Izumi and all, Of course your quite right Izumi. And thank you for confirming our members long ago proposal and position. Well done! We also must all try to realize although there are "pockets" of limited connectivity or no connectivity at all, ICANN, nor the ALS'es or the ALAC can take responsibility for such. And it is the host country where either limited connectivity or no connectivity to correct or address such. As such, those folks are either not users at all, or are marginalized by poor governmental and private sector stuartship of their own countrymen. Another concern that you did not touch upon are those that due to their countries political positions, they do not allow their Internet users to participate in a meaningful way in user based organizations. So again, this is not ICANN or the ALS'es/ALAC's problem to solve, but can work if diligent, to lesson or eliminate such restrictions on a case by case basis. But such efforts are expensive in terms of finances and personal individual dedication. Something I myself haven't seen or heard of demonstrated by either ICANN nor the ALS'es/ALAC members other than yourself. However given that the ALAC and the ALS'es are having trouble financing it's members to attend meetings, or generate it's own finances, this comes a no surprise what so ever. -----Original Message-----
From: Izumi AIZU <iza@anr.org> Sent: Jun 8, 2008 7:33 PM To: Dominik Filipp <dominik.filipp@dsoft.sk> Cc: At-Large Worldwide <alac@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Subject: Re: [At-Large] ALAC and AtLarge and france at large
I like to point out that web tools will not provide "fair representation" globally.
There are many areas and regions where still access is a big problem, many are using only dial-ups and they are expensive. Norbert Klein from Cambodia has always pointed out this issue. I am now working on the remote island and mountain areas access problem both home in Japan and to some degree for Nepal.
So when "massive" campaign is employed, they are usually voices from developed regions with good connectivity, yet other people will be very much left out.
I am in favor of using web tools, however, to be a good reference tool and out-reach means. They can be a good complementary tool, but not a simple alternative to the ALS/RALO/ALAC process per se. I hope people all agree with this.
Of course, current ALAC-RALO-ALS framework is not perfect and does not solve the access issue, but we have to be very cafeful.
One of the reasons why the current structure was proposed was the reflection of the "global" election where some countries such as mine, Japan, seemed to dominate the regional membership since the government and industry effectively organized the targeted campaign and there was no means to stop that that time.
AND also after the AtLarge Directors were elected from five regions, most of them lost contact with the consituencies, or the very people who voted and elected them, since a) ICANN destroyed all the memebrship data and communication means, b) most, if not all, directors didn't or couldn't maintain the communication with the consituencies constantly, and c) there were no effective mechanism to guarantee that within ICANN
So there was some empahsis on "informed participation" than "mechanical representation" at that time.
I do not intend to say "keep the status quo" at all, but while AtLarge or ALAC is under the review now, I think it might be good to take some old lessons from the past to create the new future.
best,
izumi
2008/6/9 Dominik Filipp <dominik.filipp@dsoft.sk>:
Agreed.
Dominik
-----Original Message----- From: Evan Leibovitch [mailto:evan@telly.org] Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 5:10 PM To: Dominik Filipp Cc: jam@jacquelinemorris.com; At-Large Worldwide Subject: Re: [At-Large] ALAC and AtLarge and france at large
Dominik Filipp wrote:
Try to see the positives. I wouldn't see it that dramatically. Access to the Internet, regular or on occasion, is available in many many countries. And the other means are by no means excluded.
IMO, At-Large is essentially the global community of "users of the Internet". As such, most people who would have an interest in ICANN, one would think, would at very least have Internet access.
Improving IT literacy and giving people access to the Internet are extremely important issues, but outside the bounds of ICANN. It just strikes me as simple logic that someone without access to the Internet is likely not interested in -- and may be incapable of really understanding -- the controversies of its management.
For that reason I would agree with Dominik that online surveys are an effective -- and certainly a cost effective -- manner to receive input from large numbers of community members who are at least Internet-aware. The main flaw with this tactic is that it is passive: surveys cannot solicit opinion, they can only wait for opinion to come to them. Left alone and unsupported, surveys only attract the brash and self-assured, which biases the results. For this reason IMO online surveys need to be accompanied by grassroots (ALS) support and publicity, to encourage people to understand the questions being surveyed and to participate.
Such a combination, IMO, is hard to surpass in potential reach and cost effectiveness. It may not be the only solution, but it is to me the best one when resources are limited and the audience can be presumed to at least be aware enough to operate the survey.
- Evan
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