Summary of chat with Rajesh (Hyderabad) and other notes (sorry about the length)
Ginger Paque
Hi everybody!
As we have finished up some important projects lately, I think most of us are ready to get back to work for the productive part of the Remote Participation for IGF 2008. We are hoping for a meeting on Skype, Saturday at 20:00 GMT. Rajesh cannot make it, but perhaps we should go ahead, and then send out a summary and/or transcript.
Rajesh, who is a member of the Hyderabad Host committee for IGF 2008, gave me an update after meetings with the IGF Secretariat in Paris.
The IGF Secretariat, who is in charge of this planning and organization, has stipulated that they will be organizing the Webcast and chat options with the host country, for the IGF in Hyderabad. They ask for this central control, and that we only participate through Remote Hubs, which they actively support. They are suggesting 2 minute videos from the Hubs, as well as chat questions to presenters. I am sure that Rafik could organize the tech points with Rajesh.
If we do any SL activities, they will NOT be connected to or broadcast to the IGF venue, although I understand that the same 2 minute video and chat options would be available to a SL hub.
I think we should see this as a strong advance, as it clears the air and allows us to focus our efforts. The IGF Secretariat has committed to an appropriate Webcast and chat. Perhaps Rafik could check with Rajesh on those arrangements and let us know what they will be doing. We must also clarify what meetings will be Webcast, whether workshops, parallel meetings will have remote access. Perhaps if this is not foreseen by the IGF Secretariat, they will let us look into that with the Host country, through Rajesh and Rafik.
Rajesh is willing to help with tech details of streaming the Webcast from the IGF venue into a Second Life meeting, and to the hubs. He seems very open and willing to help. I think we should take advantage of his offers. Diplo is willing to “donate” use of their conference room and facilities in SL, and Branislav Kurbalija is willing to help.
Personally, given such strong opinion on the part of the IGF Secretariat, I think we should accept these conditions and concentrate our efforts on
- Remote Hubs as stipulated by Marilia, supported by Rajesh and Diplo. Rajesh suggest working through ISOC might be a good possibility.
- Follow-up on parallel meetings and workshop remote participation to see if they will be included.
- A Second Life Hub, where international communities, such as Diplo, could join together, in addition to the national and regional possibilities offered by “Marilia’s” Hubs.
- Check with Seiiti and Vladimir about setting up small hubs in regions that they can access through the Diplo community.
- Check with Rajesh about posting documents for comments in HT or blogs
- Will we have an “official blog”?
Questions that have come up in conversations: we decided upon www.igfremote.com because of its ease of purchase and ease of memory for users. Has this affected our credibility? Should we still consider .org?
Have you all had good acceptance of the term “Hubs”? Do people know what you are talking about? I like it, because it is based upon an already-used example of the AIDS hubs, but there is no reason we must stick with that term if it is not easily understandable. What do you all think? Should we consider something like “Worldwide IGF” or “town hall meetings”?
There is lots to do!!! Please comment before the meeting if you like, especially if you will not be present Saturday, 20:00 GMT on Skype. We are done with the theoretical stage and on to the practical details, right?
Saludos, everybody,
Ginger
Jeremy Malcolm
> The IGF Secretariat, who is in charge of this planning and
> organization, has stipulated that they will be organizing the
> Webcast and chat options with the host country, for the IGF in
> Hyderabad. They ask for this central control, and that we only
> participate through Remote Hubs, which they actively support.
> ...
> If we do any SL activities, they will NOT be connected to or
> broadcast to the IGF venue, although I understand that the same 2
> minute video and chat options would be available to a SL hub.
>
> I think we should see this as a strong advance, as it clears the air
> and allows us to focus our efforts.
...snip...
> Personally, given such strong opinion on the part of the IGF
> Secretariat, I think we should accept these conditions and
> concentrate our efforts on Remote Hubs as stipulated by Marilia,
> supported by Rajesh and Diplo.
and similarly on 04/07/2008, at 10:26 AM, Marilia Maciel wrote:
> Up to now, we have been working with two axes:
> 1) Combine the webcast of the IGF with a platform for interaction,
> which would be available before, during and after the meeting. For
> that, we have been exploring the possibilities of different programs.
> ...snip...
> Nevertheless, we were recently told that the Secretariat would
> endorse only the second one. The first axe will be completely under
> the responsibility of the Secreatariat and the host country.
