Eventlink

[Freddy]

One of the states I work in has schools and assigners who have begun using an assigning program called Eventlink. Anybody else have experience with this service? I'm finding that it doesn't seem to be much of an official-friendly program. Want to find out from others if there's some process in it I don't know about yet. Thanx in advance for your response, if applicable.

[JRutledge]

Having the same issue. It is a horrible site honestly. I only have one game listed out of about 5 I have from Indiana.

And trying to put in blocked dates is extremely silly as well. Ho win the world are you going to list every date individually when certain dates like Fridays and Saturdays are almost entirely closed at this time.

This is a cluster.

Peace

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

. . . How in the world are you going to list every date individually . . .

That's the issue I'm having when doing blocks. Every single date needs to be done individually. Can't do anything like an all-day-block. This seems to be a program suitable for schools and PTA groups and bus drivers and janitors and volunteer organizations, not officials. Unless someone can inform me of what function I'm not noticing in the system. Our association down there is having a special pre-season meeting on the issue. Someone hoodwinked someone on this one.

[ilyazhito]

Why use stuff like Eventlink if there are well-known and reliable alternatives like Arbiter available? Even ZebraWeb is deficient compared to Arbiter (no ability to set different blocks for different associations). Is Arbiter too expensive for Michigan schools to use?

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Why use stuff like Eventlink if there are well-known and reliable alternatives like Arbiter available? Even ZebraWeb is deficient compared to Arbiter (no ability to set different blocks for different associations). Is Arbiter too expensive for Michigan schools to use?

Michigan is solidly vested in Arbiter. Indiana chose to go with Eventlink.

[ilyazhito]

OK. I knew that you were the trainer for Fruit Belt Officials Association, but I never thought that you would also be a reciprocal official in Indiana. Still, it makes coordinating schedules between the two states difficult if both associations use different systems.

Arbiter and BlueZebra are pretty expensive compared to alternatives like EventLink and rSchoolToday. It's all about saving the schools money, even if it means using crappier under-developed platforms.

[ilyazhito]

BlueZebra? What is that? I get that schools want to save a buck, but there is a reason why every NCAA sport's central hub is on Arbiter, as well as registration portals for many states, and many association assignment pages. It's because the stuff works, and works well.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

BlueZebra? What is that? I get that schools want to save a buck, but there is a reason why every NCAA sport's central hub is on Arbiter, as well as registration portals for many states, and many association assignment pages. It's because the stuff works, and works well.

It's another assigning portal. I've used it (as an official) -- it worked fine.

I don't think Arbiter works all that well for some officials with multiple groups, and "priorities' on which groups can override others, etc.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Why use stuff like Eventlink if there are well-known and reliable alternatives like Arbiter available? Even ZebraWeb is deficient compared to Arbiter (no ability to set different blocks for different associations). Is Arbiter too expensive for Michigan schools to use?

Originally Posted by Freddy

Michigan is solidly vested in Arbiter. Indiana chose to go with Eventlink.

Well, the problem is that Indiana is using 3 different sites for officiating. One is for their licensing or information which does not seem to do everything Arbiter did and the information is not accurate.

All my games in Indiana that I have received have been from Arbiter. I have not received any games from Eventlink. There is only one game listed on Everlink that I have been given.

The problem with Everlink is that if you have several of the same dates blocked out, you cannot just go on there and block them all out. Since Fridays are some of the most common days so if I want to block out every Friday in the season, there is no easy way to do that as it is with Arbiter and BlueZebra. And then the times are not "day blocks." I think the default setting is like 12:00 am to 12:00 pm which is not any time a game would be played. You have to go in almost every block and give the specific time, when you might have the same blocked times like on a Friday or when you know you do not want to make a specific day available at all. Everlink is clearly set up for schools and their events. Officiating is probably more regimented when it comes to out purposes as officials. This is really a silly nightmare as I this is only the second year I am licensed in Indiana.

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

BlueZebra? What is that? I get that schools want to save a buck, but there is a reason why every NCAA sport's central hub is on Arbiter, as well as registration portals for many states, and many association assignment pages. It's because the stuff works, and works well.

Actually, BlueZebra is used by several Division 1 conferences at least in the Midwest. Arbiter is owned by the NCAA and they use it for their training, but individual conferences use whatever they wish. I know the BIG Consortium primarily uses BlueZebra with their games assignments. Now I believe the postseason for the NCAA uses Arbiter. I work for a couple of college assignors that use Bluezebra. My other college assignor uses Arbiter, but he also assigns a lot of high school games as well and I think that is easier for him.

Peace

[ilyazhito]

OK. Have you noticed any advantages or disadvantages of BlueZebra compared to Arbiter?

I'm interested in knowing how you are able to officiate high school basketball in Indiana if Illinois suspended reciprocity several years ago. Or is it only out-of-state officials who cannot register with IHSA?

My comment about schools wanting to save a buck and Arbiter was more in reference to Eventlink and other low-quality scheduling websites, and why many associations and the NCAA shell out the money for Arbiter.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

OK. Have you noticed any advantages or disadvantages of BlueZebra compared to Arbiter?

I'm interested in knowing how you are able to officiate high school basketball in Indiana if Illinois suspended reciprocity several years ago. Or is it only out-of-state officials who cannot register with IHSA?

We are not talking about the financial services industry or a law license. You pay for a license, follow their requirements and they give you a license. This is not a highly regulated industry where states give a darn what other states you work in. Reciprocity is about taking things like your test scores or years of experience into account, possibly for playoffs or classification purposes. I know many officials in Illinois that work games in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky all because of where they live. I live right next to the border so I am closer to some Indiana schools than I am to many Illinois schools. I still have to take the test in both states and fulfill all their requirements. Not very hard to do.

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

My comment about schools wanting to save a buck and Arbiter was more in reference to Eventlink and other low-quality scheduling websites, and why many associations and the NCAA shell out the money for Arbiter.

In Indiana, Arbiter is used by the state office. They used it for licensing, testing, filing game reports (Ejections and technical foul reporting) for the most part. Illinois does not assign any games from the state level or association level like Indiana. Particular assignors can use any site they wish to assign games. In the Chicago area, we have the largest consortium of officials on Arbiter in the country as we have a site that about 20 different assignors use just in basketball use and if you live in this area, officials individually pay about 7.50 for the use of the site to be assigned games with almost every game in the northern part of the state. I even get some games from RefereeSchedule.com which is used in for Chicago Public Schools Games.

If I lived in other parts of the state, I might not get games from Arbiter at all. But Arbiter is the most popular assigning site used in basketball at least.

Everlink is used for some reason in Indiana for the first time this year because someone thought it was a good idea. For official's purposes, it is almost irrelevant to use at this point. This is also one of 3 sites used for some assigning purposes and I am under the impression some other sports use Everlink more than basketball. Everlink just is cumbersome for officials at this point.

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

...but there is a reason why every NCAA sport's central hub is on Arbiter, as well as registration portals for many states, and many association assignment pages. It's because the stuff works, and works well.

Not really. It is because the NCAA actually was part owner in Aribter when that all happened. It doesn't mean it was good. There are a lot of reasons people do certain things and it isn't always because it works well.