Deror, so sorry to hear about your experience with the tours. This is what I was afraid of with the local DC organizing crew, and hopefully they will make adjustments as Wikimania ramps up to the full conference days.

I'll do what I can to put tell James Hare and folks to step up their game. 

Even though I'm not part of the team, DC is my town of birth and Wikimania is close to my heart, so it saddens me when things start off badly for participants who have travelled so far and made such specific plans.

Regards,
-Andrew


On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 12:43 PM, Deror <deror_avi@yahoo.com> wrote:
The conference tours suffered from lack of organization from the beginning. The tours were poorly organized, badly publicized, not properly described etc.

I have signed up to the NARA conservation lab tour. The description of which included two meeting points - a block apart from each other (one on Pensilvania ave and one on constitution avenue) both of which were wrong - the group met elsewhere resulting in a delay trying to find the participants.

The tour description listed that a photo ID is required and an official one - government one. I thought a driving license (sufficient for driving in the US) with a photo ID suffices but no. After having passed security checks (checking bags and detectors as in airport) And having to wait a bit longer, I was informed that only a passport is acceptable, and denied entrance to the tour, thus waiting a full hour and a half (traveling and waiting) due to the fact that the tour organizer is clueless.

I am not blaming the security staff there- they have their regulations, and need to follow them. But how hard would it be for the organizers to do simple basic homework and ask what is required for a foreign tourist to enter.

And I was not the only wikipedian disallowed from entering, Osama was also kept out.

My recommendation to you all - if this tour is any indication - do not bother to go on any other tours.

Deror




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-Andrew Lih
Associate professor of journalism
USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism
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