History repeats itself. You are very diplomatic about this (a virtue
I'm not well known for), but to me this is another example of the
Secretariat overstepping its authority and laying down prescriptions
that should rightfully be discussed and agreed openly in consultation
with all stakeholders.
That this is happening again probably bears out the views of the
Remote Participation Working Group (that I initially disagreed with)
that the Online Collaboration Dynamic Coalition should retain a
separate identity and take a role of advocacy for reform of the IGF's
approach to online engagement, because the Secretariat's dictatorial
attitude here certainly calls out for comment in my view.
The text of the OCDC's proposal on developing a virtual community for
the IGF (at http://wiki.igf-online.net/wiki/IGF_Virtual_Community) is
already frozen during this week as we attempt to build rough consensus
on it, but can be unfrozen if anyone thinks it is worth making
reference to this latest development in that document. At not, then
it is at the least blogworthy.
PS. Apologies if some of the quoted text above displays as right-
justified. For some reason my mail program thinks that Ginger's
original message was written in a right-to-left language. (It looks
like the multilingualisation effort has a ways to go.)
--
Jeremy Malcolm LLB (Hons) B Com
Internet and Open Source lawyer, IT consultant, actor
host -t NAPTR 1.0.8.0.3.1.2.9.8.1.6.e164.org|awk -F! '{print $3}'
Seiiti Arata Jr.
Globally speaking, yes I can reach the Diplo network via our lists and ask volunteers to get in touch with you. should I use Marilia as a contact point? Basically it has to be someone who will be able to explain briefly what the hubs are and how these people can locally get in touch with institutions who may be interested. I personally cannot go deep into detail but will be glad to act as a bridge between you all. Please advise.
ps please also let me know in case i missed something
lohento Ken
It's my first message to the list. I'm Ken Lohento, from the Panos
Institute West Africa working on ICT policy issues (see www.cipaco.org
(choose English if needed) and
http://www.panos-ao.org/spip.php?rubrique13 for more info – no English
here). I'm also on the out-going MAG. I'm on the list since about six weeks.
I like the idea of national/regional hubs. I participated in a similar
remote hub activity with the Lead programme of Enda in Senegal during
WSIS and maybe they can still collaborate to do that. I will contact
them and see what is possible here. The francophonie institution AUF
here is Senegal might also be interested and I think they have better
facilities. If we have a text ready ( like a call for IGF remote
participation hub) I can translate it into French and send it to some
people when required. In that call, we should include all technical
requirements from hubs in details. I don’t know if you only want
regional hubs (no national hubs?).
Regarding Second Life, a small "discussion" was held at a moment within
the MAG and it appears that the technical requirements for SL will be
too much for most least developed country remote participants (notably
people here from West Africa – bandwidth problems notably). So it was
said more or less SL will not an official tool for RP used by the
Secretariat.
I would also like to say I would have preferred www.igfremote.org or
www.igfremote.net - Sorry for having not send the comment before the
meeting. I hope it went well.
Regards
KL
Dakar
Ginger Paque a écrit :
> 1. Remote Hubs as stipulated by Marilia, supported by Rajesh and
> Diplo. Rajesh suggest working through ISOC might be a good
> possibility.
> 2. Follow-up on parallel meetings and workshop remote participation
> to see if they will be included.
> 3. A Second Life Hub, where international communities, such as
> Diplo, could join together, in addition to the national and
> regional possibilities offered by “Marilia’s” Hubs.
> 4. Check with Seiiti and Vladimir about setting up small hubs in
> regions that they can access through the Diplo community.
> 5. Check with Rajesh about posting documents for comments in HT or
> blogs
> 6. Will we have an “official blog”?
Marilia Maciel
Max Senges
i had my harddrive die on me last night - i am in the apple store hopefully getting it replaced by the way ;-(
WOW how dependent we are on our digital buddies - i feel soo stranded
best
max
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"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; ... so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
- THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(Paris Sorbonne,1910)
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Dr. Max Senges
Stanford Post-Doc Visiting Scholar
UOC Research Associate
Freelance Consultant
98 Loyola Ave., Menlo Park, California 94025
US-Phone: (001) 650 714 9826
www.maxsenges.com
www.knowledgeentrepreneur.com
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