Henry/Bob Blog Agreement

[Bob Armstrong]

Henry/Bob Blog Agreement

Hi Henry:

As we discussed in 2018, for a number of years now, I have been posting my chess blog:

i) on my personal Facebook Account for my over 900 Fb friends from around the world (in English): https://www.facebook.com/bob.armstrong.9235;
ii) sometimes, under the past owner, on the now-yours national Canadian English chess discussion board, Chess Talk [CT] (https://forum.chesstalk.com/…/chesstalk-canada-s-chess-disc…);
iii) occasionally on other chess websites, such as that of FQE (Province of Quebec's Chess Association). That time the blog was posted in both French and English.

I also "re-post" my Fb blog:

i) on my Fb chess discussion group, Chess Chat - A Project of Chess Companions of Caissa, formed under my own personal account (https://www.facebook.com/groups/340524269771672/);
ii) my Scarborough CC tournaments Fb Blog to SCC's Fb Page (https://www.facebook.com/ScarboroughChessClub/).
iii) my Annex CC tournaments Fb blog to ACC's Fb Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/172335039452033/).

In the summer of 2018, you and I agreed that I would also re-post my Fb Blogs on CT - for both my chess club official tournaments (Scarborough CC & Annex CC), and my non-club weekend (Sometimes longer; sometimes shorter) tournaments, in which I played between Summer 2018 and Summer 2019. I have done that now. Our agreement expired after I blogged the 2019 Toronto Open. We also agreed to review the agreement in the summer of 2019, and perhaps renew it.

So.......would you like to renew our agreement for 2019-20? I have enjoyed re-posting my blogs here, and have had positive feedback.

Under a renewed agreement, I would:

a. Re My Club Play

i) re-post my current Scarborough CC and Annex CC tournaments' Blogs.

b. Re My Non-club Weekend & Longer Tournaments (Given my current schedule - from time to time, though, my life schedule may change so that I fit in a tournament not on my schedule, or may miss a planned one):


i) re-post the blogs of the following tournaments:

1. The 2019 Hart House Holidays Open – Toronto (December).
2. The 2020 Hart House Reading Week Open – Toronto (February).
3. The 2020 Quebec Open – if held in Montreal or close to it (July).
4. The 2020 Toronto Open (September).

It is a condition of mine that if I cannot get a blog posted by midnight of the day following the club tournaments, due to being busy, or due to some interference by my Bi-Polar Disorder, then I generally will cease trying to blog it. With respect to weekend tournaments, I am a bit more flexible, since schedules can be hectic.

Let me know if you wish to have me continue re-posting my blogging on your ChessTalk.

Thanks.

Bob A

[Francis Rodriguez]

Hi Bob,

As far as I am aware, Henry is away overseas, so it's possible you may not receive
a response for at least a week. What I do hear though, both from him and others,
is that your blog is widely read and enjoyed, so I would go right on and keep it up!


Francis

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Francis:

Thanks for the support ..... I have been fully expecting that Henry would be fine to renew our agreement, but it is his website, and I am a particular kind of repetitive user, so I do need to ask.

But I agree that in the interim, if he is away now, I can likely keep posting (status quo) until I directly hear from him.

So I will go ahead with my Annex CC Blog tonight/tomorrow for the third round of our End of Summer Swiss (Assuming I can get it done, since I leave for Spirits' Den tomorrow, and have some morning appointments; and SD is a computer/internet-free [Almost] zone).

Bob A

[Aris Marghetis]

Hi Bob,

As far as I am aware, Henry is away overseas, so it's possible you may not receive
a response for at least a week. What I do hear though, both from him and others,
is that your blog is widely read and enjoyed, so I would go right on and keep it up!


Francis

I agree with Francis, he's right, your blogging is very welcome!

And I still want to figure out a way to get you to Kingston 2020!!

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Aris:

Thanks to you also for your support.

As you know, I traditionally only schedule in 4 weekend or longer, non-club tournaments, since I play two times a week at a club (Once at Scarborough CC; once at Annex CC).

But that being said, my schedule is somewhat erratic, and from time to time, I get to work in an extra weekend tournament or two per year.....I do keep in my organizer all upcoming tournament dates (Wishful thinking, I guess) .......... so Kingston 2020 will be in the mix of "maybe???".

Also, I hope this "bounce" of the post may bring it to Henry's attention, since I'd still like his confirmation on my continuing on without him! LOL

Bob A

[Aris Marghetis]

Hi Aris:

Thanks to you also for your support.

As you know, I traditionally only schedule in 4 weekend or longer, non-club tournaments, since I play two times a week at a club (Once at Scarborough CC; once at Annex CC).

But that being said, my schedule is somewhat erratic, and from time to time, I get to work in an extra weekend tournament or two per year.....I do keep in my organizer all upcoming tournament dates (Wishful thinking, I guess) .......... so Kingston 2020 will be in the mix of "maybe???".

