Re: [gnso-policyimpl-dt] A Quick Look Down a Rat Hole.
i love this post. i'v'e started using "ICANN the community" and "ICANN the
corporation" in much of my writing. this is a much more detailed segmentation
of the super-broad term "ICANN." to go one further, i think these days we
probably need to start segmenting "ICANN staff" a bit more than we have in the
past.
i'm thinking that one of the things we might want to work into the charter is
some kind of "critical success factors" section. and in that, i would stick
something like;
- use precise terms when defining the boundaries of roles and responsibilities
nicely done.
mikey
On Jun 16, 2013, at 6:57 PM, Eric Brunner-Williams <ebw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> Colleagues,
>
> Reading the Draft Framework I found some language I think can be
> improved, and may have some bearing on what we may not mean when we
> use a term that passes without comment. In presentation order:
>
> There is the use "ICANN", e.g., "ICANN has developed a draft framework
> ...", which refers to an work-product of Staff.
>
> There is the use "ICANN world", which may mean everything with a
> mission critical dependency upon unique endpoint identifiers,
> addresses and autonomous system numbers, domain registries and names,
> and protocol parameters, or something less. Probably both less and
> more as we don't generally ignore the users of NAT'd address space, or
> names resolved by the CNNIC nameserver constellation, yet for the most
> part we do ignore addressing and routing and country code name spaces.
>
> There is the use "ICANN community", which could just mean the group of
> participants that engage in ICANN's processes to a greater extent than
> Internet users generally, or something more.
>
> There is the use "ICANN", e.g., the activities of a 501(c)(3), on
> which some AC provides advice.
>
> There is the use "ICANN {Board, Supporting Organizations,
> stakeholders, ...}, which is reasonably specific.
>
> There is the use "ICANN", e.g., "ICANN may continue to refine ...",
> which experience suggests is Staff iterating along some axis of policy
> with some notice and comment.
>
> There is the use "ICANN Staff", again, reasonably specific, except
> ICANN has considerably more members of staff then it had in 2007 so
> some additional qualifiers may be helpful.
>
> There is the use "Staff", and "staff", see above.
>
> There is the use "ICANN", e.g., "ICANN also manages the contractual
> complance function ...", which refers to the Compliance function and
> associated staff, acting on standing policy, only towards Contracted
> Parties, not the Board providing momentary directives.
>
> There is the use "ICANN", e.g., "Through its contracts ICANN has ...",
> which refers to the Counsel function and associated staff, acting on
> standing policy, not the Board providing momentary directives.
>
> There is the use "ICANN can clearly determine whether the policy is
> being followed", which refers to a Board determination that a prior
> Board determination is being executed by Staff and/or Contracted Parties.
>
> There is the use "clearly separate policies that apply to ICANN (e.g.,
> as relates to the evaluation of new gTLD applicants)", which refers to
> Staff responsibilities or those of third-party contracted service
> providers.
>
> My point, oh patient readers, is that when we use a phrase causally,
> it may be without consequence that that use is ambiguous. However, for
> our purposes, or at least mine, some care in stating exactly who is
> responsible for what, and to whom, could improve the clarity of
> meaning of our writings. I write this so that we spend less time in,
> rather than more, one avoidable rat hole.
>
> Eric
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