Spencer Dawkins wrote: || I've been carefully not posting in this thread for a while, || but can't control myself today. (So I'm not particularly || arguing with Ted's points, his e-mail is just the the latest e-mail || in the thread) || || My apologies in advance. || || As Ted said, "in theory, all decisions are supposed to be || confirmed on the mailing list", but I haven't seen anyone || point out the reason why - because we also think it's || important to have very few barriers to participation in the || IETF, so we don't require attendance at any face-to-face || meeting, ever. || || So I'm not sure how we verify identities when anyone we || question can just post from an e-mail account at an ISP in || Tierra del Fuego, and say "the next time you're in the tip || of South America, come by and verify my identity". <SNIP>
My understanding is there is a system of peer validation in operation. If a contributor only posts once or twice, they are less likely to be taken seriously than someone who posts regularly and often, especially when first starting to participate. The damage done by sock puppets and stooges is minimised in such systems as they are fairly quickly recognised for what they are. It is more a matter of judging the content of contributions rather than the contributor. Darryl (Dassa) Lynch _______________________________________________ IETF mailing list IETF@ietf.org https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf