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[c-foo peng]

WTF?!!!

Dear IGDA Members,

As many of you are aware, the IGDA website was recently exploited to send emails to members. This use of private data occurred in the context of a group's efforts to gain signatures for a petition. The day after the exploit we received the petition with signatures. The method used to gain these signatures has complicated an already complex situation. We have heard from those who feel they were justified in taking such measures, those who are concerned their privacy was violated, and many other perspectives, opinions, and concerns.

The debate over the issues at hand has had a negative impact on the association, and our ability to move forward on member programs and initiatives. Rather than continue a public and internal discourse on the circumstances and validity of the petition, Bob Bates and I have decided that the least damaging approach for the organization is to call a special membership meeting, as the co-Chairs may do as per the by-laws.

Since the IGDA does not yet have a policy for how to hold special membership meetings, at our Aug 5th meeting the Board chartered a Task Force comprised of IGDA Board members Tom Buscaglia and Coray Seifert, and at large members Darius Kazemi, Dustin Clingman and Brian Robbins, with the Executive Director acting in an advisory role to the Taskforce. The Taskforce will evaluate and recommend a policy regarding the methodology and procedures for holding special meetings of the membership of the IGDA, that serves the intent of the by-laws.

Once this course of action is established, it will be possible to fix the other details of the meeting, which needs to occur at least 35 days after the date is announced. We all share the goals of a fair and professional process that can let our organization move beyond this controversy, and I appreciate your patience as we work out the details.

Thank you,
Tobi Saulnier
Co-Chair
IGDA

What does this mean? I'm so confused. At least Darius will be there. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT.

[Oddbob]

WTF?!!!

What does this mean? I'm so confused. At least Darius will be there. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT.

It's called having no backbone and failing to acknowledge the fact that it was the members who forced the special meeting through NOT the board deciding "that the least damaging approach for the organization is to call a special membership meeting" whilst pandering to Tim's crying foul at the same time.

Gutless shittery.

[moi]

I can't understand how people can still send their money toward the IGDA, it's nothing but a big machine created to harvest money from it's gullible member.
When they start having meetings about how to organize other meetings, it becomes painfully obvious they're just interested in themselves and don't give a shit about their members.

[Chaoseed]

Well, some of the Special Interest Groups are pretty active, they talk about cool stuff on the mailing lists. In fact, the Writers' SIG has published an entire book.

[AdamAtomic]

There are SIGs (and chapters) of the IGDA that are VERY active, but I think there is some question of the organization's validity if all they have to show for 15 years and 15,000 members is a book?

(I realize that is a slight exaggeration, but I think possibly still a valid point)

[team_q]

I can't understand how people can still send their money toward the IGDA, it's nothing but a big machine created to harvest money from it's gullible member.

It's not terribly expensive, $48 per year for a non-student member, 30 for students, and its an nonprofit association, which means that there isn't someone at the bottom of the funnel eating all the incoming cash.

When they start having meetings about how to organize other meetings, it becomes painfully obvious they're just interested in themselves and don't give a shit about their members.

The IDGA would have a lot more mud on its face if they didn't make sure the allegations are absolutely true. Kicking a board member out is a very hard thing to do. It does make sense that at a meeting that they were going to have, they decide how the proper process to have special meetings, so that things like this happen quicker in the future. Even if it seems cut and dry, making sure its done right puts those of us who have actually paid into it at ease knowing that the leadership isn't giving in to a knee-jerk reaction.

[mewse]

As many of you are aware, the IGDA website was recently exploited to send emails to members.

...why yes, "exploited" by members who manually used the website's "Send this member an e-mail" feature, after the IGDA executive director reneged on assurances that he would help concerned members contact the membership through other means, and failed to respond to all further inquiries.

Their website's email-this-member functionality has since been removed, of course.

[Craig Stern]

It looks like some people were upset because they had their profiles set to private and they received an unsolicited message anyway.

Of course, one has to wonder: if the solution to this problem going forward is that now nobody can obtain other members' contact information, how will anyone ever call a special meeting per the IGDA bylaws (which requires the approval of 10% of IGDA members)? Taking down the email feature from the website strikes me as an overreaction designed to further insulate the Board from accountability. Hopefully it's just a temporary measure until they re-implement the feature using new technology.

[Movius]

I honestly don't know why people are surprised with the handling of this survey. It had scam written all over it.

I'm honestly surprised that those responsible had any genuine intent at all, because it would have been less suspicious if it asked you to download and run a file called REMOVETIMLANGDELLHOTSEXGIRLSNOTAVIRUS.JPG.EXE

[Christian Knudsen]

Why is the survey treated as "fake" or a "scam" in this thread? The survey was created by members of the IGDA to get a required 10% approval from the member base to call for a special meeting. That's what the survey is, is supposed to be, and has been presented as. I'm puzzled by this thread and its title...?

[team_q]

The thread author got cold feet and renamed the thread after the offical IDGA email blasted the concerned IDGA members email.

The survey wasn't a fake and it worked. But the cool thing right now is to throw digs at IGDA, mostly because they didn't react as fast as some people expected.

[Movius]

Why is the survey treated as "fake" or a "scam" in this thread? The survey was created by members of the IGDA to get a required 10% approval from the member base to call for a special meeting. That's what the survey is, is supposed to be, and has been presented as. I'm puzzled by this thread and its title...?

Because the original text was something along the lines of "Remove Tim Langdell y/n? Your details won't be shared with anyone except the IGDA board. *field for voting and required entry of email address (I think) and IGDA number*"

Nothing to suggest that it was at all genuine and no supporting URLS or information to say who was behind the survey. The only link provided was on how to find out your IGDA number.

It also used *powerful hacking tools* to break through the IGDA security(sic).

[team_q]

It was name and IDGA number, no email.

[Movius]

Ah yes.

still looked like a "Please confirm by replying to this email with your bank account details and credit card number." scam.

[team_q]

But it worked, and threw bonus mud on Tim, because he couldn't figure out how they did it, and that's his position.

[Christian Knudsen]

Ah yes.

still looked like a "Please confirm by replying to this email with your bank account details and credit card number." scam.

The fact that you think it looked like a scam doesn't make it one. I still don't understand this thread. The survey has now provided the required 10% member approval, and the result has been submitted to the IGDA board who will now hold a meeting to figure out the details of the special meeting that has been called for. No fakeness or scam involved.