[arg_discuss] ARG SIG meeting: Transcript

[Dominic de Haas]

Same here, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to the genre.
Haven't played any game yet, but decided to create one in stead.
It ran for nearly 3 months and finished recently. So I do have some
time on my hands to help with anything I can help with.

Dominic

On 5/16/09, N. D. <neekono at gmail.com> wrote:

> So far I've been more of a lurker than anything else, but if I can help in

> some way, I would like to. I'm an undergrad student in Orlando, Florida, and

> part of a group that has been experimenting with ARGs for a few months.

>

> I would love to see this group and this game genre grow and develop, so I

> volunteer! : )

>

> On Fri, May 15, 2009 at 12:46 PM, John Evans <btradish at earthlink.net> wrote:

>

>> This is a transcript of the short ARG SIG online meeting that happened

>> today.

>> There will be an official summary posted later if you don't want to read

>> the whole thing; basically the meeting was about the governance of the

>> SIG in the sense of interfacing with the IGDA.

>>

>> Beginning of transcript

>> =====

>> <Andrhia> Hmm

>> <Andrhia> I guess this is probably late enough

>> <Andrhia> So HEAR HEAR

>> <Andrhia> I call to order this historic event in which we take our

>> governance into our own hands &c &c

>> <Andrhia> So here's the basic problem, as I see it.

>> <Andrhia> We need some minimal governance to do things like maintain the

>> email list and interface with the IGDA

>> <Andrhia> This stuff in particular is complicated right now, because

>> there's a search on for a new executive director of the IGDA -- I think

>> Jason is stepping down

>> <Andrhia> So it's not just us, the whole organization is in a kind of

>> transitional phase right now

>> <Andrhia> I can just keep doing this stuff to my existing standard, such

>> that it is, and that's fine, if everybody thinks it's OK

>> <Andrhia> But I feel really weird about that, because two of the other

>> three founding members of the leadership council have bowed out, and

>> nobody

>> chose me to be here, I just kind of volunteered.

>> <Andrhia> And I think if somebody else would like to have a crack at it,

>> that would be really great.

>> <imbri> heh, such is the way with the world. that's why you shouldn't

>> volunteer for things ;)

>> <Andrhia> But aside from those boring day-to-day administrative things,

>> there's the looming issue of the SIG and what we want to do with it and

>> how

>> all of THAT should be orgnized

>> <Andrhia> So we have, ex., ARGology, or Topics of the Week, or weekly

>> chats

>> <JohnEvans> M-hm...

>> <Andrhia> Great ideas that are executed for a little while and then lose

>> steam

>> <Andrhia> (Imbri: Oh god, so I've learned)

>> <Andrhia> Anyway, I feel like as any sort of a leader, my great failure

>> here is in not keeping these things going on my own steam

>> <imbri> as far as losing steam on various project, i think that's natural

>> and normal

>> <Andrhia> And maybe the solution there is to wave our hands and say that

>> these should be committee-run or volunteer run

>> <Andrhia> Or maybe we make a, I don't know, a sign-up sheet, and you can

>> be

>> the person making topic of the week for June, and you can do July...

>> <imbri> not only are these projects volunteer based, but they're about a

>> (fairly) new form of entertainment which is changing and updating and

>> filled

>> with people who do not want to define things and box things in

>> <Andrhia> Haha

>> <Andrhia> Yeah.

>> <imbri> so it's hard to commit to things because "omg what if we stifle

>> creativity!"

>> <Andrhia> Im just wicked jealous of the writer's SIG

>> <Andrhia> They *totally write books*

>> <Andrhia> And then *get them published*

>> <Andrhia> It's amazing

>> <imbri> well, it's got a few years on us and a larger pool of people to

>> draw from

>> <JohnEvans> Yeah, they *are* pretty awesome. ;)

>> <Andrhia> Shhh!

>> <imbri> a lot of these problems are, probably, membership issues

>> * Andres slaps himself

>> <imbri> which is a chicken/egg thing

>> <Andrhia> Yeah, maybe

>> <imbri> you can't draw in the members without showing worth, you need the

>> members to do stuff to show the worth

>> <Andrhia> *nod*

>> <Andrhia> I wonder what our actual membership number is right now

>> <JohnEvans> But, if you just start somewhere, you can start building

>> interest...

>> * Andrhia tries to find the link that might tell her

>> <imbri> (playing the role of the cynic...)

>> <Andrhia> Hmm

>> <imbri> but to do things requires dedication which, in our history, seems

>> to feed off of positive feedback

>> <Andrhia> Not as many as I'd thought!

