New Zealand in 2020 World Con bid needs you, by December 5th

Hi everyone, Norman here!

Short version (If you know what this is about already)

[ul][li]If you’re able to commit to a Worldcon in New Zealand in 2020, we NEED you to sign up on the form here. nzin2020.org/nz-2020-needs-you [/li]
[li]Even if we’ve talked to you. [/li]
[li]If you don’t sign up, your name will not be counted in the numbers we need. [/li]
[li]The deadline is December 5th, 2014.[/li]
[li]Please pass this on to any people/groups you think may be interested.[/li][/ul]

Long version (If you need a bit more background)

Over the last four years, you may have heard us talking about running a World Science Fiction Convention in New Zealand in 2020.

We’ve been investigating facilities, and found that Wellington or Auckland could host a Worldcon, each with advantages and disadvantages.

A lot of people overseas are keen to see this happen.

We have a lot of support from governmental bodies like Tourism New Zealand.

But what it ultimately comes down to is having people volunteer to help run the Worldcon.

People in New Zealand and Australia primarily. We will have help, but ultimately we, New Zealand, need enough people on the ground.

And that’s where you come in.

We are gathering volunteers now, because we have to know that we have enough people before we continue. Because if we can’t do it, then we need to graciously cede the spot. We don’t say this to try to guilt you into volunteering. It’s the simple truth. A willing volunteer is much better than unwilling… :slight_smile:

We need a lot of volunteers. Partly because it takes a lot of people to run a Worldcon, but we also know that this far out there will be turn over in volunteers, because life happens.

If you were to assume that the Worldcon was in the next two years, could you commit?

If you can commit, we need to know by December 5th, 2014.

If you can commit, you MUST put your information into the form on the page below. Even if you’ve talked to us. This is the only way we know who is prepared to commit.

So please think about it. And please feel free to send this information on to your social networks or relevant email lists.

You can go to our website for more information, or to ask questions on the contact form.

nzin2020.org/

And the volunteer section with more information, including Departments, is here:

nzin2020.org/nz-2020-needs-you

Thank you! And we apologise for multiple version of this you may receive, as we try to mail as widely as possible.

Cheers,
Norman Cates
NZ in 2020 Bid Chair

Do you think it would be possible to fix up this part of the site:

[quote=“nz-2020-needs-you”]Yikes! Six years ahead? I don’t know if :
a) I’ll be in the country
b) I’ll be married to Claudia Schiffer by then
c) I plan to join a cult
d) I’ll be destitute and living in a cardboard box under Grafton Bridge.
So, can you help us now, while you are still planning your stalking, sorry, courting, of Ms Schiffer?[/quote]

Firstly, it’s a stalking joke = rape culture joke.
Secondly, it’s a cis-gendered male normative audience bias.
Thirdly, the fact that this kind of joke and bias got through the content quality assurance process raises questions around the professionalism of the project as a whole.

Here’s an alternative:

[quote=“nz-2020-needs-you”]Yikes! Six years ahead? I don’t know if :
a) I’ll be in the country
b) I’ll have my TARDIS finished by then.
c) I plan to join a cult
d) I’ll be destitute and living in a cardboard box under Grafton Bridge.
So, can you help us now, before you get too involved in that TARDIS project ? And don’t even think about coming back in time after you’ve got your TARDIS working, the space-convention continuum won’t handle it ![/quote]

I am considering whether I can commit to assisting with the project, but I can’t support projects that make those kind of jokes in their documentation.

Well said, Mike.

And changed…

Cheers.

[quote=“joker”]And changed…

Cheers.[/quote]
Cool, many thanks.