Mentoring Electronic Participants [was Invitation to request an IETF mentor]

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Overall, I think the IETF has a marketing problem addressing its #1 customer base - electronic participants.

I was somewhat hoping to see more done in the mentor area of assisting electronic participants. Of coarse, this sort of electronic mentoring it could include an end goal to get folks more involved with the IETF directly, i.e. go to meetings, become leaders, etc, but overall assist with protocol standards development.

I presume, the IETF gets a far more population of electronic participants, many who first get involved with writing I-Ds. I have found it to be a high hurdle to get a I-D completed, especially if you never attended IETF meetings or have not sent someone or group on your company behalf.

As I have been advised by some IETF vets, I'm sure it will help with the process of getting others more comfortable with you and your work, but is it really absolutely necessary to attend IETF meetings to get an I-D moved thru the process?

I guess I could of requested more IETF interest/review for particular I-Ds I have worked on but it would of required stepping on some toes. I decided to avoid contention although the help I received was an attempt to avoid a conflict.

Maybe I'm off-base, but it just seems the mentoring efforts is targeted at attracting full time IETF members, future leaders, etc and not just the specific technical person who might be just interested in various protocols of interest and no more. Our products are internet based and hence has dozens of protocols implemented. I'm here really just to keep on top of them, assist with improvements, and if need be try to get an I-D written if only to prove a point or get an idea out there for consideration and creative synergism. Not interested in become an IETF full time attendee nor "leader" per se.

The IETF needs to improved its market across the globe and that really can only feasibly be done electronically. There are needs to take efforts of getting electronic participants more involved. I think it can start with first helping and mentoring I-D writers.

What generally happens when an individual I-D is submitted? Is there an overseer of the submissions and decides there is something that interest the IETF?

Thanks

--
HLS


On 7/17/2013 6:58 PM, IETF Chair wrote:
All,

During IETF 87 in Berlin, we will be running a trial of the IETF Mentoring Program. The goal of the IETF Mentoring Program is to match people new to the IETF (people who have participated in three or fewer face-to-face meetings or anyone registering as a student) with experienced IETF mentors. As a mentoring participant, your mentor will personally introduce you to the IETF community, help you find your way around the IETF & the meeting, explain things, and introduce you to other attendees you might like to meet. Basically, your mentor will be your personal buddy during the meeting week, and possibly afterwards.

The IETF Mentoring Program was created to help new IETF participants to get up to speed rapidly and help them begin to contribute to the IETF quickly and easily.  If you wish to participate in the IETF Mentoring Program, you can follow the sign-up procedures described in the program FAQ:

https://www.ietf.org/resources/mentoring-program.html

After you follow the sign-up procedure, we will then introduce you to each other by email, and invite you to meet up in person at the IETF Meet & Greet event on Sunday afternoon in Berlin. From there on, you and your mentor decide on when and where to meet during the rest of the week and afterwards.

You are of course free to withdraw from the program at any time and for any reason, no questions asked, should a need arise. But I sincerely believe the IETF Mentoring Program will be a great way for new participants to get introduced to the IETF by an experienced participant with matching interest.

Regards,
Jari Arkko
IETF Chair







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