Brett,
that's so wrong, that it's difficult to even try to explain it. You don't know the thinking of the Board? Perhaps you don't read the blogs, or you don't talk to the Board members. Or may be they don't talk to you? I've never seen other such meetings, where ANYONE... EVERYONE can go and talk to Board members, all the time.
I remember one of my first public meetings, where I actually ASKED the community to come and talk to me. I said, "please, approach me, talk to me, and don't come at the end of a meeting and tell me that you haven't been heard." So far not that many have used this invitation. Don't put the blame on our shoulders. I categorically deny your accusations that I am not open, that my thinking is not transparent. It's so open, as I wish sometimes the thinking of some of the members of the community was also open as mine. Or at least close to it.

Actually - looking at your headline... You understanding of transperancy and mine are quite different.
For example, in my country you can't record me, if you don't let me know in advance, and if I don't agree. So, not only you have to state you're recording, but you also have to ask for agreement. You believe what you do is transperancy. I believe it's breaking of privacy.
But then, I am an European, you are an American. These are cross-cultural differences.
The problem is when these differences enter into someone's privacy field. There's no excuse for interfering into this space. Be that your desire for "transperancy", whatever that means.
I feel insulted by the fact that you refer to me as working non-openly, non-transperantly.

obviously you haven't seen www.veni.com :)

Wow, Veni. We're on different planets. Where's the mailing list where I can communicate with the Board? Where's the wiki? Where are the minutes? Where are the mp3s of the meetings? Where are the staff reports that are given to the Board?

Or do you just mean that if I fly around the world for a month out of every year I can corner you in the hallway?

Where, exactly, on your weblog do you talk about you're thinking before you vote on something?

You're completely out of touch, Veni.

Bret

Bret,
your questions are easy to answer, but you are missing the responses to the questions I asked you. Let me try to repeat:

You believe in mp3 recordings.
I don't.
In Europe they are not quite appropriate. In Bulgaria - even less. Perhaps because we've grown up on a planet, where every phone call was recorded.
By the government. "For our own good", of course. "For openess and transperancy", they used to say.
I am afraid that when you do your recording, you remind me of a period of time in the Bulgarian history, which I don't want to see repeated, least of all on the ICANN board.

Where's the mailing list, you ask?
Well, I am on a number of lists, and we discuss a number of issues there, some of them related to ICANN. I've been trying to follow the questions and respond there. Of course, you wouldn't expect me to speak "on behalf of ICANN" by default. However, your words make the alusion that this is exactly what you want to hear.
But let me try to reverse it: why didn't you create a mailing list, invite the Board members to participate there? But you know, on the other hand, knowing how easy this is on your planet, perhaps one day this mailing list may become evidence in a case? Or may be not even "perhaps", but "for sure"?

Minutes?
I'm one of the people who have been saying that the minutes should be published, as you quote "the maximum extent feasible". On my planet "feasable" means "achievable, designable, doable, executable, practicable".

You see, you are right - we are on different planets.
The imporatnt difference is I want to change the planet on which I am, and make it better.

At the same time, you, on the opposite, want to change not your planet, but mine, and make it better the way you see it.

You forget that the ICANN planet is in fact accountable - ICANN is being sued, the directors have mandates.
Can you tell me what are the mandates of the members of the ICANN community? Or when was the last time someone sued one of the SO, for example?

The difference between your planet and my ICANN planet is, that on my planet I want to be accountable, I want to be open and transperant, I want people to talk to me - in my capacity as director. On your planet, all of the above can not happen.
On my planet - as you may ask Susan, for example, who you probably respect - I spend days thinking if I have a vague potential conflict of interest.
On your planet everyone believes they don't have any conflicts whatsoever. And they don't declare them.
Yet, I don't come to your planet blaming it for not being open and transperant.

If you believe I am completely out of touch, then perhaps you are right - with the only add-on that I am out of touch from your planet. However, the Internet is not on your planet, and I care first and above all about the Internet

I care that the Internet access be affordable in countries which your planet doesn't know they even exist.

I care that the access is free of licensing and registration, so that people are not afraid to use it. That is not a problem on your planet.

I care that the users have the right to express themselves freely. That, again, is not a problem on your planet.

It's obvious even by this posting of mine that I do care about the words you say about ICANN.
If the self-management of the Internet was not in danger, I would have not paid attention to your words. Unfortunately it is in danger. I don't see how your planet is helping to find a solution to that problem.

Veni wrote:
"your questions are easy to answer, but you are missing the responses to the questions I asked you. Let me try to repeat...You believe in mp3 recordings. I don't. In Europe they are not quite appropriate. In Bulgaria - even less. Perhaps because we've grown up on a planet, where every phone call was recorded. By the government. "For our own good", of course. "For openess and transperancy", they used to say. I am afraid that when you do your recording, you remind me of a period of time in the Bulgarian history, which I don't want to see repeated, least of all on the ICANN board. "

Veni, if you've asked a question, and I didn't answer it, it's because I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean "when [I] do my mp3 recording"? When have I recorded you without your knowledge? It's a mystery to me.

Yes, I have offered -- many times -- to provide the same sort of transparency around Board calls that the GNSO provides for its calls. I would do so at no cost to ICANN. That would be a service to the community, not an invasion of your privacy.

I only wish you would show the same leadership on "privacy" with regard to whois that you seem to be providing to the Board on its private meetings. Registrants matter at least as much as the Board.

Bret

I've decided to make a longer posting at http://blog.veni.com/?p=40.