Re: Seeking feedback from AB nominees on a few items

On 5/22/13 6:02 AM, Arthur Barstow wrote:
> Hello AB Nominees,
>
> I am interested in your comments on two items ...
>
> 1. One of the things that is somewhat unique about AB members is they are
> expected to "use their best judgment to find the best solutions for the Web, not
> just for any particular network, technology, vendor, or user" [1]. Since this
> implies AB members represent "everyone" including non W3C Members, it seems
> somewhere between ignorant/remiss to at least a tad bit hubristic, for the AB to
> continue to conduct its process related discussions in a non-Public forum. To
> address this issue, I propose:
>
> * All AB discussions related to W3C processes (e.g. the W3C Process Document)
> are to be conducted in a Public forum (e.g. public-w3process list).
>
> 2. A few years ago [2] and again this week [3], some members of the Advisory
> Committee discussed a proposal to change the AB to be "self-selecting" i.e. to
> eliminate the voting. Unfortunately, those threads are Member-confidential so if
> you can't read them, I can at least highlight my comments on those threads (if
> you'd like me to do so).
>
> I would appreciate if the AB nominees would please share their thoughts on these
> two items.

Regarding the first item, in essence I agree. However, a transition period is 
necessary because AB and W3C management currently enjoy well-established trust 
in dealing with sensitive topics. AB should immediately default to openness and 
transparency but allow for certain topics to be dealt with in restricted forums 
during the early stages of the transition. How long this transition period is in 
effect should be somewhere between one and two years. During this transition 
period, W3C should work to minimize the need for secrecy and push to maximize 
openness.

Regarding the second item, I think "self-selecting" is a worthwhile idea, but I 
support a hybrid solution in which AC reps will elect AB members from an "AB 
support group" consisting of "self-selected" members. This way elected AB 
members have more likely demonstrated their good standing in the community 
through their work in the AB support group.

Regards,
Yosuke


> -Thanks, ArtB
>
> [1] <http://www.w3.org/2002/ab/>
> [2] <https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-forum/2009AprJun/0146.html>
> [3] <https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-forum/2013AprJun/0158.html>
>

-- 
Yosuke Funahashi
co-Chair, W3C Web and TV Interest Group
Chair, W3C Web and Broadcasting Business Group
Researcher, Keio University Research Institute at SFC
Board Director, Tomo-Digi Corporation

Received on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:21:00 UTC