What it is, what it stands for, how it should work
Topic factors (explanation)
Importance: High
Interest: High
Agreement: Medium
Resolution: High
Unsurprisingly for an organization that was created in short order, without a defined charter, and with lofty expectations, a significant amount of the discussion on the /1net mailing list has been about the organization itself.
Many attempts to explain what it is have appeared on the mailing list:
A tool that allows us to rally around critical elements, principles and maybe proposals toward the evolution of a multistakeholder approach to Internet governance/cooperation.
A neutral, focused initiative to discuss selected Internet issues with the intent of working towards actionable collaborative solutions.
An inclusive and open venue supporting discussion of Internet governance matters for all those interested.
Among the issues that have been discussed are:
- The degree of openness that should be adopted
- How different groups should be represented
- What processes should be used to make decisions
- Whether the mailing list should be moderated and/or split
- What documents should be posted
- Why /1net is needed at all
These discussions have helped people think about the value /1net can bring and have allowed for critical analysis of proposals. However the mailing list has shown its inherent limits. It is necessary for /1net to find a way to formally define itself in a way that those inside and out can easily understand and support.
The organization needs a mission statement, a clear set of goals and an agreed structure to fulfill its ambitions.