[wg-d] Silence (Was: Streamlining Voting)

["Bret A. Fausett" <baf@fausett.com>]

>The issue of silence, and what it means in this process.

When everyone is in a room together and you're sure they've heard the 
message and had an open microphone to respond, I can understand the basis 
for giving silence some meaning. Especially when the way the issue is 
raised is to ask for objections.

In the online world, people go on vacation, they get overwhelmed with 
work and e-mail backs up, and you can never be sure that list members 
have actually read or thought about the issues under consideration. 

When we're moving forward a discussion or a draft, I would think it 
acceptable to view an absence of criticism as some sign that the group is 
moving in the right direction and should continue. There's really no 
other way, that I can see, of working in an online group.

But when the work is done, I think approval should be based on 
affirmative votes, yes or no. If anything, silence at that point should 
mean that the WG member is unavailable or has lost interest in the issue.

      -- Bret