[wg-e] FW: looking for volunteers to work on Parts 2 through 5 of DNSO WG-E

["Ben Edelman" <edelman@law.harvard.edu>]

It looks like I sent this before my list subscription went through last
night, so I'm resending now...  Apologies if anyone gets duplicates.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Edelman [mailto:edelman@law.harvard.edu]
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 1999 11:05 PM
To: wg-e@dnso.org
Cc: Diane Cabell
Subject: RE: looking for volunteers to work on Parts 2 through 5 of DNSO
WG-E


Members of Working Group E,

I've just joined the working group -- but I've reviewed the archives at
<http://www.dnso.org/wgroups/wg-e/Archives/>, and, in particular, I received
Kilnam's most recent message.

I want to comment in particular on the following section of his message:

> For ICANN participants and similar audience.
>
> 1. Berkman Center of Harvard on ICANN Workshop, 1999.10.31 Los Angeles
> 	every 4 months?

You should all be advised that it's no small feat to put together a workshop
like that of 10/31.  The Center dedicated a key fellow -- Diane Cabell --
more or less entirely to the task for some three weeks beforehand, while
other Center staff produced briefing materials and handled a variety of
related logistical issues.  The availability of key Center faculty --
Executive Director Jonathan Zittrain and Director Charles Nesson -- was
central to the success of the moderated panels, I believe, and we were
extremely lucky to be able to draw them both to LA for the occasion.  The
cost of such a workshop is also non-trivial -- not just room rental and
staff time and briefing material production, but significant travel expenses
for all panelists not in the area.  Indeed, we believe it essential to bring
in outside experts not already engrossed in the workings of ICANN, but since
such "outsiders" would not ordinarily attend an ICANN meeting, workshops
like 10/31 generally incur travel expenses to bring the necessary panelists
to the workshop location.

All that is to say that you shouldn't assume the Berkman Center will
continue to do workshops like that of 10/31.  I believe (though only
Jonathan Zittrain can be authoritative on the subject) that we would not
have done the 10/31 workshop were it not for a grant from Markle earmarked
specifically for that purpose.  Markle (or some other foundation) may or may
not be willing to fund a similar workshop in the future, and the Center may
or may not decide to dedicate its limited staff resources to putting on such
workshops even if funding is available.

Personally, I think the workshops are well worth the effort and expense, and
I believe Professors Zittrain and Nesson agree, but it's important for the
WG to realize that future workshops sponsored by the Berkman Center are far
from a sure thing.  So while I'm glad you support what we did in LA (and
perhaps in Cambridge in January before that at the Representation in
Cyberspace workshop -- see
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rcs/workshoparchive.html>), I hope plans of
the Working Group will not rely unduly heavily on ongoing Berkman
Center-sponsored workshops.


Ben Edelman
Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Harvard Law School