Re: Meritocracy, diversity, and leaning on the people you know

On 4/19/2013 2:13 PM, Ted Hardie wrote:
>
> ...
>
> There are other methods that may well be better than the two Suresh and I
> discussed, but I put these forward as a potentially concrete step that may
> help those struggling with this to understand that the end result of this
> need not be quotas.  It should be a better environment for all of our
> volunteers.
>
> best regards,
>
> Ted Hardie
I call this improving the Electronic diversity of the IETF.  It has 
communications tools but it needs more.  There is work is in progress 
(MeetEcho and so on), but it still needs more.  The IETF does not have a 
copyright on this problem. Every organizations has to improve its 
communications methods.
Short list of ideas:

 - Better Marketing, Website "Sales."

 - Focus on its products, standards, Publications of ideas, methods
   in a formal format, old and new technology reviews, Global Reviews,
   even legal topics, etc.

 - Online Forums to resolve the device independent issue
   - with continued Offline communications avenues.
   - Device independent Participation.

 - Memberships!!! Get that "Professional Feel" of getting a
   membership "badge", great for resumes,
   - Different levels,
   - Give folks their own @IETF.ORG email address!

 - Offer "Co-op" projects (as opposed to jobs) for students (newcomers),
   - Management of projects,
   - Documentation experience,
   - Programmers for the developers of protocols,
   - Testers,
   - etc.

There is much more that can be done, but we are still holding on to a 
version of the past that is keeping the IETF behind.   We all fall in 
that trap of adhering to safe, conservative, comfortable and for the 
most part, working practices. I know I (my company) did and we are still 
trying to get out of that hole.  In this way, its not a Start Up Plan 
that is needed.  It would a Restructuring Plan.  The IETF is not start 
up because it can't afford or has the leverage to start new things 
without harming others. In this way, it is currently Pareto Efficient 
because it does consider all things diverse.  However, I believe we need 
to improve the Electronic Diversity by blending in the new things to the 
existing methods.  I hope these discussions regarding diversity is not 
just about increasing IETF meetings attendance.
Lastly, I think we need to remember that there are many folks who are 
not in this to be managers, leaders, RFC writers, or even "complete 
Reviewers" but just implementators and followers, including CTOs who 
would like nothing better but to get better abstracts and executive 
summaries from the flow of I-Ds submitted.  They put their trust on 
their peers more involved with IETF to do the "best" engineering job and 
certainly not a result that will hurt them.  This is where the IETF/IESG 
experiences is still and always vital, whatever is done, the IETF can 
not make her end products have a lesser quality.  Its a tough task, but 
one that can be managed with improved Electronic Diversity.

--
HLS