Hello: The information posted here respects ICANN policies on real video transmissions. Were inviting individuals to contact us privately if they should have any concerns respecting the ICANN's position on video feeds. http://www.pccf.net/correspondence/icann/19990819-edelman-icann.html Regards Jeff Mason -- Planet Communication & Computing Facility [EMAIL PROTECTED] Public Access Internet Research Publisher 1 (212) 894-3704 ext. 1033Title: icann.edleman.19990819 / Access to ICANN Santiago real video feed
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 17:36:45 +0200 From: Ben Edelman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: You wrote: > That's not what I want. I need the real server pnm URL you intend to use > in that broadcast. Jeff, I haven't planned to allow links directly into the realmedia feeds; while I may or may not implement technology to block such links (i.e. HTTP Referer tracking and similar methods), I tend to strongly discourage such links -- for reasons that I think are pretty compelling: * Just as will be the case for speakers in the room, submitters of remote comments have to identify themselves and their organizational affiliation, if any. Now, it is true that merely attending the meeting is distinct from participating in it, and perhaps visitors to your site merely want to view the meeting and not submit questions or comments. Indeed, mere viewers / audience members need not necessarilly register, but I understand that registration will be encouraged among physical attendees in Santiago, and it's therefore also requested of online viewers. But, if you bypassed the registration page, those who reached the meeting through your link would have no opportunity to sign in. (This sign-in information will also be useful for tracking geographic diversity and types of Internet connections used; while the corresponding two sign-in questions are optional, they'll gather helpful information re the people interested in this content, and I hesitate to lose the opportunity to gather this data.) * Remote participation in ICANN public meetings is a "rich" experience incorporating multiple media types. If you linked only to the RealAudio or RealVideo feed, those who reached the live feed through your link would miss out on the ability to submit realtime comments, to review the notes of the real-time scribe, to join the online chat, to see what's coming up in the agenda, and to view PowerPoint presentations or other supporting documents used in the meeting. I believe that these other means of participating in the meeting are of critical importance, so I'm not inclined to deny any online participants at least the opportunity to use these additional components (by bringing these options to their attention after sign-in). But, if users accessed the Realmedia through your link, they wouldn't know about the other opportunities available to them. * The ICANN meetings do not take place in a vacuum. I've been told that it's helpful for me to remind participants in prior ICANN meetings of upcoming events. But if participants bypassed the registration system, they'd not be added to that list and wouldn't receive announcements of related events -- or of the availability of the comprehensive archive of Santiago, for that matter. All that said, I'm certainly open to further discussion of your request. If you find my reasons unpersuassive, I'd be interested to hear why, and I'd also be interested in hearing from you why you think visitors to your site would be better served by a link directly to the RealMedia than to the general sign-in, FAQ, and instructions pages that have worked fine in the past and that I believe will be most helpful to remote participants this time too. (FYI: I'm still on vacation, and will be in transit to Santiago all day Saturday.) Ben Edelman Berkman Center for Internet and Society Harvard Law School NEXT |
