Overall, I think the IETF has a marketing problem addressing its #1
customer base - electronic participants.
I was somewhat hoping to see more done in the mentor area of assisting
electronic participants. Of coarse, this sort of electronic mentoring it
could include an end goal to get folks more involved with the IETF
directly, i.e. go to meetings, become leaders, etc, but overall assist
with protocol standards development.
I presume, the IETF gets a far more population of electronic
participants, many who first get involved with writing I-Ds. I have
found it to be a high hurdle to get a I-D completed, especially if you
never attended IETF meetings or have not sent someone or group on your
company behalf.
As I have been advised by some IETF vets, I'm sure it will help with the
process of getting others more comfortable with you and your work, but
is it really absolutely necessary to attend IETF meetings to get an I-D
moved thru the process?
I guess I could of requested more IETF interest/review for particular
I-Ds I have worked on but it would of required stepping on some toes. I
decided to avoid contention although the help I received was an attempt
to avoid a conflict.
Maybe I'm off-base, but it just seems the mentoring efforts is targeted
at attracting full time IETF members, future leaders, etc and not just
the specific technical person who might be just interested in various
protocols of interest and no more. Our products are internet based and
hence has dozens of protocols implemented. I'm here really just to keep
on top of them, assist with improvements, and if need be try to get an
I-D written if only to prove a point or get an idea out there for
consideration and creative synergism. Not interested in become an IETF
full time attendee nor "leader" per se.
The IETF needs to improved its market across the globe and that really
can only feasibly be done electronically. There are needs to take
efforts of getting electronic participants more involved. I think it can
start with first helping and mentoring I-D writers.
What generally happens when an individual I-D is submitted? Is there
an overseer of the submissions and decides there is something that
interest the IETF?
Thanks
--
HLS
On 7/17/2013 6:58 PM, IETF Chair wrote:
All,
During IETF 87 in Berlin, we will be running a trial of the IETF Mentoring Program.
The goal of the IETF Mentoring Program is to match people new to the IETF (people
who have participated in three or fewer face-to-face meetings or anyone registering
as a student) with experienced IETF mentors. As a mentoring participant, your
mentor will personally introduce you to the IETF community, help you find your way
around the IETF & the meeting, explain things, and introduce you to other
attendees you might like to meet. Basically, your mentor will be your personal
buddy during the meeting week, and possibly afterwards.
The IETF Mentoring Program was created to help new IETF participants to get up
to speed rapidly and help them begin to contribute to the IETF quickly and
easily. If you wish to participate in the IETF Mentoring Program, you can
follow the sign-up procedures described in the program FAQ:
https://www.ietf.org/resources/mentoring-program.html
After you follow the sign-up procedure, we will then introduce you to each other by
email, and invite you to meet up in person at the IETF Meet & Greet event on
Sunday afternoon in Berlin. From there on, you and your mentor decide on when and
where to meet during the rest of the week and afterwards.
You are of course free to withdraw from the program at any time and for any
reason, no questions asked, should a need arise. But I sincerely believe the
IETF Mentoring Program will be a great way for new participants to get
introduced to the IETF by an experienced participant with matching interest.
Regards,
Jari Arkko
IETF Chair