March 2009 is now listed as “Original” – a total of 30. As 6 of the 14 previously listed as having been introduced by me are now “Original”, the number shown as introduced by me has fallen to 8. Likewise, the number introduced by Collin has fallen from 9 to 4. Nick is now level with me, while Yaseen is level with Collin. Franco and Reza are level on 5.
Lukas joins Philipp on 3.
rajiv said
Lin Kang has been added to the Participant List.
Rankings: Second Quarter 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] Everyone who hasn’t played since the start of the preceding quarter (1 January 2009) drops out of the rankings – Andy C, Collin, Darius, Desmond, George, Glenn, Ian, Joe, Juha, Julius D, Kenneth, Ladi, Llion, Marc, Mike A, Pawan, Raj/Santi, Simon H, Sriram, Steve DuP, Swee Hoe and Yu Teik. However, they remain on the Participant List according to the separate criteria there. […]
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rajiv said
Dennis W replied to me by e-mail to say he’d like to be added to the Participant List, so I’ve done so.
As Tim C played the first 11-a-side game this year (on 17 January 2009), he’s back on the Participant List, now that that game has been included in the participation records. Anyway, he only turns 21 this year.
rajiv said
Charles, Garrett and John W have been added to the Participant List.
Gilbert is up to 4 on the Introducer Ranking.
The median age has fallen below 35 for the first time in ages. It is now 34.5.
E-Mail & SMS Communication: 8 April 2009 « FIOFAFI said
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rajiv said
Nathaniel and Yet Yen have been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
David has been added to the Participant List.
FIOFAFI Last Week: 12 April 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] also had 5 new participants last week – I would imagine that is the most in one week so […]
rajiv said
Khairul has been added to the Participant List.
Jye informs me that he was born in 1966, “same yr as cantona”. I suppose that makes him a Manchester United fan as well. 🙂
Adding Jye’s age pushes our median age back up to 35.
Summing Up Two And Three-Pointers « FIOFAFI said
[…] one need concern themselves too much with any of this. It’s all for fun, and to encourage participation, and doesn’t make much […]
Health & Safety - An Update « FIOFAFI said
[…] by rajiv on Tue 21 April 2009 Like I said before, we’re very accommodating of irregular participation or withdrawals due to illness and […]
The Last “I” « FIOFAFI said
[…] off. If you’re injured or ill, and need time to recover properly, take a few months, or even a year off. Sustainability here also means coming back to play when you’re refreshed and ready […]
rajiv said
Hairuddin has been added to the Participant List.
More Comings Than Goings « FIOFAFI said
[…] comment on the blog. No matter where you go, if you’re still commenting on the blog, you haven’t left FIOFAFI. The same applies to anyone who stops […]
rajiv said
Azmi, Weeliam and Mark T have been added to the Participant List.
The number of participants finding us through the blog has risen to 4. Hairuddin and Azmi make their entrance in the Introducer Rankings.
I learnt tonight that Andy P is a Reading fan.
rajiv said
Jens and Clemens added to the Participant List.
Sunday Evening At Turf City: 10 May 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] Shan, Vinash and Kevin are all under 21, they won’t be included in the Participant List or the player poll. Nor did they have to […]
rajiv said
Anthony and Peter added to the Participant List. Peter becomes the first person to join us at Turf City.
rajiv said
Vancino has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Heath has been added to the Participant List.
Although I said
I’ve put him in as “Original” since we didn’t have FAFI games in the first quarter.
rajiv said
Con and Mark N have been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Timmy, Ron and Mean Luck have been added to the Participant List.
Timmy becomes our second participant from PRC.
Sushil jumps up the Introducer Ranking.
rajiv said
Niel L and Steve B have been added to the Participant List.
As “Niel” and “Neil” are similar enough to cause confusion, I’ll refer to the “Neil” who has been playing with us for a while, and who introduced both Niel L and Steve B, as Neil M.
Barcelona Win « FIOFAFI said
[…] Mokhtar’s son had a very effective game, he’s not included in the poll as he is under 21. View […]
rajiv said
Melvin C, Mokhtar, Reagan, San Wok and Vincent N have been added to the Participant List.
San Wok becomes our first Korean participant.
The First “F” Is For “Fun” « FIOFAFI said
[…] Participation and sustainability keep FIOFAFI going. However, participation is more likely to be sustained if it’s fun. […]
FIOFAFI This Week: 31 May 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] filled 64 places in the above sessions, game and tournament, including a record 10 new participants in one […]
rajiv said
Balach, Chee Charn and Imran have been added to the Participant List.
Balach is our first Pakistani participant. Imran is our first Bangladeshi participant.
rajiv said
Ace, Feroz and Sivaraj have been added to the Participant List, to take it to 152.
The median age has fallen to 33.
rajiv said
Mat, Sam C, Tony, Simon R and Desmond T added to the Participant List.
FIOFAFI This Week: 14 June 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] 61, Tony becomes our oldest participant by […]
rajiv said
Danny has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Jeevan has been added to the Participant List.
Navigating The Blog: Pages, Posts, Comments, Links, Etc « FIOFAFI said
[…] comments count as “participation” for purposes of the Participant […]
rajiv said
Erik has been added to the Participant List.
rajiv said
Waqas has been added to the Participant List.
Participation: Third Quarter 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] Cahir and Nicolas, who should have been dropped at the start of the current quarter on 1 April 2009, but whose names I left on the list for an extra quarter. […]
Participants: 12 September 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] the blog has now “introduced” most people – 12. As has been the case since 1 April 2009, anyone who first played before 1 March 2008 is listed as […]
Scheduling: 17 November 2009 « FIOFAFI said
[…] FAFI showed that any regular participant could organize regular games, with Tom and Rajseran organizing the Monday night games at Turf City, […]
rajiv said
The Participation page had a link to the following, “[a] more general profile of our participants”:
This sub-page was written in August 2008, based on an earlier post. As it is out-dated, I have removed it.
The Participation page also had a link to participants’ contributions, a sub-page written on 21 January 2009:
As matters have moved on a lot since then, that sub-page has also been removed.
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