The Conference Exchange "CABS"
Checks & Balances System
At TeamXStream, we have a unique feature we call "Conference Exchange". It allows teams in a conference to share video with each other privately between teams, the conference office, as well as officials. This Conference Exchange has been in use since 2010. We quickly realized that we needed to provide a mechanism for providing fairness across the exchange, but without adding complexity or additional administration.
What is "CABS"?
To solve the fairness problem and provide some accountability to teams, we designed a Checks & Balances System ("CABS"). It is driven by a few simple rules that are easy to follow and administer. CABS is an optional feature that can be turned on for a conference upon request. We only turn-on CABS for conferences that wish to have this feature enabled.
Before the season, the conference identifies games that are considered "required uploads" for each conference team. For example, the policy might be "each team uploads all home games" or "each team uploads all Conference games".
When a game is played, the Conference Exchange system knows if the team is required to upload the film, or if it can be skipped. If an upload is required, then CABS kicks in.
What does CABS do?
When a team is responsible for uploading a particular game, the system will place a "soft lock" on the team's account on the day of the game. For example, if a game is played on September 1st, the soft lock is created on September 1st, at 12:00 AM EST.
When a soft lock is in place, the team can access the Conference Exchange and see film from games occurring prior to the soft lock. Using the previous example, you could see all film through August 31st, but no games on September 1st or after.
The soft lock remains in place until the required film is uploaded & shared with the Conference Exchange. Once shared, the soft lock immediately falls away, allowing you to access the latest videos.
CABS has an additional option that allows the system to create a soft lock for every team at the beginning of the season. When this option is requested, the soft lock remains in place until at least 1 video of them has been uploaded & shared. The premise is that you can only scout others if they can scout you.
What about my conference rules?
If your conference has provided its own film exchange guidelines, those are separate from CABS. Perhaps you have a 24-hour or 48-hour rule, which means you have that time to prepare and upload your film. The soft lock will be in effect during that time. It's to your advantage to share the video sooner rather than later if you need to gain access to the latest videos on the exchange.
How does this benefit me as a coach?
If you have a game to upload, you can move forward in confidence knowing that that CABS is in place to support the entire group (everyone is playing by the same rules).
If other schools choose to delay, they will not have access to your film. Teams that want immediate access to new film will not hesitate to upload their own.
The CABS policy brings some reassurance to an all too familiar competitive situation in athletics, creating balance for everyone involved.
The other benefit to this system is that it requires no extra administration. The guidelines are simple, and the soft locks are automated. There is no person assigning and removing locks. Conference administrators have access to the Conference Exchange, and may monitor for other reasons, but the system manages the locks automatically.
FAQ
Why do I have a lock on my account?
- We see this question a lot. It means you have a soft lock on your account. The system believes you have missed an upload. Either the upload/share was missed, or your schedule is out of date. Your schedule on TeamXStream needs to be accurate in order for CABS to work effectively. This includes home vs away.
How do I share my film with the Conference Exchange?
- We have tutorial videos and articles that discuss this in detail, but in short you can select the Conference Exchange option when you upload your film. You can also edit the Video Sharing Options on a video after it has been uploaded. It's a very simple process to post your video to the exchange.
Am I locked out completely?
- A soft lock is not a complete lockout of the system. A soft lock has a specific date, and the exchange is blocked from that day forward. You still have access to videos from games prior to that date. We do support a complete lockout, but it is sparingly used. If the conference administration requests a complete lockout, we have the ability to do this. We have seen this done twice in 4 years, so its not something we typically see.
When does the lock go away?
- Once a required video is uploaded and shared, the soft lock falls away immediately. If a correction is made to your schedule, this can also cause the lock to fall away.
Why is there a lock on my account, I was the away team?
- If you are the away team, please make sure your schedule is accurate. Any changes you make will take effect immediately.
What are the CABS setup options?
- There are several configuration options for setting up CABS for your group. These need to be shared with us prior to the season.
- Home games only.
- Home conference games only.
- First Upload required (no sharing until you have a game posted)
- Regular season games only.
- We are also building a more customizable solution to handle any "other" requirement a conference might want to implement.
What if I have an equipment failure?
- If you are responsible for an upload, but cannot fulfill it due to technical difficulties, try not to "freak out". Please contact your administration to inform them of the issue to see what options are available. For example, the away team may be able to share the film and fulfill the requirement.
If you have any questions about CABS or the Conference Exchange, please don't hesitate to ask. The best way to get support is to email us at support@teamxstream.com or use the support tab on the TXS site.