[governance] Speakers for IGF - ideas?

Thu Sep 6 19:48:54 EDT 2007

> One rather gaping hole in the online public comment process is the lack of
> effective promotion of open-comment periods.

I agree. Although I wouldn't have phrased it quite so rudely.

But I think it's wise to take this off this list because this is all about
ICANN and ICANN processes and I'm certain it is going to annoy everyone
else.

Actually, no, I've just read your post and you make a load of aggressive and
incorrect criticisms so I think I'll answer them here (I apologise to the
others on the list). I'll try to keep it concise.

If you want to respond, can I suggest we go off-list - or, better, have an
open conversation on ICANN's public participation site.

--------------------------------------------

> There is little visibility of this platform among the general public 

The public comment page has a link on every page on the ICANN website. It
creation was announced on the front page of the ICANN website (which is then
send out to all subscribers of the news alerts service) and on the blog and
in the first issue of a new magazine. Links within the page have since
popped up on several thousand different webpages on the Net. If you type
"icann public comment" into Google you will be taken directly to the page.

The general public aren't really interested in ICANN's work, sadly.

------------------------------------------------
> the Keep The Core Neutral campaign generated roughly 50 comments out 
> of a total of roughly 80 

You used a Web form with pre-prepared text and a send button aimed it at a
particular ICANN email address. Some people typed in the wrong email address
in your form; others failed to respond to a confirmation email sent by ICANN
in order to deal with an enormous spam problem. 

Personally, I would prefer that complex policy decisions covering the future
expansion of the Internet were dealt with through reason and logic rather
than whoever manages to muster the largest number of copycat statements. 

Nonethelesss, they appeared on the page, they have appeared in a
summary/analysis of comments that I need to stick up very soon, and that
summary will be given to the appropriate council to review as part of its
decision-making process.

----------------------------------------------
> Real human beings need to pick up the phone and/or email and pro 
> actively contact tech policy communities

ICANN already does this. It's just that you may not have received a call. It
is also not as effective as we thought it would be (less than 1 in 10
success rate on even personal contact). But we're expanding it nonetheless.

----------------------------------------------
> Who are you targeting for your newsletter?  

Anyone that signs up (http://www.icann.org/magazine/;
http://www.icann.org/newsletter/). The magazine has in one month gone from 0
people to just under 1,000. I think there are 4,000 people signed up to the
news alerts.

-----------------------------------------------
> Who else are you partnering with to build visibility?

This is just management nonsense. But the answer is: two of the biggest
company institutes in the world.

-------------------------------------------------
> Can you clarify exactly what is done with public comments and 
> exactly how they can affect policy-making at ICANN?  

Yes. The information you are looking for is here -
http://www.icann.org/transparency/acct-trans-frameworks-principles-23jun07.h
tm#consul. This new consultation framework was launched (along with a range
of other frameworks covering translation, information disclosure, code of
conduct, accountability, dispute resolution and various others) at a public
session in San Juan that was also available online, webcast and audiocast,
and had its own chatroom. 

A comment period on them was opened at the end of June which was announced
on the front page of the ICANN website and on the ICANN blog. It closed on
31 August. I don't see your name there anywhere.

----------------------------------------------------
> (a) who knows to participate, and (b) what effect will participation have?

Who knows to participate in anything? ICANN needs to improve its website to
lead people through that I do agree with. The website is being redesigned,
and we have a team of journalists about to start work on rewriting large
sections of the ICANN website to make it more accessible and easier to
understand. 

What effect will participation have? Well, it depends on the quality of the
participation and whether people can persuade the Internet community of
their point. At its best, it can change the way the Internet works. At the
other end you'll find people making endless, inaccurate statements without
any basis in fact and loosely tied around a vague conspiracy...

--------------------------------------------------
> It would be a shame if such a system were set up mainly to provide 
> a smoke-screen to point to for political spin purposes rather than 
> to create a meaningful channel for public participation in policy-making.

...like this one.

--------------------------------------------------
> prime the public beforehand to understand the issues as they are 
> being developed, well before they are made available to public comments 

True in theory. In reality, ICANN has public comment periods at each step of
development so you can not only see the process develop but also affect it
at several points along the line.

ICANN has agreed to follow OECD guidelines in large future consultations.
That has as a key component outreach to people after an initial statement is
produced. 

-------------------------------------------------
> The effort it takes to track an issue through the arcane policy 
> process at ICANN is considerable,

Or, alternatively, you could click on the simple webpage set up for just
that purpose: http://www.icann.org/processes/

-------------------------------------------------

> Putting up a web site does not constitute promotion.

No. That is why we have a magazine, RSS feeds, news alerts, regional
managers, three meetings a year, press releases, outreach events, a blog,
constant appearances by staff at conferences across the world, and me
popping up on mailing lists like this.

--------------------------------------------
> ICANN is entirely under the radar in the realm of general public awareness

Yes it is. That is because it is a body that deals with issues that very few
people actually care about. I know this because I have written about domain
names and the Internet for a very large range of newspapers and magazines
for eight years. News editors aren't interested because people aren't
interested. Some are though. I like these people, in general.

----------------------------------------------
> If ICANN opens a web site in the vastness of the Internet and no
> one comes to view it, does it create a communication channel?  

But they do come to view it. Tens of thousands of people every day. You
should try it - you might find some of the answers you are looking for.

Kieren

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