Dropkick Studios

One of our most requested features is the ability for referees to file a report, report a score, or “confirm” they actually worked a game.

This feature is now live, and available for any site on a “Pro” plan or equivalent.

The initial implementation is pretty simple. Your referees will have a new top-level tab, called “Game Reports”. Once a game has occurred, the game will appear in this tab. The referee can click the “add a report” link, and the referee can:

• report the score
• indicate if there was game misconduct
• write a narrative/description/incident report
• indicate the referees that actually worked the game

This functionality is also available on the mobile version of assignr.com.

As an assignor, you also have a new top-level “Game Reports” tab, where you can see which games have a report or not.

For more information, check out our guide for referees, and our setup documentation.

Enjoy!

If you’ve logged into assignr.com over the past week, you may have noticed the announcement  about some problems we’ve had with delivering text messages to some phones on the US Verizon network. Based on what I’ve seen, I don’t believe this is a temporary problem that will just go away.

With many Spring seasons ramping up, I realize it is important to have reliable messaging for your referees and umpires.

The Solution

assignr.com can now use a service called Twilio for sending text messages. Twilio is a very reliable company specializing in text messaging and other telephony-related services.

For existing customers on the Pro plan (or any other feature-equivalent plan), if you would like to switch, I am planning on providing this service at cost.

How Much Will This Really Cost?

It depends on how many referees are signed up for text messaging, how many games you have, and how many referees are assigned per game.

Your base cost is $1 per month to “rent” a phone number. In addition, each message sent incurs a per-message charge. In the US and Canada, each message costs 1 cent.

To get an estimate based on your organization’s usage:

• click the Account link (top right corner of the screen)
• click the Estimate Costs for Twilio link

Based on actual usage data from all assignr.com customers, the average cost for US and Canadian customers is $8-$10 for 1,000 games, with most organizations paying less than $20 for 1,000 games.

Get Started

To enable Twilio:

• click the Account link (top right corner of the screen)
• click the Enable Twilio link

You must have assignor privileges to enable this feature.

International Text Messages

If you are located outside of the US and Canada, we can now offer text messaging service in your area! Twilio has a wide coverage area across the globe.

To enable Twilio on your site, you would also “rent” a phone number for $1 per month. Per-message costs vary widely based on country and mobile carrier.

The estimator tool on our website will help you determine your costs. You’ll need to do some math to determine your costs, but here’s how to estimate it:

(Text Messages per 1000 games) x (Referees per Game) x (Twilio Per Message Rate)

Your “text messages per 1000 games” rate is shown on your Account screen

Thank You

I am sorry for any problems this may have caused you. If you have any questions, get in touch and I’d be happy to chat with you.

Like many others in the Northeast, we’re sitting around waiting for the power to go out.

Just to let you know, we don’t anticipate any server interruptions… our servers are physically located in a data center in Seattle, Washington.

Unfortunately we are right in the path of Hurricane Sandy. If we lose power or there is a widespread Internet outage in upstate New York, we may be unable to respond to your questions.

Our hosting provider, Blue Box Group, provides us with around-the-clock server monitoring. Should assignr.com go offline, they will see it and will respond on our behalf.

If you can’t login, please use our password reset page. Just enter your e-mail address in the box, and it should send you a password reset link. Once you click the link…

• In the box labeled “new password” type a new password for your account.
• In the box labeled “Re-enter Password”, re-type the same password.
• Click “Update my password and log me in”

If you are located in the Northeast, stay safe!