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kevin_standlee[This is not an official statement from the World Science Fiction Society. I am not President of WSFS, Inc. This is my personal opinion, not that of any organization, club, convention, committee, corporation, or other entity that I ever have been or currently am a member, officer, or employee. The WSFS logo is up there because I'm writing about WSFS.]
Somewhere along the way, it appears that people have got it into their heads that being listed on the Worldcon Bids page on the WSFS.org website implies either:
1. These bids have been officially approved and blessed in some way by an Official Central Board of Directors. This isn't true. As far as I know, none of them have even filed their bidding papers yet, although if I do get word of a 2026 bid actually filing (and time is almost up), I'll put links to the filings on the WSFS site.
2. Being listed on that page means that they've already been selected, and it's hopeless to say or do anything, because the decisions have already made. This of course is also not true. The lack of multiple bidders for most future years is a function of various things, but it has nothing to do with an equivalent to the International Olympic Committee having selected them and locked out anyone else.
I wish that people who think this, when given the actual way things work, would give some sort of explanation of why they think this way. Unless they would do so, all I can assume is that they think something like, "But that's how everything works. Nobody is allowed to do anything unless they are given official approval to do it by Central Strong Authority."
As of tonight, there is an additional statement on the bidding page that tries to make it more obvious.
I hope people read it.
[Again, this is my personal opinion, not an official statement from any organization, convention, corporation, or any other entity. Believe it or not, I really can have personal opinions that differ from any organization, etc. of which I'm a member. I am not the King of Worldcon, owner of Worldcon Intellectual Property, and Duke of the World Science Fiction Society. And I am very definitely not the Boss of the Hugos.]
Somewhere along the way, it appears that people have got it into their heads that being listed on the Worldcon Bids page on the WSFS.org website implies either:
1. These bids have been officially approved and blessed in some way by an Official Central Board of Directors. This isn't true. As far as I know, none of them have even filed their bidding papers yet, although if I do get word of a 2026 bid actually filing (and time is almost up), I'll put links to the filings on the WSFS site.
2. Being listed on that page means that they've already been selected, and it's hopeless to say or do anything, because the decisions have already made. This of course is also not true. The lack of multiple bidders for most future years is a function of various things, but it has nothing to do with an equivalent to the International Olympic Committee having selected them and locked out anyone else.
I wish that people who think this, when given the actual way things work, would give some sort of explanation of why they think this way. Unless they would do so, all I can assume is that they think something like, "But that's how everything works. Nobody is allowed to do anything unless they are given official approval to do it by Central Strong Authority."
As of tonight, there is an additional statement on the bidding page that tries to make it more obvious.
None of the sites listed here have been selected to hold a Worldcon. Bids do not need any sort of "pre-approval" to announce a bid. Bids only become seated Worldcons upon selection by the members of the Worldcon two years before the year indicated.
I hope people read it.
[Again, this is my personal opinion, not an official statement from any organization, convention, corporation, or any other entity. Believe it or not, I really can have personal opinions that differ from any organization, etc. of which I'm a member. I am not the King of Worldcon, owner of Worldcon Intellectual Property, and Duke of the World Science Fiction Society. And I am very definitely not the Boss of the Hugos.]
