Re: [atlarge-discuss] Naming suggestion

["J-F C. (Jefsey) Morfin" <jefsey@club-internet.fr>]

On 12:06 11/08/02, Ron Sherwood said:
> Good morning, my fellow at-largers:
>    Has anyone considered calling ourselves the Global Online Democracy?
>    It clearly describes our goals and it does shorten to a universally
> recognised acronym that is very easy to remember (and even descriptive of
> ICANN).
> Ron Sherwood
Dear Ron,
this is one of the problems of International operations. we handle words 
which have not the same weight and meaning, nor the same impact on all. You 
will see that I did consider exactly your very proposition for Global 
Internet Democracy, translating it in "international understanding".

1. "global" is a multi meaning word which has intrdoduced a lot of 
confusion because the French/Egnglish meaning is "all the partis of a 
whole", and the American one "unversal". In addition to "the all the Globe" 
in both. Understandngs in different other cultures can be different. So 
better to use a concrete object word than a concept. Hence the use of 
"world" in world@large. Everyone knows and understand it better.

2. Online is a very confusing word. First because many people are not 
connected. Because many will not be online but asynchronous. Because 
technologies may vary and laws may differ. What we want to say is "online 
on the internet" and a certain vision of the Internet (not the 47 USC 
230.f.1). This vision is commonly "felt" (rather than defined all over the 
planet) though the "@" sign. As in world@large.

3. Democracy. We are not specifically interested in political democracy - 
this is a very complex notion which isn right now, evoluating because of 
the Internet. So we do not want confusion with politics and different 
regimes. We do not want our Chinese, Viet-Namese, Iraqi ... members 
confused with opponents. Our target is "the broadest basis to sit the 
common consensus". This fits "large". Please remember that in latin 
languages the word "large" means "wide". So the @large sounds like a big, 
wide, strong Internet representation. As in world@large.

So you see that we are totally in agreement, but in an international 
environment.

For example I undrestand that some may have some concerns about ED and the 
word "at large". There were probably 150.000 @large registered people in 
2000. They will remember being one. I am sure less than 10% ever known who 
ED is, and less than 1% remembers. This may seem important to you in the US 
press, but it is very local. Would you really care if Chirac had an @large 
sign on his jacket on the 14th of July? Or if Blair said he supports Denise.

jfc












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