Concerning your advertisement and recruitiment content for ToS membership,
well,
@Adramelek, as you somehow seem to think that actually there is not to be included "too much information" in an application, you should just have a look at the application form linked on the ToS homepage.
So we have there: Legal Name; Preferred Honorific; Gender (restricted to male and female, which is really nice in a 21st century order who considering publications about that organization could well be aware of transgender persons).
Important point then:
Attach a copy of a government-issued picture ID that shows your date of birth.
Which in Germany would be your identity card. So, check at this point for complete name and birth date. And picture, though none of these guys has ever seen you in real life anyway. Is required.
Contact information:
Postal Address, Day Phone, Evening Phone, Cell Phone
Email Address
(check at this point for phone number, is required or at least asked for, and as leaving it out might leave a bad impression - well, better include it)
At background information it's getting nicer with question for criminal record and treatment for psychiatric disorder, with the clear note that
If you are admitted and found to have concealed such a history you will be expelled.
So check for asking detailed personal questions more people than a potential medical person would hardly ever be allowed to ask for. That is, under normal circumstances.
Next is an Essay to the Executive Director. At the moment that seems to be a person that either did not get a course in respectful communication or might even be told by your organization that persons asking for information via e-mail are not to be addressed with their name. It was quite funny, by the way; I did sign that mail with my name, and did address that person with their name when they also did so. Still, every mail I received started with Dear [my@mailadress]. When I behaved in the same way ("Dear Ed@mailadress") I immediately got the reply that, as that person had signed with a name, I should address them with that name. A comparable remark by me got ignored, so, addressing me with my mailaddress instead of my name continued to happen.
It might well be strategy to put down the other person, but sorry guys, if I want dominance and submission-games, I do know my local BDSM-groups well enough
Last, but not least:
Use the following checklist to ensure your application packet is complete:
q Completed, signed application form
q Photocopy of a government-issued picture ID that includes your date of birth
q Your essay
q Your initial enrollment fee of $80 USD [Include a signed credit card authorization slip. We do not accept paypal or wire transfers
of any kind. If you reside within the USA we will accept a personal check or money order.]
So, sorry for some part of that one, it is obviously not "complete bank account information", it's just a "signed credit card authorization slip".
lol
People might draw their own conclusions from that summary. But these are the very "real" requirements, which you can easily confirm by just having a look at that homepage.
Another information you will get, should you ask for it, is, that in contrast to that Balanone FAQ, it is NOT possible anymore to meet any of these people before you've send them all these information. Because as long as they don't have your picture ID, address, name and birth of date (and money you might get back if you're not found to be worthy), you're simply not worthy making an appointment with anyone, or, in other terms, to waste their time.
In other words, this application is not at all sufficient to become a member. All these information are really just an application for a first personal appointment, in which you'll still have to convince the people that you will hardly make trouble
So keep in mind that all these (including information about psychiatric disorders and criminal history) is data you have to give in advance - and they did NOT sign anywhere that they will burn this package of personal information if they don't even want to meet you. This is not really a membership application, but in first stance it is the application that MIGHT grant you one or two appointments with other members. This is not what you're supposed to write after you've found what these guys are doing is great. This is what you're supposed to submit just because their online presentation of themselves sounds nice.
I think it's in accord with your obvious recruitment trials in that subforum here to have all the information present in here. So I guess there'll hardly be a problem with that summary. And concerning the behaviour of the ED, people will find out soon enough, for I suppose that's the (first) person everbody has to contact anyway.
The boss of that person should from time to time maybe send an application themselves, or have people from other countries have sent fake applications to have a look how that person behaves. Seriously. Important strategical position, and still my impression was that nobody cares about it (or, of course, they WANT new members who accept it if another person is impolite towards them; in this case it might well be selection strategy).
For the sake of being fair, someone should add to your homepage information that a) none of these guys will ever meet a stranger (aka "person from the world of horrors who has yet to proove they are indeed like the other members, not like the other strangers"), and b) your ED unfortunately didn't get this course in simple politeness. That is, if any member still has the login data of that homepage, after three years of not updating it (at least your stamp on that page says "1975–2012"). Just because - it is well disappointing to read in your FAQ that once you had sufficient respect towards candidates to give them at least an opportunity to have a look at the "real life"-basis, and obviously this respect and somehow also sign for basic human wisdom has been lost in business.
All the best,
SJ
