Return of the Science Fiction VolUNteers from Planet Miffed

Over on that mailing list thingie where uber fen decide the fate of the world? with a single sentence, folks who have volunteered to work at Anticipation (the up-coming World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal – the event where they award the Hugo Awards) are a bit up in arms over what some consider a slight to their volunteerism.

Anticipation put out a call for more volunteers.? Volunteers who had already written in and who were not responded to are now decidedly POed, taking this communication to mean that either – the con com is not coordinating its activities sufficiently or – that their volunteerism has been rejected (as in ‘we have reviewed your application and have found you wanting’).

Considering the experience of some of the volUNteers, the latter is unlikely.

Much discussion swirling around this mess-in-the-making: calls for digitizing the process, calls for doing things earlier (even though it is now too late) and complaints galore.

Maybe things have changed since the last time I worked a con, but my memory says that all volunteers are readily accepted – even at the door – and that most volunteers are content to do something, even if it isn’t in their area of expertise.? (I’ve heard complaints but have never witnessed a foot-stamping tirade because someone was asked to be a gopher instead of managing the art show…)

My experience has also been that you always need 3.14~ more volunteers than your schedule seems to call for and that the Peter Principal is in full-effect down in the volunteer pit.? In other words, your incompetants will rise to the top?faster than something really, really?fast.? Thus, the need to have a volunteer coordinator who is ruthless with the application?of the sword. (Yes, I know yesterday you were in charge of the green room; today you will be serving chips in the con suite.)

The only real downside to being a bad volunteer is that experienced con-going fans are quick to spot it and even quicker on delivering the snide, cutting, punnish bon mots they are famous for.? The convention itself absorbs the delays, the paperwork not found, the missing in action and moves on to its inevitable conclusion.

I wonder if anyone has ever thought to putting together a ‘volunteer central’:? I mean we all know the folks with loads of experience (like for example if you ever wanted to host an award banquet again, that brain trust can be found right here and down in Maryland at Eva Chalker’s place) – but the regular, somewhat experienced, eager to volunteer fan has to make themselves known to the con – so why not some kind of social networking thing where folks can sign up, mark off the cons they are planning on attending, stick in a list of their experiences and discuss the joys and horros of con-volunteering?

Just a thought – and if such a place already exists, please let me know.

In other news, five MORE films and one documentary have been added to the Classic Science Fiction Channel.? AMC TV’s B-movie list has been raided for everything of marginal SF content and added to the Science Fiction Theater links page.?

If you think volunteering can be awful – go watch Invasion of the Neptune Men.