Beach Blanket Layout Party

[Anonymous]

Below is the invite I posted for my last layout party. This will be explained as your read further. I will be advertising in a number of forums, so apologises to those who bounce between many. You will see a thread I have included at the bottom of the invite to our last party so you can peruse at your own pleasure as you make up your mind whether to join in. I can say, that everyone in all the parties have had a good time.

This one will be called: Beach Blanket Layout Party.

Okay,
I know you're out there. Yeah you, and you, and you with the potato chip hanging off your lip and the half drunk coke sitting beside you...lol. I know you're not working on your layout as much as you hoped to. Well what I am proposing is a layout party for a 6 week period - a layout design self help group.

The purpose of the group is to encourage others to get out of their armchair and do some more work on the layout. And also to motivate you (and me) to do more work on our layout. I am hoping we can get a small group (but no one will be rejected) of people who will be committed to posting their work on the layout from the following week. This means for 6 weeks you are committed to posting once a week (or more – several did). We will of course congratulate those who work on their layout, and encourage those who haven't.

Rules:

1. Brief description of your layout to present, with what you want to accomplish in the next 6 weeks (don't make it grandiose is my recommendation).

2. Brief description of what you hope to accomplish in the next week.

3. A commitment to posting once a week describing what you have or have not done. It is important to report if you have "fallen off the wagon (not worked on the layout" so that we can see all are human here, and that we can encourage you). You can include pictures, problems you have encountered, get bragging rights around the cooler, etc. I’m looking for you to walk the walk, as well as talk the talk.

4. A commitment to not fudging your reply so that you look better than you are really doing. By joining this group, you are acknowledging already that you haven't worked on the layout as much as you know you should have. The idea here is for us to have some fun and act as an electronic round robin self help group. When I have others coming over to my home to help me build, I am more efficient because I have to plan and prepare, then work when they arrive. Well, this is the the internet round robin group, we may not be able to physically help you out, but we can support you and your efforts.

Many had a good time with this format. It was not uncommon to hear people say they had accomplished more work on their layout in the short time we ran the thread than they had in long time. Many posted pictures, asked questions, helped others, moaned about their problems, and encouraged others. I am including a threads to the last layout party if you want to check out what happened and what is expected out of you. I host this at www.trainboard.com in the “Layout Design” forum; I am one of the moderator there. Also trainboard has free Image hosting (picture hosting) so you might want to take advantage of that service.

Again, the title of the thread will be: BEACH BLANKET LAYOUT PARTY (here is the link):
http://www.trainboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/ubb/get_topic/f/33/t/000468.html?

If you have any problems joining trainboard or posting pics, let me know. And I will get some one to assist you.

To see an example of one party (Please don't post there) follow this link:

http://www.trainboard.com/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/33/t/000345.html

[philnrunt]

Rick- sounds like a great idea, I just wish I wasn't in the process of tearing down a layout. If you do this again in a few (weeks?months) I'll be glad to join in.
Sure hope others get with you.It IS a very good idea.

[egmurphy]

Rick,

I'm with Phil on this one. It sounds like a great idea and probably just what I need to kick start my layout. Unfortunately for me the timing is wrong as we'll be traveling for three weeks right in the middle of the project. But I wish you well on this one and I too would love to get in on the next party.

I agree that the pressure to post and show progress with your peers in the group can be a very effective incentive.

Best regards

Ed

[brothaslide]

Hey - Can Frankie and Annett come!

Groovey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

The party is at the link I have provided. I have thrown I think five of these parties now (usually twice a year) and they have been popular. I'm very active in the Atlas forum, but as many of you know it is down. Many at the Atlas forum asked me to do them there, but threads flow to quickly. Where this party is in a layout design forum, so it is easier to return to the thread. In a busy forum like here, you'd be searching for the thread about three days from now. I can see traffic is up on this forum with Atlas immigrants.

By the way, the commitment is for any length of time you can commit to. I am in the middle of a mild crisis with my 80 year old mother and so in my first commitment I said something like, well this week is a bad one for me, however over the 6 week period I am committed to do....

If tearing down your layout is getting you closer to your new layout, then commit to tearing it down and maybe working on a plan for a new one. If you like you can hand draw the plan, take a photo of it then have yourself or a friend of even where you get your photo's done, scan it to the internet. If you don't have a place to store your train and model railroad (only) pics, you can store them at trainboard in Railimages for free or a donation. Then we'll teach you how to post it to the layout design forum and you can get feedback on your new plan if you like.

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by brothaslide

Hey - Can Frankie and Annett come!

Groovey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny when I read that I thought........


WIPE OUT!!! na na na na na nannannnaaaaaa na na na nnaaaaaaana nanaaaaa na......

Not a good thing for a layout! Now I'll be humming that for the rest of the evening !!! Thanks[:(!]