From: "Robert Elz" <kre(_at_)munnari(_dot_)OZ(_dot_)AU>
Certainly the way the IETF works, in all regards, is different to
most other organisations - not having any real defined members as
such makes a difference.
If you recall, the notion that the IETF has no members changed when
ICANN arrived on the scene. At the IETF meeting in Sweden, when,
ICANN was recruiting followers for the PSO, the IETF, W3C and
ETSI were considered equals. Apparently, the IETF people objected
and noted that ETSI has a small number of members. Someone else
apparently noted that the IETF has no members, and is therefore
smaller than ETSI. In order to become part of ICANN, the IETF had
to quickly talk out of the other side of its mouth and claim to have
thousands of members.
Reread what Robert said -- there's a big difference between not having a well
defined "is a member of" test and not having any members. Any contributor to
the IETF is effectively a member of it.
Ned