+1.  

The challenge is adjusting the structural underpinnings of the At-Large engagement in ICANN and the perceptions of performance.  And that will be difficult, at best.

More to the point, we are not seeing the kind of innovative thinking about performance metrics that would make what you and I see as value come to the top.

Case in point. We had a recent situation in LACRALO where it was seriously proposed that if one sends an apology for non-attendance - note well, purely not attending - an online meeting, that should be counted as participation! 

And, some benighted fella would claim offense if one were to reflexively say aloud that the notion as expressed offends even the commonsensical idea of what is stupid.

-Carlton


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Carlton A Samuels
Mobile: 876-818-1799
Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround
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On Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 2:37 AM, Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond <ocl@gih.com> wrote:
Dear Alan,

agreed on all your other points.

On 08/08/2015 00:58, Alan Greenberg wrote:
>
> 3. The latter ones come to meetings, perhaps attend some meetings,
> enjoy the local offerings, and go home and forget about us until the
> next trip. THOSE are the ones that I have a real problem with.

And unfortunately whenever the time comes for having face to face
meetings, we treat those people the same way as we treat the people who
genuinely want to get involved. It is impossible to build a relationship
with people who do not make the effort to keep involved in between face
to face meetingsMy argument is that we should identify people who have a
genuine interest in helping out and facilitate their involvement in face
to face meetings, more often than at GAs every 5 years.
So far, what I have done is to give excellent references to people
applying for the fellowship program and whom I judge to be of real
potential. But that's not enough since the program is only available for
developing nations.
This is why I would favour the ability for the ALAC to invite people
from their ALSes to an ICANN meeting, based on a skill requirement. For
example, the hot topic is about WHOIS, let's invite people whom we know
to be privacy experts. The hot topic is about ICANN Accountability -
let's invite people who run an ALS that has a need to impeccable
accountability. etc.

Kind regards,

Olivier