[Dev-sig] Please sign in...

[Emerson, Tom (*IC)]

Charles suggested doing this as a web app -- I hadn't considered that
before, but it makes some sense (anyone could then "sign in" from their
own laptop instead of queuing in line to sign in -- if we have a "live
feed", participants at home could sign in as well...)

To give you some background on the original, it basically showed a
"listbox" with everyone's name in it to begin with (remember, this group
paid dues, so the definition of "membership" was a bit more tangible)
There was an input box for you to type your name, which did a "quick
completion"/suggestion of the name(s) based on what you typed.  Once you
saw your name in the list, selecting-and-clicking it would place a
smiley-face icon next to the name to indicate "you are here".  Your name
was also written to a file to be used at the end of the meeting when
they drew raffle prizes -- names would be drawn from the file "at
random" according to the number of prizes to be distributed.

This guaranteed (roughly) a few things:

  -- you are "present to win" [unless you leave early...]
  -- you only have "one chance" at a prize [no stuffing the ballot box]
  -- only members were eligible for prizes [memberships purchased "on
site" would be added to the list as it was prepared...]
  -- and, since people like getting "stuff", it encouraged people to
actually sign in...

based on this, I'd like to keep these features:

  - the same "previously known attendees" list so returning members can
sign-in quickly
  - "and the winner is..." raffle/door-prize picker [goal for the year:
actually have prizes to distribute...]
    -- [which infers] some provision for (enforcing) uniform name entry
(to guard against multiple entries of the form "Tom Emerson", "Thomas
Emerson", "Tommy Emerson", "Emerson, Tom", etc...)

New features (that weren't needed for the other user group):

  - An area to enter e-mail or other secondary info for "new" attendees
(should only happen one time, after that, you're a "known attendee")
  - a "privacy setting" or selection [you can "post full info/just
name/count me as "anonymous" " when reporting on the website or a
newsletter]

Any other thoughts?