Hi Garth, all So here's the thing. If elected to a key post in a grassroots organization, being asked questions like: how many members do you have, how many subscribers, what level of engagement -- should be an opportunity to demonstrate effectiveness (especially when seeking re-election) and the answers should be immediately accessible. If asked about a Facebook page, or a Twitter account, or a report of the recent meeting which is the organization's entire reason for existing, then the answers should already be known and easily provided, perhaps with a certain amount of pride. This basic level of commitment by elected representatives is the foundation on which other things can be built. If there is such a foundation and if questions from members are seen as a positive and useful form of engagement, then you will find that not only I but a lot of other people would be willing to help out, to do work (without insisting on being paid for it), and to promote the organization. Kieren On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 7:48 AM, Garth Bruen at Knujon.com < gbruen@knujon.com> wrote:
Kieren, I think your critique of what needs to be done is correct but there is difference between saying "this must be done by you" and "this must be done and I will do this part of it" among a group of volunteers.
We're all aware of the weak volume of participation, and this can be fixed.
What can't be denied is the quality of participation. The expertise and dedication among this group is remarkable. Before joining At-Large I was running my volunteer effort with success in specific areas. But since working with At-Large that success has improved and I've had the honor of helping others within the group with various efforts.
We've made positive policy changes and gotten the attention of the board, staff and "others." Registrars regularly lurk on this thread along with anonymous (NON)At-Large support ICANN staff. That's pretty shocking and wouldn't happen if we were not having an impact. No one inside the inner circle would care what we said otherwise.
If you can use your far-reaching voice to highlight the success of this group it would help get new interest and support for existing initiatives. Interview some members and document what they do, so then readers will see how their Internet problems could also be addressed.
-Garth
------------------------------**-------------------- From: "Kieren McCarthy" <kierenmccarthy@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 9:40 AM To: "NA-Discuss Discuss" <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.**icann.org<na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org>
Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Voting None of the Above Re: …
Well I think you've both just answered the question as to why there are
so few people engaged in NARALO.
Kieren
[from mobile device]
On Jul 20, 2012, at 3:50 AM, "Thompson, Darlene" <DThompson1@GOV.NU.CA> wrote:
+1
Very well said.
D
Darlene A. Thompson CAP Administrator N-CAP/Department of Education P.O. Box 1000, Station 910 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Phone: (867) 975-5631 Fax: (867) 975-5610 dthompson@gov.nu.ca ______________________________**__________ From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-**lists.icann.org<na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org>[ na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-**lists.icann.org<na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org>] on behalf of Evan Leibovitch [evan@telly.org] Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 2:20 AM To: Kieren McCarthy Cc: NA-Discuss Discuss Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Voting None of the Above Re: …
On 19 July 2012 12:39, Kieren McCarthy <kierenmccarthy@gmail.com> wrote:
*At the risk at getting embroiled in pointless name-calling, John I think
you are demonstrating precisely the mindset that is behind the reason that only one person is standing for each of the four positions.*
Kieren, you *are* getting embrolied in pointless name calling.
Funny that you suddenly seem so interested in At-Large issues when it comes to our internals. We've been active in promoting end-user sensibilities in WHOIS, gTLD, trademark, internationalization and other issues. I've personally been trying -- practically begging, since before Prague -- to get you to even LOOK at the R3 white paper At-Large has produced, an broadly-crafted attempt to make ICANN more representative of (and accountable to) the world at large. You've been WAY too busy for that. But not too busy to gawk at an unfortunate personal issue, and pass judgement on a consensus process that seems to work for most. Like most decision-making systems, it's imperfect. But it does result in NARALO members' initiating more than its share of ALAC policy initiatives, and still being the one of the only regions with a formal acceptance of participants who aren't part of an ALS.
And yet... Rather than focus on the substance of what we're actually trying to say -- which you have completely ignored to date -- you seek to dwell on the "what gives you the right to say it?" approach.
Sorry there wasn't any tabloid fodder for you on Monday (the first NARALO call you've attended ... ever?). No meltdown. Not even raised voices. Just talk about policy, planning for the Toronto meeting, and ensuring the everyone who had something to say on our internal issues was heard, Smoothly run and ended on time. But judging from your takeaway comments, Plan B appears to be focusing on why At-Large doesn't function more like Amway.
*So here are some questions:*
Really? REALLY? Are you really asking volunteers to provide the research that you will then turn around and sell to others? And then complain that we don't have enough time for <insert your pet issue here>?
If your questions are intended to discover holes in ICANN's At-Large outreach strategies, you'll have an easy time of it once you do the research. If your intentions are indeed constructive, you're welcome to join us in advocating At-Large growth through anywhere near the kind of resources that ICANN expends to grow its pool of registrars and TLDs. But the tone just appears as building a case for diverting our limited volunteer resources away from understanding and shaping the ICANN labyrinth, and towards recruitment. No thanks.
My ALS (and a number of others) was discovered and brought in by Jacob Malthouse, an ICANN staffer whose job it was to go out and engage members of the public who'd never heard of ICANN -- let alone cared about it -- and convince them to get them involved. Jacob's job was difficult; too bad you can't ask him about it because his position no longer exists, so it's no surprise the job isn't being done anymore. NARALO has made proposals to duplicate this task using volunteers instead of staff, but our request to get even basic expenses covered for this project has been turned down for two (or it it three?) years in a row.
*These are basic questions, basic steps for a grassroots organization.
And they all cost $0.*
How sad that you consider volunteer time to be worthless. Mine isn't.
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