<div dir="ltr">Community without a qualifier, is just buzzword.<br>Here are Merriam-Webster definitions:<br><br> <br>COMMUNITY<br><br>: a group of people who live in the same area (such as a city, town, or neighborhood)<br><br>: a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race, etc.<br><br>: a group of nations<br><br><br>It could be a few, or zillions, of anything. Let's compare with ...<br><br><br>GANG<br><br>: a group of criminals<br><br>: a group of young people who do illegal things together and who often fight against other gangs<br><br>: a group of people who are friends and who do things together<br><br><br>Those definitions are at least much more meaningful. <br><br>Anyway, fuzzy expressions are worthless in legal documents.<br> .<br>Louis.<br>- - -<br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 1, 2015 at 11:52 AM, parminder <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:parminder@itforchange.net" target="_blank">parminder@itforchange.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"><span class="">
<br>
<br>
<div>On Wednesday 01 April 2015 03:23 AM,
Michael Gurstein wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">Some may find
this of interest…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://gurstein.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/is-there-a-global-internet-community/" target="_blank">https://gurstein.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/is-there-a-global-internet-community/</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br></span>
To contextualise Michael's what was much needed exposition to a very
specific issue, one of the hottest IG issues, pl see the update
document on IANA stewardship transition<br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:16px"> <a href="https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/iana-stewardship-discussion-31mar15-en.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/iana-stewardship-discussion-31mar15-en.pdf</a>
<br>
<br>
The term 'community' is freely bandied around as if everyone knows
what it means, and mind it, this is an authoritative discussion
about a new institutional mechanism where one needs to know what a
term means. Btw, they have recruited legal advisers (one need not
even check to know that they must be US firms but not to
digress...) to ensure that whatever they come up with is is
legally sound, which includes having a clear legal meaning. So
friends, who are involved in, or are otherwise close, to IANA
transition process, what does the term 'community' mean in this
document - is it the larger public affected by the Internet or is
it the set of people who have traditionally been engaging with
ICANN and its associated organisations, and are part of its
committees, outreach systems and so on. Accordingly, I will like
to know whether it is the larger public accountability of ICANN
that is being addressed by the concerned group, or its
accountability to a narrowly defined group, which too please do
define for me.<br>
<br>
For instance, one cannot make sense of such important and
fundamental propositions like the below, without knowing what or
who is the 'community' .<br>
<br>
(quote from the cited doc begins)<br>
</span><br>
The group discussed new mechanisms to empower the community in
ICANN’s decision-making processes. In particular, there was general
convergence on the need to enable the community to :<br>
<br>
# Recall (or “spill”) ICANN’s Board of Directors <br>
# Approve or prevent changes to ICANN’s Bylaws, Mission and Core
Values<br>
# Reject Board decisions on ICANN’s Strategic Plan and budget (where
the Board has failed to appropriately consider community input)<br>
<br>
## It was recognized that, while it was clearly important that the
ICANN Board be accountable to the community, it was also essential
for the community itself to meet high standards of accountability.
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">(ends)<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Community is spoken of as something
which can be ascribed clear agency, and thus must be clearly
definable. Please do define it for us to enable us to make any
sense of what this group is proposing on an issue which is so
important for the global public. <br>
</p>
<span style="font-size:16px">
<br>
In a doc referenced in the above doc, which is titled
"Accountability mechanism" and can be found here
<a href="https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/52888740/IRP%20Accountability%20Mechanism%20Template%20.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1426866536000&api=v2" target="_blank">https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/52888740/IRP%20Accountability%20Mechanism%20Template%20.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1426866536000&api=v2</a>
<br>
<br>
and I quote from it (this is about possible ways to compose the
Independent Review Board)<br>
<br>
(begins)<br>
</span><font face="sans-serif"><font size="3">Members to be
nominated by the Board in consultation with the
appointment by CEO, approved [how?] by community; [possible
alternatives</font></font><font face="sans-serif"><font size="3">
whom?
involving a reversal of the above (i.e. community nomination and</font></font><font face="sans-serif"><font size="3"> Board approval)] [Also consider
external vetting or rating schemes for</font></font><font face="sans-serif"><font size="3"> nominees, i.e., third party
organization such as ICDR could
appoint/nominate subject to confirmation.] </font></font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0cm"> <font face="sans-serif"><font size="3">
</font></font></p>
<span style="font-size:16px">
(ends)<br>
</span><br>
We can make no sense of all this without clearly knowing what or who
is the 'community' here. Please help.<br>
<br>
Thanks, parminder <br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">M</span></i></b><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
<pre>____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
<a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>
To be removed from the list, visit:
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a>
For all other list information and functions, see:
<a href="http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance" target="_blank">http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance</a>
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a>
Translate this email: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t" target="_blank">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</div>
<br>____________________________________________________________<br>
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
<a href="mailto:bestbits@lists.bestbits.net">bestbits@lists.bestbits.net</a>.<br>
To unsubscribe or change your settings, visit:<br>
<a href="http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits" target="_blank">http://lists.bestbits.net/wws/info/bestbits</a><br></blockquote></div><br></div></div>