Yes, 'leader' is too strong. 'blogger in chief' may be more appropriate... Lloyd Wood http://about.me/lloydwood ________________________________________ From: ietf [ietf-bounces@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Phillip Hallam-Baker [hallam@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: 15 February 2014 23:41 To: John C Klensin Cc: IETF Discussion Mailing List Subject: Re: Internet organisations coordination meeting On Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 4:19 PM, John C Klensin <john-ietf@xxxxxxx<mailto:john-ietf@xxxxxxx>> wrote: --On Sunday, February 16, 2014 09:19 +1300 Brian E Carpenter <brian.e.carpenter@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:brian.e.carpenter@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote: > Thanks for the update. > > I'd really like to push the idea that we stop using the word > "leaders" and start using "spokespeople". > > It's something I should have realised many years ago; the > enormous scientific collaborations at CERN who used to be my > customers have used this terminology (or > spokesman/spokeswoman) for ever. It really is closer to what > we want to project about our community, isn't it? Brian, Yes. The problem is that, while the RIR and ISOC CESs, and maybe the ICANN one, have the authority and perhaps even a mandate, to act as spokespeople. The IAB and IETF Chairs have no such authority: in the absence of rather specific inquiries of the community and determination of consensus, they are not supposed to "speak for", e.g., the IETF. Leader is generally considered to be rather stronger than spokesperson. If they are not spokespeople they are not leaders either. And in any case leaders have to have followers. There might be a cultural issue here. I note in the UK academic system it would be utterly unthinkable for the Vice-Chancellor of any university to wade into a public political debate and state the view of their university. It would be even more unthinkable for them to do that without any discussion with the faculty. But that happens all the time in the US system. There is a reason all the 'top' jobs in the UK are irrelevant sinecures. The university is run by the Vice-Chancellor, not the Chancellor, the government is run by the Prime Minister, not the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury is theoretically the number 3 in the CoE. -- Website: http://hallambaker.com/