Re: ietf mailing list Acceptable Use Policy

[Harald Tveit Alvestrand <harald at alvestrand.no>]

--On onsdag, juli 20, 2005 14:49:27 -0700 Dave Crocker <dhc2 at dcrocker.net> 
wrote:

> Folks,
>
> I am burdening the IETF list with this note because I looked around on
> the IETF  web pages and couldn't find the document or statement that
> would resolve the  point.
>
> The question of acceptable behaviors on ietf mailing lists has been
> discussed at  length, of course.  But I cannot find a statement that
> should be used by ietf  list that is, for example, on a par with the Note
> Well statement about IPR.
>
> I believe that we DO have pretty consistent rules, but I can't find a
> pointer to  text that makes the usual statements about technical focus,
> professionalism,  absence of ad hominem language, etc.
>
> It would be great to have an IETF-wide, core consensus-based statement on
> Acceptable Use that new lists could just point to.

For working group lists, people point to RFC 2418 (WG guidelines) and RFC 
3434 (updates), and for the IETF list, they point to RFC 3005 (IETF list 
charter). And sometimes to RFC 3184 (IETF Guidelines for Conduct), or RFC 
3683 (IETF-wide posting right removal).

But when having to evaluate the question for the ietf-languages list a 
month ago, I did not find a written statement anywhere that said "here's 
how you operate an IETF list that is not a WG list".

So I resorted to "here's what would happen if this was a WG list, and I had 
the power of the WG chair to control the list, and because I run the list, 
I'm going to make it happen".

One of the signs of a maturing organization is said to be that it relies 
upon explicit rules rather than people's individual judgment.
One of the signs of an ossifying organization is said to be that it has 
rules for everything.

So I kind of look favourably upon the idea of writing such a document - 
but... could we do it in such a way that the number of documents we have to 
ask people to read grows shorter, not longer....?

                         Harald



_______________________________________________
Ietf mailing list
Ietf at ietf.org
https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf