Community:
Moments after the closure of Wednesday's ICANN Berlin meeting,
my gut reponse? Social issues are being dismissed in the urgent
rush to get the ball rolling, get the profits rolling in. This is unfortunate.
The DNS patterns established today will affect our world for a century.
We need deliberation and consensus-building, which takes time.
Also, I felt distressed by dismissive comments by those in the room
about the need for a recognized constituency of individual DN holders.
Joop held his ground pretty well, and Esther Dyson did acknowleldge
that the vocal presence of individuals online speaks for the fact most
individuals (e.g a freelancer like me) do not easily do overseas travel.
But our lack of representation in the room is why we need advocacy.
(MInd you, this still falls short of the network democracy I'd prefer.)
As with most of us participating online (awake since 6 am in Denver),
I felt frustrated at never hearing our comments mentioned except as
something that would be read aloud at some future point. But the
point never came, the momentum in the room being too robust,
(to be kind, out of sight, out mind), and we mostly were left out.
Thank you for saying at the end, Esther, that the online comments
would be copied and distributed to those at the meeting who did not
have the ability to downoad a page (like us linked online). Displaying
our talk on a screen at the very end was appreciated. Do that again.
At the Santiago meeting, it would be good to have a second screen in the
conference room, set aside for constant display of online comments. This
would promote more interactivity among all those attending the event, there
and online. Anyone in the room or away can comment about what they see
online [reloading the page often]. We can can comment on any comment.
Think greater global interactivity, participatory management. Democracy.
Oh, until a minute ago, while I was writing this note (while the moment
is fresh), I was listening to after-meeting conversations rumbling near the
microphone staying delightfully open awhile, as the real meeting began...
-- ken
Ken Freed
Media Visions
PS. In the wake of Columbine here, my latest project:
http://www.media-visions.com/globalforum.html
