chairs list versus oasis-member-discuss

[James Bryce Clark <jamie.clark@oasis-open.org>]

     We are cautious about high message volume on our few official, 
mandated lists.  Members are required to subscribe to [members], and TC 
leaders to [chairs].  There's not really any way for them to escape from 
it, because these are our official channels for necessary notices.  So we 
have a captive audience here, and we need to keep respect that by keeping 
the volume down.  We moderate [members], but not [chairs].  And so in 
March, thus far, we've had 30 messages here, of which 9 were about TC 
administration.

     At the same time, there undoubtedly are advantages to open 
give-and-take on broader topics of interest to members.  (Including TC 
chairs, but not necessarily limited to them.)  For example:
     -- We received very valuable feedback on special e-mail lists for the 
TC Process review and IPR Policy review last fall.  But the lists closed 
when the projects closed.  Several members suggested that we need to keep a 
line like that open.
     -- There was some interesting and spirited debate about the merits of 
several recently-balloted OASIS Standards.  A few members submitted 
comments as attachments to votes or on TC lists;  but there was no 
efficient way for them to address the voting members.  (More than one said 
to me, "I really like/don't like this specification, and I want to say so, 
but where do I go?")
     -- Obviously there are participants with an interest in discussing a 
variety of IPR ideas beyond concrete TC administration issues.

     There is a general discussion list available for members at
http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/oasis-member-discuss/,
which I hope will provide a more useful forum for those types of 
discussion.  I expect we will see more of this kind of list.  Please feel 
free to use it.   Please start to direct topics that aren't directly about 
TC administration there, saving this list for its original, narrower 
and  necessary purpose.  Thanks and best regards.  Jamie

~   James Bryce Clark
~   Director, Standards Development, OASIS
~   jamie.clark@oasis-open.org