RE: Welcoming newcomers

["Udotong, Isaac" <iudotong at msx.advsys.com>]

As a newcomer, I can't agree more with Bill, or at least I find it difficult
doing so. Apart from reading emails, I kind of feel left behind.

Isaac Udotong


-----Original Message-----
From: Brian E Carpenter [mailto:brian at hursley.ibm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 4:58 PM
To: ietf at ietf.org
Subject: Welcoming newcomers


Bill Manning wrote:
...
>         I enjoyed a much different experience. I was asked by a couple of
>         WG chairs if I would be willing to take on tasks that needed to be
>         done, was invited to share opinions and thoughts by folks on the
>         IAB... as a first time attendee. Getting involved was easy. Those
>         responsible encouraged new blood.  Recent experience seems to
indicate
>         a "winnowing" process is now in effect, making it harder, perhaps
>         much harder to allow individual contribution. If I was starting
today,
>         I'd avoid the IETF as a venue.

If we are projecting this image, it's a problem. But given the constant
increase in attendance, I doubt if it's really the case. Certainly in my
own WG we have some very active participants who weren't at all involved
when
we started, and some of the early activists have moved on.

If you think that good newcomers are not getting a fair hearing, recommend
them to the ADs as WG chairs. And mentor any newcomers that you happen to
know.

  Brian