Hugo Update Is Chengdu Worldcon’s First Email Message to Members

The Chengdu Worldcon Hugo Team sent an update yesterday, the first time members have received any email contact from the committee since they won the site selection vote in 2021.

The English text of the message says:

The 2023 Hugo Awards nomination page is currently in its final testing and is expected to open by the end of this month. The nomination instructions will be sent to members by email after the nomination opens. At the same time, the paper ballot will also be sent via email and available on the official website.

The 2023 Hugo Awards nomination phase is expected to last till the end of April 2023, when the Hugo Awards Subcommittee will review the works nominated for qualification (e.g. classification errors, filling errors, etc.) and prepare the finalists and ballot. The 2023 Hugo Awards finalists will be released and voting will begin by the end of May 2023, and the voting phase is expected to last till the end of August. The final results will be announced at the Hugo Awards Ceremony during the Chengdu Worldcon.

The above information is also available on official website at chengduworldcon.com and social media channels.

The 2023 Hugo Awards Subcommittee of 2023 Chengdu Worldcon

Below is a screenshot of the message (without the addresses in the header).

I didn’t get the email at the same time as the first person who sent me a copy so I raised a question to the committee. I got a copy about 18 hours after hearing from that first fan. Judging by the way my copy was addressed – to me and 19 others whose emails were cc’d – they did a piecemeal distribution during the course of the day. Many people have said they found the message in the spam file of their email inboxes, and that was true for me, too.

The information in the email is a slightly more detailed version of what Hugo Administrator Dave McCarty ran on his Facebook page on February 7.

53 thoughts on “Hugo Update Is Chengdu Worldcon’s First Email Message to Members

  1. They sent the email with a log of people on Cc (carbon copy) such that each can see the others’ email addresses? that is … note ideal from a privacy point of view, as there’s now 20 people who have each other’s contact details that probably shouldn’t …

  2. Christian Brunschen: That’s how it’s going down. Not a best practice anywhere. If it happened in the EU, wouldn’t it be actionable?

  3. Andrew (not Werdna): I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for the variations in when emails arrived and how many addressees were on each copy — an explanation we don’t have to worry about ever receiving.

  4. Mike, I suspect at some point someone will explain to us that raising questions about how Chengdu is doing things is being judgmental and disrespectful of the oldest civilization still extant. And that protecting the privacy of our email addresses is disregarding China’s need to protect its national security.

  5. an explanation we don’t have to worry about ever receiving.

    Indeed.

    “Files are a burden to others; answers, a Pixel for oneself”

  6. Mike, yes, in the EU this would be a breach of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Chengdu Worldcon would be looking at having to a pay a whopper of a fine as well as compensation to those of us affected. Because the mails were sent out in batches with a relatively small number of addresses shown the fines would probably be less than if they had mailed out everyone’s address to everyone.

  7. I checked earlier today, and I did not receive anything from Chengdu. I guess I’ll have to keep checking.

  8. I actually received two copies of the message. One was received on 9:55 pm Thursday night and was sent to multiple addresses. I found it in my Spam folder. The second was received on Friday at 1:59 am and was only addressed to me. It showed up in my gmail inbox.

  9. I received mine in my normal email. I just checked it, there were a number of email addresses in the cc area. Have they not heard of blind copy? All email systems have it. For a bunch of people that have tons of students attending STEM classes at American universities, they are being really dumb and computer illiterate.

  10. Still haven’t received my email from Chengdu. As a full member of Chicon I should have nominating rights.

  11. I have not received the email, and do not utilize a general spam filter. The only emails blocked are from addresses I have manually added to a block list.

  12. I did not receive the e-mail either. Of course, some jerk had to clog up my inbox with a huge file, which meant that I couldn’t receive any e-mails for about two hours. This wouldn’t be the only important e-mail I lose to this guy.

  13. Possibly this mailing is only going out to Chengdu’s members, and those of us with nominating rights from ChiCon will get a message later? I looked in my spam folder, but the only thing in it was from someone called Karina who wanted to give me all that was best in the world. She sounds nice, I thought, as I deleted her unread.

  14. Steve Wright: I believe what you’re saying is the case — this is an email to Chengdu members. Chicon will send a separate email.

    Laura: That’s one avenue people could try. I tried sending a message to the address on the Chengdu email (Hugoteam etc.) but it could not be delivered. I resorted to posting a query on the con’s Facebook page. You’d like to think they’d rather not have a whole bunch of similar inquiries on a public page, and people won’t want to leave their email addresses there either.

  15. I voted in site selection and also had ChiCon rights. No email though. I’ve been trying to be charitable generally, but I’m not certain how much farther that’s going to carry me.

  16. @Linda Deneroff–Look in your spam folder, for something that looks like Chinese spam. Or wait… Yes, searching for “hugoteam” does work. Searching for “Chengdu” does not.

  17. @ Lis Carey — I’ve been checking my spam (and regular email). I voted at Discon 3, and I know I’m a member of Chengdu. But I haven’t received the email.

  18. Mike, I suspect at some point someone will explain to us that raising questions about how Chengdu is doing things is being judgmental and disrespectful of the oldest civilization still extant. And that protecting the privacy of our email addresses is disregarding China’s need to protect its national security.

    No, it is not a national security question. I think this is simply unprofessional. Which country can ask to show the email address to the public? NONE!
    The committee——Chengdu Business Daily (NOT SFW) should apologize and take further steps.

