On 27/02/2014 08:35, Mikael Abrahamsson wrote: > 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. Correct, but I suspect that this depends on the individual at least as much as on the individual's culture. As I've said before: suggestions for improving http://www.ietf.org/newcomers.html are always welcome. Brian