I couldn't refrain from making a comment. I agree with you, may be I 'll also sound naive, but like your both ideas, though the first one would be easier to me. Thanking you, Hakik At 09:24 AM 3/22/2011, tlhackque wrote: >I've watched this list for some time. It seems >that railing against the ICANN staff is a >favorite pastime. Call me naive, but I'm willing >to believe that the staff isn't evil. Seems to >me that there are two reasonable approaches to >having more influence: 1) Identify the key >staff members, form a positive relationship and >educate them on our issues and >perspective. Start by setting up regular >meetings; eventually they'll call us. 2) >Encourage ICANN leadership to recruit staff >from our community - identify good prospects, >see if we can have a representative in the >hiring/interview loop - so we have people >inside at at the table. Join them; don't beat >(on) >them... >--------------------------------------------------------- >This communication may not represent my >employer's views, if any, on the matters >discussed.  We need more community involvement >in the planning of the discussions / meetings >held during the various ICANN weeks. Besides the >usual Board/AC/SO/ Constituency meetings held >during ICANN weeks, the ICANN staff unilaterally >plan a number of sessions that should require >input from the community. For example, last week >in SF's ICANN meeting there was a 90 minute >session on "DNS Abuse" in which ICANN staff >unilaterally organized for a series of law >enforcement officials to provide a "parade of >horribles" in order to justify less consumer >privacy protections at ICANN. When I asked ICANN >staff why there wasn't any privacy experts >speaking during the public session, the staff >member said they "assumed privacy was not an >issue" so did not think to invite any. Obviously >this is a problem. ICANN staff unilaterally >deciding what the discussions topics are, what >the important issues are, how to present them, >what speakers to invite, and what perspectives >get heard. The way these discussions are framed >obviously plays a key role in steering the >direction of the policy development process. All >of us Internet users are paying for ICANN, we >really should have more of a say in how it is >run and the substance of the discussions planned >during ICANN week is a good place to start. >These discussions are a place where the >community should frame the discussion and set >the topics, while staff merely facilitate the >wishes of the community. It feels too much like >the the tail is wagging the dog at ICANN. How >can we the community begin to wrestle some >control away from the staff in terms of how >topics are selected and how discussions are >organized during these meetings? Thanks, Robin >    IP JUSTICE Robin Gross, Executive >Director 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA >94117 USA p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451 >w: http://www.ipjustice.orge: [log in to unmask]