Also, I hope this "bounce" of the post may bring it to Henry's attention, since I'd still like his confirmation on my continuing on without him! LOL

Bob A

Good stuff Bob, I'll take the "maybe" for now! :)

[Omar Shah]

Hi Bob,

I'll be driving to Kingston. So you can hitch a ride with me.Offer valid until January 2020. Tick tock.

Regards,
Omar

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Omar/Aris:

What are the dates of Kingston 2020??

I just today bought my 2020 organizer, and I'm ready to put them in (In Pencil!!) as "Maybe" dates!!

Bob

[Aris Marghetis]

Hi Omar/Aris:

What are the dates of Kingston 2020??

I just today bought my 2020 organizer, and I'm ready to put them in (In Pencil!!) as "Maybe" dates!!

Bob

Hello Bob, for the next three years, Kingston Easter Chess will run from the Thursday evening before Good Friday, until the Easter Monday.

In 2020, that'll be April 9th through 13th. We should be opening registrations after the big Montreal (was Varennes) event in a few weeks.

All the best, Aris.

[Dark Knight]

Let me know if you wish to have me continue re-posting my blogging on your ChessTalk.

Thanks.

Bob A

Go for it, Bob!

Dark Knight

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Dark Knight:

Thanks - it has been fun re-posting my chess blogs here, and the no. of views in the first 24 hrs. is somewhat surprisingly high some blogs.

I've found that weekend tournament blogs tend to get higher viewership than my two club blogs (Scarborough CC and Annex CC). But in some ways the extent of viewership is not that relevant, since I am doing the blogs anyway, and it is not a lot of work (Though some editing time after copying/pasting) to "re-post" here.

But I may have to introduce a "caveat" into our new 2019-20 Agreement.

I am monitoring now the interest in the club blogs - if the interest in the club blogs really drops, and there is some indication (For ACC, at least) that it may be, given my last two ACC blogs, then I likely would stop them.......if there is really no ChessTalk members' interest.

The Scarborough Club, though lower than weekend tournaments, remained modest and steady from Jan. 1 to June 30 (When they close for July/August). I cannot play there this year 'til October. So then I will start re-posting that club blog here, and we'll see if it is suffering similar to the ACC club blog.

I must admit that my life is somewhat ordinary, with some interesting life wrinkles from time to time. So I think I should expect with respect to my "reality show" that over the years, many viewers may find the repetition of my chess day routines a bit less interesting, even though the technical chess part will always be an update and new material.

We'll see what Sept. to Dec. 31/19 bring in terms of ChessTalk viewership for both club blogs.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Henry:

Yesterday I posted a blog for the 5th and final round of the Annex CC swiss, the End of Summer. I hoped it might generate more interest than my two previous ACC blogs for this tournament, because it would be setting out the winners of the U 1800 section.

Unfortunately, in the first 24 hrs. (Which is how I measure interest, so long as the post is still on the first screen), the viewership has this morning been 1 view per hour. This is the lowest viewership I have ever had here for the first 24 hrs. of any Blog. I think it is clear that interest here on ChessTalk in the ACC Blogs has pretty much run its course. I don't think it is any longer worth the effort to re-post those blogs here.

And they can be found in three other Fb sites:

1. My own personal account: https://www.facebook.com/bob.armstrong.9235

2. The chess discussion group formed under my personal account, Chess Chat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/340524269771672/

3. The ACC's Fb chess discussion group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/172335039452033/

I think this decline in interest is not only because we are dealing with a Toronto club with a relatively modest membership, but also interest in the "my life" side of my blogs may also be running its course. But contrary to this last surmise, the Scarborough CC Blogs have had at least double the current ACC viewership in the first 24 hrs. And my non-club tournament blogs are still running at double that in late 2019. So perhaps the jury has only so far reported in on ACC.

I have enjoyed publicizing my ACC here on ChessTalk, and I hope those interested in our tournaments will make their way to one of the other sites mentioned above.

I will now monitor the SCC blogs, when I start there in October, and let you know if they suffer the same fate as ACC.

I had mentioned that this might have to be an amendment to our summer 2019 renewal agreement.......I just did not expect I would have to deal with it so soon.

I am quite happy re-posting my blogs here on ChessTalk, and hope that I can continue with the rest of them through to the expiry of our agreement in the late summer of 2020.

Thanks again for your support of my blogs, and my posting them on your discussion board.

Bob A

[Fred Harvey]

something else

[Henri Hughes]

I have always enjoyed your blogs bob, its nice to see the routine of other chess players as everyone has there own tournament routine and so on. I wish I had the time to do the translation for you perhaps when summer comes and I am not swamped in school
keep posting bob its entertaining!

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Henri:

I'm glad, despite the somewhat ordinariness, that you are still enjoying my "reality show"!

Don't worry about the translating for posting on the French Board - when you originally volunteered to translate my blog, you were very clear with everyone that there was a condition: subject to your schooling. This is a most legitimate condition.

If, in future, you do have some time to take a flyer at translating one individual blog, go for it - you have my encouraging permission!!

Thanks for your support.

Bob A