New rule for writers on Theme Park Insider

This one has to do with the ownership of ideas, concepts and designs posted to the site.

I've added a new section to our Rules for Writers page, which lists the conditions that apply when you post content to ThemeParkInsider.com, including the discussion board or front-page blog.

This makes site-wide the condition I imposed on our recent blog post about Knott's Berry Farm, where I wrote:

I hate that creative designers at theme parks feel that they can't read fan discussions on the Internet for fear of being sued should they do something similar to what a fan suggested. So here's the rule at Theme Park Insider: Take our ideas, please.... We suggest things because we want to see them happen, not because we want to get paid.

So here's the new rule for content on the site, as it appears on the Rules for Writers page:

No ownership of suggestions

Theme Park Insider readers abandon any claim on ownership of any plan, concept, idea, suggestion or proposal for theme parks and other themed entertainment attractions posted to this site. We wish for theme park managers and designers to be able to read and consider suggestions posted to ThemeParkInsider.com without fear of being sued should they develop something similar to an idea posted on the site.

By posting to the site an idea, concept, plan or suggestion for a themed entertainment attraction or operational procedure, you are agree not to seek any compensation or acknowledgement from any theme park or entertainment attraction that might implement a similar idea or concept. Readers that are unwilling to accept this condition should not post to the site any suggestions, ideas, concepts or plans for themed entertainment attractions or operational procedures.

I understand the many readers have enjoyed posting ideas for attractions, and I hope that continues. But I also want people from the many theme park companies and design firms that visit Theme Park Insider from time to time to feel free to read those ideas and suggestions, without legal fears. The only way that happens is if readers agree to give up ownership of those specific ideas when they post them.

Robert, you may want to add a caveat that the ideas, concepts, and plans in the writer's posts are the writer's own thoughts and are not a verbatim reproduction of another's work.

Tim,

I think that's basically covered in a previous section of the rules, which bars plagiarism.

Whoops! Looks like I'm on the last row again so I can beat the crowds out of the parking lot.

Now if you would just address the quality of the writing being posted. Everyone makes mistakes, but some almost seem to take pride in poor grammar, misspellings and lack of punctuation. If they are too young to know how to compose an intelligent comment or question, they are too young to be posting in here. It is making the discussion sections of this site look shabby and second-rate.

I thinkie I AGREE Wit Jimmy… We need more pre-fessional Riters up in Hare..
Hahhahaah

But I like the disclaimer Mr. Robert… I am sure some Theme park folks do read here, when I posted a thread thanking SeaWorld for letting my nephew (who graduated Boot camp) in for free, we got a response from a person from SeaWorld..

Basically we are allowed to post ideas just not say we have owner ship to it right?

Manny used a punctuation mark!!! Hooray!!! ;)

Yeah yeah I did let's just get back to theme parks please

You can post whatever idea you dream up... it's just that if a park were to actually build something that sounded like, looked like or reminded you of that idea, you would have no right to sue the park or demand any compensation from the park since you would have given up ownership of the idea by posting it on TPI.

I know they read the sites, but mostly for reviews over ideas. But I'm sure they do come across some good idea.

While I can appreciate the disclaimer, in the event of a lawsuit, the designer must prove that he got it from Themeparkinsider and not anywhere else. This would be impossible.

With vague verbal discriptions only, I doubt any lawsuits are going to happen. If there were detailed drawings etc that's different. However, I think Robert's intentions were to freely share ideas to improve situations at the theme parks, not so much ideas for rides or shows. Who would care where the idea to improve food came from?

Although I think ideas should be free, there's a degree of concern regarding idea-poaching. It my idea, in its entirity, gets stolen (and I appreciate the interpretations), I believe I have the right to claim a share of the monies bestowed.

It's all about respect.

@Skipper Adam

How do you know lawsuits will not happen when this thread was written to avoid such an occurence? Maybe the lawsuits wasn't going to happen so the disclaimer was merely written to encourage participation of professionals. But this takes away the rights of the professionals so why would they want to participate?

