What's in a name?

Names are important. This is true for both people and products. Today, however, I simply want to focus on the people.

This is the first time I've ever organized a petition. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Change.org provides me a dashboard view of the petition. It shows me how many people have signed, and I can see names of some of the most recent signers. During the first day, I mostly saw names of family members and friends, with a few acquaintances thrown in. The next day, there were still names I recognized, though these were from various groups in which I participated online. I don't really "know"  those people in real life, but we have had online interactions, and it felt good to realize that some either shared my views or were willing to lend their support out of respect or camaraderie.

I know this petition is still young. We've barely gotten it off the ground. Still, watching the number of signatures nearly double in the last 24 hours gives me hope. As do the names...

You see, when I visited the dashboard today, not only did I see that the number of signers had nearly doubled, but I found that I no longer recognized any of the names. Why is that so important? It means some of you--or many of you--have decided to share this message as I have asked. You have reach into circles that I will never enter! When I see multiple names that appear to have a Spanish heritage, I wonder if news of this petition has reached such populations in parts of the United States, or if this petition has started to circulate in other parts of the globe.

This wouldn't be possible without you.

Please don't give up. In group after group, forum after forum, I'm saddened to see how many people don't even want to try because they're convinced a company like Hasbro / Wizards of the Coast will never listen to people like us. I've told you before that I know they listen. I've seen it. I've even had people tell me that Change.org has never changed anything! I guess, for some, ignorance is bliss.

I took an hour last evening and simply browsed through various change.org petitions, and even I was surprised by how many successes there are out there. Did you know that one such successful petition was a change to the U.S. Marine Corps dress code, allowing arm sleeve tattoos? If you encounter such naysayers, how will you answer them? I am now better prepared to do so.

Keep sharing this petition. However, just making one top level post in a group of forum may not be enough. As I watched names over the last few days, I noticed that the number of signatures really started to grow when I started putting links to the survey in replies to other comments about 30th Anniversary Edition. If I saw someone complaining how this should have been a release for everyone, I reply and tell them that there's a petition that's asking Wizards to reduce the price, and then provide the link. If it's a retailer complaining how WOTC is selling this direct-to-consumer, and bypassing the game stores that helped establish and grow Magic: the Gathering all these years so that it could have a 30th anniversary celebration today, I tell them about the petition and how that's one of the things we want changed. Those types of responses seemed more likely to get another signature aligned with our cause. 

So, don't give up. Keep sharing the petition. It's okay for you to write your first comment and then copy and paste it as a reply to others. That's what I've been doing. Sometimes I modify the comment to align with what was being said, but other times it's good just the way it is. Either way, doing that meets people where they are at--in a thread where they are likely going to get a notification that someone replied. That increases the likelihood that they will see our comment and visit the link. 

I'm excited to see what other new names appear in the dashboard over the coming days, and I hope to see representation from Magic: The Gathering fans, players, collectors, and retailers from around the globe! If we keep working together, we will grow our numbers and become strong. Down the line, when all is said and done, no one will be able to say you didn't do anything to seek a change. Here's to hoping that we'll all be able to look back and tell the tale of what 30th Anniversary Edition was intended to be, and how we were able to change its course.

Your fellow Magic aficianado,

Andrew