>> <Andrhia> We have 289 email list subscribers as of right now

>> <imbri> and consistantly having time - which is a rarity in our field

>> because when stuff is going on, you drop off the planet for a month or so

>> <Andrhia> Yes, you are correct

>> <Andrhia> And that's one of the reasons I'm terrified of being the Sole

>> Supreme Administrator of the SIG

>> <imbri> (you being whoever, not just *you*)

>> <imbri> well, i'm willing to step in and help you out a bit

>> <JohnEvans> I'd like to help. I set up Argology and I got the "unsafe

>> warning" taken care of, so...

>> <Andrhia> At the very least I really want to have a deputy who, you know,

>> has the moderation password and the email address of IGDA people to talk

>> to

>> when something goes horribly awry

>> <imbri> and can offer a combined hour or two a week

>> <Andrhia> It doesn't even take that much time, honestly ^_^

>> <Andrhia> It's more of a "being there if the phone should happen to ring"

>> kind of situation

>> <Andrhia> Hahaha

>> <Andrhia> You're both all good in my book ^_^

>> <Andrhia> So I mean

>> <Andres> I can help also if needed

>> <Andrhia> ...do I just email around the list admin link and pwd?

>> <Andrhia> Should we set up a process where somebody says "OK, I volunteer"

>> and the next step is "Any objections?" to the list?

>> <Andrhia> ..my head hurts, wah wah

>> <imbri> honestly, i'd say just email around the link & pwd

>> <Andres> yep, +1

>> <Andrhia> I think I'm fundamentally afraid of seeming arbitrary, or

>> elitist

>> <JohnEvans> We have to start somewhere. ;)

>> <Andrhia> Or unfair

>> <Andrhia> Hah

>> <Andrhia> OK

>> <imbri> i don't really think that people will have any objections

>> <imbri> and, if they do, we can address them (or sucker them into helping

>> out as well)

>> <imbri> (guilt works well ;))

>> <Addlepated> I think we're happy to have people who want to take charge :)

>> <Andrhia> That's the spirit ^_^

>> <Andres> We should up a process where somebody says "OK, I volunteer" and

>> the next step is Andrhia decides what to do about it :)

>> <Andrhia> Hahahaah

>> <Andrhia> OK

>> <Andrhia> So I think what we just decided on was a self-selected steering

>> committee or people who have the list password and get the admin emails

>> <imbri> and, that way, i think that the more natural leaders and active

>> types will fall into the admin role a bit more organically

>> <Andrhia> er, of people

>> <Andrhia> I'm not sure what to do about the IGDA stuff

>> <Andrhia> There's a SIG-leader email list

>> <JohnEvans> So, does the IGDA want to have someone designated the sole

>> leader of the SIG?

>> <Andrhia> But with the situation with the IGDA what it is, I'm not sure

>> HOW

>> I would get anybody else onto that list

>> <Andrhia> I think not a sole leader, but they need to know who to talk to?

>> <JohnEvans> Ah, right...

>> <imbri> well, perhaps we should wait that out

>> <imbri> a) until igda leadership re-solidifies

>> <Andrhia> *nod*

>> <imbri> b) until we get a better feel over who the more active sig-admin

>> types are

>> <imbri> we'll probably be able to make a better judgment of things then

>> <Andrhia> OK

>> <Andrhia> So basically I'll hang out as the acting chairman because I'm

>> already on the list?

>> <imbri> yep :)

>> <JohnEvans> And you're doing such a good job. ;)

>> <imbri> i think anyway

>> * Andres agrees

>> <imbri> and, yeah, you're doing a good job

>> <Andrhia> Hahah

>> <Andrhia> Well, thank you

>> <Andrhia> This has been a big, horrible thing hanging over my head

>> <Andrhia> And you have all been so very nice to me today ^_^

>> <imbri> well, if you'd rather we can all pounce

>> <imbri> OMG WHO IS THIS ANDRHIA CHICK AND WHY DOES SHE SUCK SO MUCH?!

>> <Andrhia> So I think what we can do is post a transcript of this

>> <Andrhia> Pahahah

>> <Andrhia> See, what you don't know is, that's *totally what I always

>> expect

>> to get*

>> <JohnEvans> Yeah, I think I know the feeling...

>> <Andrhia> ..I might be a little neurotic

>> <Andrhia> Anyway, here are my next actions, I think

>> <Andrhia> I'll post the transcript or maybe talk one of you into doing it

>> <Addlepated> that's why I quit volunteering for stuff... I'm just sure

>> I'll

>> screw it up :P

>> <Andrhia> Everyone who wants to volunteer for our steering commitee thing

>> say on the list "Yeah, I sign up"

>> <Andrhia> And sometime over the weekend I'll put together a Welcome New

>> Administrator! package with some information in it

>> <Andrhia> Is that cool?

>> <imbri> sounds good :)

>> <Andrhia> OK, cool

>> <JohnEvans> Yep!

>> <Andrhia> And that gives other people on the list a few days to comment in

>> case the OMG WH DOES ANDREA SUCK SO MUCH contingent wants a little more

>> input

>>

>> =====

>> End of transcript

>>

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>>

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