I am good with the new rule. As many of you already guessed, most of my "ideas" are obviously stolen, and there's really nothing new under the sun, anyway. If an imagineer-type wants to run with something I post, have at it!

In the spirit of this new rule, I offer the following idea completely free of charge and heartily encourage its use: if you ever build a highly themed, narrative attraction and the main thematic, animatronic element breaks down, then by all means FIX THE DARN THING ALREADY!!!

If I see one ... damn ... hippo added to any attraction ... I'm going to go Gloria Allred on someone's butt!

I also believe alot of theme park companies (especially Disney) have their employees sign away any ownership for ideas. Similar to the rule you mentioned.

Good rules Robert!

Lauren, your concern about ideas being "stolen" is exactly why things like patent laws, copyright laws, and non-disclosure agreements exist. So that you can protect ideas from being stolen.

If you are not careful to protect your ideas, you don't have much legal recourse if they are stolen. So don't post them on a public website!

I can attest to the fact that Imagineers do read this site. No, I am not an imagineer. But a couple years back, when the Disney lot hosted "Imagineering Week" for employees, and Imagineers presented some confidential upcoming plans for new attractions to a room full of employees, info from that meeting leaked onto this site and so the Imagineering honchos nixed any plan to ever have that Imagineering Week again...too much of a risk of info leaking out...so, yes, they are well aware of Robert's site. So we should DEFINITELY post our ideas to them.

I would imagine the USF and Disney people take quite an interest in this site. Where else do see an ad for both Disney and USF on the same page? The sign above Mythos reads "Source - Theme Park Insider". I was like "Hey, I sort of know that guy".... :)

Robert :
Maybe you should add :

" unless the person writing on TPI has already patented his design and is merely publishing his/her idea on TPI for some quality feedback".

If that ever was the case, however unlikely, then it would still need clarification.

Rob,

I think it safest not to publish any patented ideas on the site, unless you note on the post that the idea is patented. Under this policy, the assumption will be that any suggestion or plan is free for the taking.

Let me be ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ... If ANY theme park ANYWHERE adds a single HIPPO to their attractions ... My attorney Lionel Hutz (who [believe it or not] has his own Wikipedia page) will be on you like stink on a monkey!

(Please Note: Any reproduction or re-boradcast of this post without the expressed, written permission of Thcreative and/or Major League Baseball is prohibited ... Void where prohibited by law ... Strike cover before closing ... Employees must wash their hands after using the bathroom … Don’t Talk about ‘Fight Club’).

And by the way, I also claim all rights to any theme park attraction based upon 'Fight Club.'

Lionel Hutz is great, but the Hyperchicken lawyer on Futurama is my favorite.

I think that us teens are the future I think that Disney ( and this counts with any park) wants to listen to the teens or kids as gallgher says they don't just want to listen to adults Disney has a thousand kids with there parents at each of the parks so the teens or kids come more than adults that just come by themselves or with an adult so can anybody testify to that nuff said

Manny said: " Disney ( and this counts with any park) wants to listen to the teens or kids as gallgher says"

The words you're putting in my mouth are really tasty. If you can demonstrate where I said that, I'll eat them. And maybe one of these days, you'll spell my name correctly. It's certainly visible on the site.

Geez here's your stinking name gallagher Gallagher there you happy!!!!

Manny, I think Mike is just trying to encourage you to try harder, he's not trying to hurt your feelings.

Instead of,

Geez here's your stinking name gallagher Gallagher there you happy!!!!

Mike would like to see:

Jesus, here is your stinking name: Gallagher, Gallagher! There, are you happy, now?

That's all.

And TH, I hesitate to even say this, but, "I want you to hit me as hard as you can..." =)

The encouragement seems pointless, James, since some of our younger posters have decided that their grammatical incoherence is everyone else's problem, not theirs. It's kind of a sad statement, if you ask me. Rather than try to rise to an adult level of conversation, they'd rather blame their age or their technical ineptitude for their inability to communicate.

I am Jack's complete lack of grammar...

Nice, Rupert. TH is going to send you a cease and desist letter.

