> From: Brian Trammell <trammell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > It does not seem appropriate for a technical standards organization > dedicated to making the Internet work better through the development > of open standards to implicitly endorse "communication protocols" > which are based on closed access to distributed databases through > interfaces that can and do change at the whim of the organizations > that control them, further where those organizations have > demonstrated a willingness to assert editorial control over the > content they disseminate. First, let me add my cynical definitions: "Collaborate" is when I listen to you. "Public relations" is when *you* listen to *me*. Let us use these terms correctly (as opposed to most usage in the business world). In regard to "platforms", I'm torn, because the current crop of commercial social media is a good technique of doing PR and no doubt would help the IETF generate public awareness. On the other hand, having a major sector of social interaction be operated on a completely closed platform operated by an organization with completely commercial purposes is *exactly the opposite* of what the IETF is attempting to accomplish. Dale