"Hands across the water/hands across the sky"

[Spencer Dawkins <spencerdawkins.ietf@xxxxxxxxx>]

For those of you looking at where I-D and RFC authors are from, I'd like 
to suggest one other thing to look at - the extent that participants are 
co-authoring with folks outside their region.

It's pretty tempting for new participants to submit drafts that they 
like, and maybe reaching out to their office mates as co-authors, but to 
be effective in the IETF, participants have to learn how to collaborate 
with folks from other IETF sponsors (including "other IETF sponsors who 
compete head-to-head with your IETF sponsor"), other countries, and 
other regions. "Collaboration" covers many activities, but I'm curious 
what we might learn from looking at this specific kind of collaboration.

<personal self-reveal> I say this to a lot of people who don't believe 
me, but I have been shy for most of my life, and it's still not easy for 
me to have conversations with total strangers. That's not a cultural 
challenge, and it's not a language challenge, but it is a challenge I've 
faced in the IETF as *I* was learning to collaborate. For anyone who is 
also learning how to do this - for me, it's been worth it. And anyone is 
welcome to join us for drumming at IETF meetings - I bring extra drums, 
and there's no telling who else you'll meet. </personal self-reveal>

Thanks,

Spencer

p.s. I apologize for the obscure reference in the Subject line to Paul & 
Linda McCartney's "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" - it's from about 2:30 
into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI6C7L66zq8.