The inference of "silence means consent" is a cultural artefact of ALAC that some of us are actively trying to eliminate.
Evan, for once, we are in total agreement. I think the problem stems from the sheer number of emails that are produced. How is anyone able - especially when the vast majority of people are doing ICANN work in their spare time - to tell the difference between a post that seeks input on a decision soon to made, and just one of the many posts that form a constant backdrop of bickering? With the public comment page on the ICANN site - http://www.icann.org/public_comment/ - I have tried to produce a one-stop page where people are able to find exactly what ICANN is seeking input on at any given time. When a greater degree of focus is given, people can use their limited time more productively. The result has been more, and more useful comments, which has made the process more valuable, which gives the resulting summary/analysis of comments greater weight. It is still far from what it needs to be, but it is an improvement. Nevertheless, it still worries me when there are only one or two comments made to official comment periods when I know that there are at least 50 people who have been discussing that precise point on various mailing lists. As I look at it now, there are six comment periods open on: the Translation Programme; New gTLDs and DNS Stability; Initial report on ccIDN fasttrack; Whois studies; Introduction of IDN ccTLDs; and Nominating Committee review. There are some comments on each but really far, far less than there should be. I would be delighted to see ALAC as a group put in a response to each and every comment period opened (I would also love to see other SOs and ACs do the same). That would be one way to demonstrate the At Large community's value. But, yes, silence is, to my mind, almost the opposite of consent. It smacks of disengagement or disinterest - neither of which are healthy. Kieren ---------------------- Kieren McCarthy ---------------------- General manager of public participation, ICANN http://www.icann.org Cell: +1 310 806 1451 Mobile: +44 (0)7932 783686 -----Original Message----- From: alac-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [mailto:alac-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] On Behalf Of Evan Leibovitch Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 10:55 AM To: At-Large Worldwide Subject: Re: [At-Large] Give it a break Jeffrey A. Williams wrote:
Had everyone been silent, that may have been construed as being in agreement with your earlier contention.
Sometimes, silence is just silence. The inference of "silence means consent" is a cultural artefact of ALAC that some of us are actively trying to eliminate. - Evan _______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list ALAC@atlarge-lists.icann.org http://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/alac_atlarge-lists.icann.org At-Large Official Site: http://www.alac.icann.org ALAC Independent: http://www.icannalac.org