I I disagree with the concept. I have found it is more important to work on things close up. The 10 foot rule is used in theater. We are a group that works on personal space. For example it is very important to have a nice neckline and cuffs on your outfit. This is the part people look at and interact with you. Most people do not notice your hem. What jewelry you have on. What you have in your hands. Do you have a watch on? What is on your head? This is what people will judge you by. The 10 foot rule leads people into making mistakes. Also many people think they are a "newcomer" even after they have been in for years. The grace period runs from 5 months to 2 years depending on the individual. After two years people began to think you just don't care. I said this depends on the person looking at you and it depends on how active you are. The grace period is based on new people not having Knowledge. If someone shows up once and a while people forgive them because they believe the individuals lack experience. If you go to four events a month they will expect to start working on the problems earlier. I feel it is important to help new people look well as soon as possible and if possible make them look good their very first time. If they look good people tend to start interacting with them as equals and they have less of that awkward new person time. If they look good then they are just a new individual not the new to the SCA. I am going to talk about a sensitive thing. Watches and stuff. There are many people who will jump on my case and tell you I am too rough. We give out cues and signals to people. Most of the time these cues and signals are sent and receive on our non-verbal side. You meet someone. Their outfit consists of a t-tunic and regular pants and sneakers. They have a big watch on and they are holding a coke can. They look like a newcomer. You meet a lady. She has tunic on but doesn't have a whole outfit. Her head looks out place. She looks like her body is 14th century but her head is 21th century. She is sitting cross legged, swinging her foot and smoking a cigarette. She doesn’t look very medieval. She doesn't look very medieval. She doesn't look very serious about studying history. She doesn't look like she is teaching by doing. She doesn't look very serious about the SCA. She has given you cues that you are going to factor into your evaluation of her. You don't mean to judge it just happens. Watches and sneakers give out cues. Mundane things like cell phones give out cues. They make you appear not to be serious about the SCA world. It makes you look like you are more into the modern world. It is OK to have them just keep them out of sight. We can not argue that this is fair. Giving out cues and signals is a fact of life. Cues and signal are very important is creating a persona because you are usually adopting the Cues and signals that go along with the culture you are studying and portraying. In real life we build what we are from the base. In the SCA we are showing the Tip of the Iceberg to give people an idea what the iceberg looks like. I feel it is bad to tell people close up isn't important because close up can make their SCA careers. Duchess Willow de Wisp _____________________________________________________________ Click here to get quoted low mortgage rates from competing lenders. Fast & free! http://track.juno.com/s/lc?u=http://tagline.untd.us/fc/CAaCX09nkyk5CelHOqSjlH4zL3WcKvHE/