In the past, the IGDA Online SIG has produced some very useful material for the professional and amateur alike, particularly the semi-annual whitepapers. However, as occasionally happens with volunteer programs, the Online SIG has struggled to consistently produce a valuable resource to its constituents due to participation constraints on its membership. In an effort to re-ignite the program, the SIG’s intrepid chairperson, Elonka Dunin, recently put together a new steering committee which held a conference call in late April resulting in several missions, not the least of which is this new blog.
The purpose of the blog is to provide a more interactive and current method for bringing the best
In an effort to ensure that the Online SIG once again becomes a productive organization that lives up to its Charter, the steering committee would like to hear from YOU about what would make the SIG more effective. Our goal is to create a center of excellence for knowledge and expertise about online games, including their design, development, economics, production, operation and any other aspect of their nature. Terri Perkins is particularly excited about this idea and had the following to say:
“When many of us started in the online world, there was no books, no manuals and no help files because it was all so new. Many years later, we have made progress in some areas but not so much in others. This is a great step in the right direction!“
She has suggested quite a few possible topics of which I’ve listed a few here, of which I’m sure there is plenty more to add:
- Getting your game rated globally
- Digital distribution deals
- Eulas/Tos’s and Privacy Policys
- What to do when someone requests info on your customers
- Running an internet contest..legal pitfalls
- Banner ads tech specs
- Banner ads –what results can I expect
- Adwords
- In game advertising
- Preorder items.. do they work?
- Marketing online games on a shoestring budget
- Licensing vs Original Properties
So please, feel free to leave your comments and your trackbacks letting us know what subjects you’d like the SIG to cover and whom you’d like to hear from.
Let us know how we can help you!
In our next post, we’ll cover the additional functionality of the site, including RSS feeds from valuable resources and blogrolls.
Posted by Anthony Castoro 
