RE: [atlarge-discuss] a legitimate election?

[Joanna Lane <jo-uk@rcn.com>]

> From: Bruce Young [mailto:Bruce@barelyadequate.info]
> Finally, considering how disruptive some of them are prone to be, I
> sometimes agree in spirit with Joanna's request to keep non-members from
> posting, but I think doing so would be contrary to the openness we are
> trying to institutionalize in our organization.  So I would have
> to disagree
> with a closed forum.


This mailing list has more important functions than being a free for all
chat room. Allowing non-members to post has a direct impact on the
organization's ability to provide valid input to the ICANN process. ICANN is
built around a consensus process, which requires outreach to the At large,
including this organization. If our input is going to be credible in the
area of policy development, it must submit position papers backed up by
formals records to document outreach that has been undertaken. I don't know
whether you have ever done one of those reports, but believe me, they are
hard work and require a little more than wafting a divining rod over a
mailing list. It requires somebody to go through every single post on a
topic and provide summary information, identify the total number of
participants, geographical diversity, results of straw polls and so on. If
you insist on allowing non-members to post to this list, then the main tool
used to collate that data is corrupted, making an already difficult task
impossible.

I would encourage you to set up a freely accessible list in *addition* to
this one, much like the GA has the GA List and GA-full list, but there are
no barriers to entry into this organization, so frankly, if a person wants
to use the list to try to persuade other people to their viewpoint, (which,
by a vote of the membership could then swing the results), then they ought
to join properly instead of carping from the sidelines which will become
increasingly disruptive to the serious work of this group. I would rather
start off as we mean to go on.

Regards,
Joanna


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