[ga] Consensus, Lists and listening

[Hugh Dierker <hdierker2204@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Readers and Contributors,
 
Please take a moment to reflect on an ebbing tide.  Sometimes the subtleties of change are not so easily taken in when viewed to closely or through eyes blurred by past bias. 
 
Let us take the dying of independent lists. Yes friends they are dying off. The independent at-large charge is losing steam. Try to look at this neutrally. Then ask why? I have come to the conclusion it is in general a case of efficacy. We all work with the Internet. We are immediate gratification seekers, likely to be a little overachieving and manic. If we do not get immediate gratification and see some positive results, like we are used to, or find a solution to problems not implemented, we move on. We are war heroes and not nation builders.
 
So assume you are a GNSO board member looking for user consensus. Oh boy, you are in a world of hurt. And if you are looking for something quickly you might as well piss up a rope, you would accomplish more. The only hope you would find is in the old stand by and that is time. Markets, fads, politics all ebb and flow and we then, using time can reflect and find a consensus gaged in months and years and persistence and look for a trend and commonality.
 
While I attend the GA list often, I more often sit in the back and watch, yes even me, with all my postings must listen much more than speak. Even including the commercial lists, which list has been around the longest? Which has published more pages? Which held reasonably sound elections? (at least for a few years). Which list has had and continues to have the largest world base of contributors and listeners? Which list are the notices posted on for the longest continuous period of time?  I believe I was working on the end of the wg-review here before Icannwatch or the Blogs. Where were the great debates of the at-large, both for the elections and the "commission" held? Where did Babtista and Flemming and Walsh and Joop make their stands? Where has Verisign, Netsol, ATT the ccTLDs make their positions known? WHY?
 
Why does this list continue? What is in it for the ICANN powers to be? 
The answer is simple. No it is not sinisterism or a conspiracy. No it is not for money made on marketing here. No it is not so Jeff and I have a private list ;-).
 
It is still the best tool to communicate our views. 
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric Hugh Dierker 


		
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!