  19. @Zi Mozi Natsuko–I agree!

    It’s possible you missed the intended irony. Would not be the first time someone failed to understand how I talk when I’m Getting Very Annoyed.

    Or I may be misunderstanding you, and should get some sleep.

  20. Like Laura, I received mine very early on the sixteenth, no CCs and no version in spam so nothing for me to complain about.

  21. My spam trapping software says it was sent via a spammy mail service, gcloudmail.com, was also dubious of how it got there and was suspicious of the non-ASCII characters in the subject line. Heaviest weight was given to the spammy mail sevice.

    Looks to me like there’s the Chinese internet and the rest of the internet.

  22. Steve Wright writes

    Possibly this mailing is only going out to Chengdu’s members, and those of us with nominating rights from ChiCon will get a message later?

    I understood everyone who had nominated to be a member. Certainly my only interaction involving an email address was nominating, and I have two emails, one with a bunch of other people, one apparently just to me.

  23. @Nickpheas
    Those who voted in site selection at DisCon are Chengdu members. The Chicon members that didn’t and haven’t purchased a Chengdu membership since then aren’t, but are eligible to nominate for the 2023 Hugos.

  24. Well, I am in the EU and I am not aware of any action having been taken against a clueless organisation/event Ccing a group of individuals/members, which must happen on a daily basis, and I think that any “whopper of a fine” would have been reported in media visibly enough for anyone to be able to find; but then I am not an expert.

    Lis Carey: Yes, I am reminded of the 2021 argument about the Chinese needing to hide their postal addresses for their own security.

  25. If it happened in the EU, wouldn’t it be actionable?
    Yes, Ian is right, this is against GDPR.

    For UK subjects they could report it to ICO.

    For EU citizens, each fan affected would have to report to their own nation’s data protection ombudsman. Chengdu wold then get a rap on the knuckles from a number of nations data commissioners.

    But would fans be bothered to raise a formal complaint.

    I recall that at a SMOFcon Fanish Inquisition (are we allowed to say that any more?) Chengdu saying it would adhere to GDPR… But then, like their dates and venue on which they campaigned their bid and got votes, all that was baloney (are we allowed to say that any more?).

    All this aside, this Chengdu Worldcon is so, so very wrong on so many levels…. (are we even allowed to say that).

  26. Just got a second copy, transmitted through a different server – spam trap didn’t catch it.

    Hunh.

  27. Other Worldcons have screwed up before; this is a common e-mail list screw-up. I have concerns about this Worldcon, sure, but this looks like just a mistake.

  28. I just got a second identical email from Chengdu, this time with a blind copy, without all those other email addresses.

  29. Mm-I’m not going to Chengdu Worldcon anyway. My next one is GLASGOW 2024 (confirmed : Thu 8-Mon 12 Aug), with of course both LocationCon 2024 immediately prior to that (starts- London :Sat 3, ends-Glasgow :Wed 7). And then (don’t forget!) and easy peasy (train from Central Glasgow to London Kings Cross and then) by direct, fast, Eurostar TGV train, from London St Pancras (right next door to K/X), we have Eurocon/Rotterdam immediately after that (Thu 15-Sun 18)). And non-European fen are very welcome thereat. *** But a gentle reminder to anyone who IS going to P R China (remember I visited there in 2018 re their then proposed Worldcon bid).*** Try if possible (I’ve mentioned this previously) NOT to bring your main laptop or main mobile phone with you. Any data already thereon (if ye use either whilst there) may be compromised! Instead, if ye have to, bring a spare m/phone or spare laptop, neither of which has any data already thereon. Oh and for those spares, use login/password protocols, different to those ye use on your (staying back home) devices. Best wishes…

  30. My wife, who voted on site selection of DC, got the email. She can login to their dashboard and see her WSFS rights for Chegdu,

    I was a member of Chicon8, and not vote on site selection DC. I did not get any email.

    And if I try to login to the dashboard, it has no record of my rights for nominating. It doesn’t even appear designed for having nominating rights only.

    Can someone from the team confirm that they actually know Chicon8 members get to nominate?

  31. I got my first notice on the 16th, and it was a circular. The notice sent yesterday was only sent to me.

  32. Yes, Chicon 8 members have the right to nominate in the 2023 Hugos (but not vote in final unless they become Chengdu members). You may not see anything until nominations open.

    (I’m not “on the team”. Just someone who’s been participating in Hugo voting for a number of years.)

  33. I have concerns about this Worldcon, sure, but this looks like just a mistake…

    Agreed over (many) concerns. The mistake here is that they have not bothered to get a decent bulk mailer. (But even if they did, their competence seems demonstrably so low that I do not think they’d bother to find the quirks in the package they used: most have some quirks.)

  34. What’s the subject line? I can’t find a Chengdu PR in my email or spam filter, but maybe having something specific to search will help. (I’m hoping I’m just in a later email batch, but it’s always a concern.)

  35. Looks like my comment with Chinese characters went into moderatation. Let me try again.

    Subject: 2023[Chengdu World Science Fiction Convention Progress Report] 2023 Chengdu Worldcon PR 1

    Between the brackets is Google translation of the Chinese.

  36. Might help Cassy B, (and others)

    Quote from the email (with address munged):

    if you know of anyone who believes they should be a member, and doesn’t receive this mailing, please let them know to contact us at membership at chengduworldcon dot com

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