Thank you, James :)

The real situation that we have here is this: Professional adults will only listen to people who also come across professionally. There is a very good reason why most sports leagues have rules that require the team members to wear a suit and tie to a game, it is so people will treat them as professionals and not the mindless slabs of gristled meat that everyone thinks they are. In a world, particularly the internet, where perceptions are realities, if you come off sounding like a moron, people will assume that you are a moron. Back to the celebrity analogy, when a young Hollywood starlet walks down the street followed by the paparazzi looking like a lady of negotiable affection, the perception is that she IS a lady of negotiable affection. If the same young starlet walks down the street wearing a business suit, we all think that she is extremely intelligent and on her way to bigger and better things. In the world of the internet, your skill at writing is your suit of clothing, you can either choose to dress up like a businessman or like a pauper, it is your choice, but this perception is your reality.

To get back to Manny’s comment about these huge companies wanting to listen to kids and teens, these billion dollar corporations will not let you into their lobby if you are not dressed in a suit and tie, extremely polished, and well-spoken on whatever idea you happen to have for them. These are people who earn thousands of dollars an hour and do not have time to waste with someone who cannot at least pretend to be respectful of them. No matter how good your idea is, if you wrap the idea in last week’s fish-stinking newspaper, then they will not get past the initial appearance to see the good idea underneath. This is a great lesson to learn for your life: if you want what someone else has, show them the respect they think they deserve and you are halfway to your goal already. To every job interview you go to, wear a suit and tie, even if it is just a McJob. If you show up in a suit a tie to a McJob, they will usually hire you on the spot. If you are looking to get hired by a professional company, if you don’t show up in a suit and tie, don’t bother even going to the interview.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that there is a certain amount of decorum that professionals expect. As Theme Park Insiders, many of us have worked at the parks or done massive amounts of research on these parks to make ourselves experts in this field. Now while anyone is allow to join in on the conversation here, there is a certain amount of respect that many of us have earned through hard work in the very places that you seem to like visiting and talking about. The reason why people are tending to get irritated with unformatted, poor grammar, and poorly spelled posts is because it shows a lack of respect that many of us feel that we have earned.

If you want to talk to professionals, you will need to act like a professional or suffer their wrath.

If you want people to think of you as a “stupid kid”, then that is also your option, and the perception will become the reality, whether it is true or not.

Please keep in mind that we understand if mistakes are made, just like I am sure that in this long rambling of a post, I have made some errors. The important thing is that I made a valiant attempt at fixing my errors before posting. Speaking for myself and only myself, if the problem is really that a person’s skill level in writing is not very good, I would be more than happy to help out and assist someone with their posts. Click on my name and send your post privately to me and I will make suggestions for how to fix it up. In this country in this day, if you cannot write with a certain amount of expertise, you may be stuck with a McJob and no route to greener pastures.

If the problem with some of these poorly assembled posts is laziness, I would implore the poster to take a moment to think hard about how they want to be perceived. Also keep in mind that repetition is the key to success in any endeavor you take on. Writing is one of those skills where practice makes perfect and it will get easier as you exercise your writing muscle until the point that it takes effort to write bad posts (see any Ranting Henry post for an example, they take me three times as long as a regular post).

So to sum up the above rambling mess in just a few words: respect to me equals respect to you.

Jeff: Clap. Clap. Clap.

Well said, well written, and hopefully well read by some who shall remain nameless at the moment.

I know my facts about theme parks I look at theme parks everyday I announce theme park stuff to people and my family I'm not saying that kids are smarter than adults I have respect for adults and no I am still learning grammar so please be a little more kind k

Not one spelling error (unless we count the shortened form of "okay!) Good work, Manny!

I've realized I've let this back and forth with Mr. Rodriguez get a little out of hand, and am probably coming off as petty and nitpicking.

So I have reached a solution to this impasse. If I see the name "Manny Rodriguez" at the top of a post, I will simply be disinclined to read it.

Mr. Gallagher writes: " ... and (I) am probably coming off as petty and nitpicking."

I Respond: No. Not "probably."

Jeff Elliot writes: "If you want to talk to professionals, you will need to act like a professional or suffer their wrath."

