On Thu, 27 Feb 2014, Brian E Carpenter wrote:
I understand that it's hard for people to understand that there is no barrier to speech in the IETF and that there is no secret handshake.
There are no *formal* barriers. I like that about the IETF, but I don't agree that there are no barriers. I'd imagine a lot of people will be shy to join a discussion and voice their opinion, especially if they're not used to the discussion climate. In some cultures I imagine it's not common that one voices a dissenting opinion against the sitting chairman of that organisation.
I have no idea how to improve this, I personally find the IETF to be extremely open, but I also know a lot of people who are intimidated by the thought of going up against the world "elite" and voicing their opinion. Few people feel comfortable doing that.
-- Mikael Abrahamsson email: swmike@xxxxxxxxx