(Apologies if this is a duplicate, I did not see it on the list yesterday): I think this discussion has assumed that all newcomers are necessarily looking to get directly involved with a working group from Day One and therefore need to do a lot of homework and preparation. I know we keep telling the world that the IETF is "not a conference" and that "people come here to work," but I see no harm in simply exploring what the IETF is all about and then perhaps getting involved in a particular effort after some time, after having attended a few meetings, and most of all after having made friends and even discovered who to avoid! :-) Speaking as a Professional IETF Lurker with exactly 100 meetings under my belt, I may not be your typical attendee, but I am surely not the only person who participates in the IETF just to "learn what is going on" and perhaps get involved in particular projects or protocols from time to time, and above all keep in touch with colleagues from all over the world/industry. I have written exactly two (now useless) RFCs and that was a very long time ago, but some of you may remember other activities that I have contributed to over the years. If newcomers risk being "snarled at" it is only due to our own culture and abusive behavior and not due to their lack of preparation. Ole Ole J. Jacobsen Editor and Publisher The Internet Protocol Journal Office: +1 415-550-9433 Cell: +1 415-370-4628 Web: protocoljournal.org E-mail: olejacobsen@xxxxxx E-mail: ole@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Skype: organdemo
