This was posted elsenet, and since it's C* vote related, I am
x-posting it here.
Banned Proposals
----------------------
This isn't your standard official announcement, but since the issue
was raised here I'm going to put on my C*b*l t-****rt (the yellow one)
and make a statement.
There is a precedent for potential committees to use websites, forums,
mailing lists and whatever else the internets can think up prior to
the bid submission period. They have been used to measure interest,
solicit fellow committee members and discuss potential activities and
venues. That is not discouraged. In fact I have participated in
offering advice and feedback when requested to do so by bid
committees.
Those activities do not count as promotion. They can happen where-ever
and whenever the committees chose.
The promotion period is dictated by the timeline that is published
every year, as is the pretty minimal requirements about where that
promotion must take place. Committees that submit bids but can't get
their **** together to put up the website or make the public posts by
the deadline simply do not appear on the ballot. (And yes, it's
happened.) Committees that use a different host as their main proposal
website in violation of the requirements simply not appear on the
ballot. And bids that have have a fully-fleshed out proposal with an
aggressive marketing and mail-in campaign several months prior to the
official promotion period will not appear on the ballot.
Let me be clear, if we had allowed all three bids to go ahead *your
vote would not have counted anyway*. The activities prior to the vote
would have made the results a foregone conclusion.
It is entirely possible - in fact, I think it's highly likely - that
at least one of the banned proposals made an honest mistake. That
doesn't get them unbanned for two reasons; 1)One of the bids *was*
blatantly attempting to manipulate the vote, and since we have to play
hard-ass with the rules we also have to apply them equally. 2)If your
key people can't read a contract, you really don't need the blistering
hell that your life will become if you try to organize a Convergence.
Remaining Proposals
-------------------------
This leaves Ybor, FL (http://www.altgothic.com/c14ybor/)
as the only
bid that has fulfilled all the requirements by the deadline. There
have been several suggestions that we extend the timeline to allow
other potential proposals to step up. It's been done before, and I'm
not completely adverse to the idea.
However, *if* we do extend the bid submission period, we want to do it
in such a way as to be as fair as possible to the Ybor committee, who
did after all, follow the rules and should not be penalized for it. We
are not moving the voting period *for now*. If anybody seriously wants
to try and pull a bid out of their ass at the last minute, send me an
email and we'll consider it as an option.
If Ybor is the only active proposal, your choice basically boils down
to "yes" or "no". We do not yet have a plan for what we will do if the
spoiler vote wins.
(Takes off yellow t-****rt) This part is me not speaking as the voice
of the C*b*l but just as a punter who loves going to Convergence. If
the end result of all this is that we end up in Florida next year, I
think we could do a hell of a lot worse. The Ybor committee are
committed, dedicated and organized and their team includes at least
one former Convergence committee member and the organizer of
Gothcruise. I'm convinced they could put on a fantastic event with our
sup****t.
I'm saying that and I *hate* Florida.
Siobhan
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