Re: Remote participants, newcomers, and tutorials

Dave,

> I've been finding discussion and actions about newcomers far more interesting 
> this year, than most previous ones.  So I think it's worth pressing on 
> several fronts, to see how we can both accommodate such folk better, as well 
> as be clear about when and where and how such accommodation is /and is not/ 
> appropriate.
>
> Your reply to me, above, lists different types of new folk -- and of course 
> the list is reasonable and might be useful -- but I didn't see the actual 
> clarification of what you felt was wrong in the target text or how you agreed 
> with me an others.  So, now you've got me curious for that detail…
The wrong part in the text was suggesting that newcomers should never speak up 
in meetings. I believe they in many cases should, although beginner or tutorial 
questions should not be asked.

> And while I've got the floor I'll offer a thought I had after a brief 
> conversation with Jari at last night's reception:
>
>     Warning:  This calls for working groups to do a little more work.
>
> The working group home page and the working group wiki have become excellent 
> tools for assembling relevant documents.  For someone trying to get started 
> in the wg, these are incredibly helpful.
>
>     My suggestion is for a 'status' page that gives a brief summary about the 
> current state of the working group, ideally listing the current, near-term 
> vector of the work -- what's the current focus of effort -- and major open 
> issues.
>
>     I'll suggest that it be updated after every meeting.
>
> Arguably, this sort of status statement is good to have even without 
> newcomers, since it forces working groups to face the question of what 
> progress they are and are not making.
>
> An exercise like this can be cast as onerous or helpful, depending upon the 
> surrounding organizational 'tone' we use.  In a supportive environment, the 
> exercise is helpful.  In a hostile one, not so much.
>
> Basically, if a wg is being diligent and candid in summarizing its problems 
> (as well as progress) the rest of us have an obligation to be helpful.
I like this.  

Jari