I Respond: Apparently Jeff believes theme park job interviews are conducted by Conan the Imagineer.

Wow, Jeff. Long winded much?

I didn't realize you were doing those Henry posts. Those things almost made me quit coming to this site. Way too similar in tone to that kid a few years back (Ryan something?) who kept equating Cedar Point to heaven.

After today's unceremonious beat down, tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of one young boy's life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.

I mean, it's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.

After all this is your life and it's ending one minute at a time, so why not make them quality minutes?

Thank you mr rao for your kind advice but I'm homeschooled so I have all the time in the world yipeee more tpi for me

Perhaps you should spend less time in Theme Park Insider and more time studying English, concentrating on punctuation and the use of capital letters. TPI is fun, but education is much more important. Please reread what Jeff wrote- he is really a very, very smart guy and what he wrote is absolutely true. I know Jeff well enough to know that he didn't spend that much time writing that many good suggestions unless he thought that it could give you some good advice and help you in the future.

Omg are you even listening I. Do my. Work understand yeah your an adult but you know more than me so you can't just judge me on my grammar Im in stinking 7th grade your in well how do I put this well our an adult!!!! I do my work before I even touch my iPhone to get on this site this stupid grammar thing has been goin for 2 months could we just forget about it!!!!

Interesting. My wife homeschools our kids and none of them ever seem to have time for "fun". At least, that is what they tell me. Perhaps they are just sneaking downstairs and checking out coasters and theme parks instead of doing their readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmetic??! Maybe that's why they have so much after-school work??!!!

That's it! The beatings will now begin! Fight Club is taking it to the streets! TH... I still want you to hit me as hard as you can, and soon!

Hmm small world!! Dear mr rao if you check my last post I do not touch my phone to get on tpi until I get all of my work done I have three or four hours of school so nobody can't say that I do not do my work

Does anyone in here also go to Star Trek sites? If so, do they have access to a Universal Translator? It might help with trying to understand mr rodriguez and his language. Yes, I left out the capital letters intentionally, like I suspect he does. Perhaps if he would stop being so darn proud of his unintelligable postings and stop making up excuses (like when he claimed that his phone can't post capital letters), we could try to tolerate it- but I doubt he will. Perhaps he believes that the world ONLY communicates with Twitter and texting. Maybe in his world, but not in the real world. Welcome to reality, Manny. Something tells me that you aren't going to like it.

I like the new rule. This isn't something like an Intranet, or some private website where only members can read things, so it makes sense that ideas on here are public.

And I'm usually grammar police with my friends, but on websites? I'll just ignore those posts... welcome to the real world. If you can't communicate, then life will be tough.

You guys think your Obama you guys think that you can do anything if I can't post something with out people on me like fly on crap then maybe I should leave or jus. Ignore people that cant take my info and leave me the crap alone message to anybody who has a problem with my grammar leave me alone !!!!!! Or just be kind I don't know maybe pick on people your own size and stop picking on teens I want to stop this stupid grammar problem geez first time I was on tpi people were kind to me now it's like the metric system everything you used to know BOOM Gone!!!!

The word YOUR shows possession, as in the following, "please read your school books."

Conversely, YOU'RE is a contraction, a combination of two words, you and are, as in the following, "you're not spending enough time on your studies."

I like you Manny and have no issue with you being a part of my favorite website. I would just humbly request you try a little bit harder to clearly communicate what it is you're (you + are) trying to share, so I can enjoy the discourse with you.

My apologies if anything I have written has unintentionally offended you. We all make mistakes in our writing, that's not the issue, just work with us, bro, that's all we ask!

Than you for your kind words mr rao how do I put this you are not mean when you try to give someones idvice I will improve so I can join with the clan

Hee hee... the clan welcomes you into the fold. =)

Now put down that iPhone and go outside and play football. Don't waste your Saturdays inside like us grizzled, old farts!

Actually I live on a farm so there is much to do some times you need to take a chill when you fees
A bunch of cows a bunch of chickens and 2 horses and I just got back from football so I want to chill for a whiles

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