use of private DMB IRC channel

[Dan Streetman]

On Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 5:15 PM Dan Streetman <ddstreet at ieee.org> wrote:
>
> I added a AOB item for this to the agenda, but will also start a
> thread here for discussion.
> The specific item I added is:
> "Suggestion (from ddstreet) to discontinue use of private DMB IRC
> channel, and keep all official communication public"

re-raising this ML thread to keep it alive.

Perhaps we should have a vote on this at the next meeting (or on the ML).

>
> As I assume all DMB members know, there is a private IRC channel used
> by DMB members for private discussions. This channel is not documented
> (that I know of).
>
> I decided to leave this private DMB IRC channel, and my personal
> opinion is that the DMB is a public entity, and members are performing
> a public service and thus all official communication and discussion
> should be public, with exceptions being made for specific reason(s) on
> a case-by-case basis. By this I don't mean that individual members
> shouldn't reach out to other members privately if there is something
> they genuinely need to discuss in private, but I don't feel a private
> IRC channel is appropriate.
>
> Obviously, there is no urgent need for the DMB to make any decision on
> this, and it's certainly possible for the private IRC channel to
> remain in use by any DMB members who choose to do so, with other DMB
> members (such as myself) refraining from joining the private DMB
> channel. However I wanted to bring this up since the new DMB members
> may not be aware of my opinion or my lack of presence in the private
> DMB channel, and the new members may also have an opinion on whether
> using a private IRC channel is appropriate and/or desirable for the
> DMB's goals.