To subscribers of the ICANN At-Large Study Committee's "announce" list: **************************************************************** 1. ALSC Call for Studies: We are asking for studies that will contribute to consideration of individual Internet users' involvement in ICANN. Studies will be posted on the ALSC website (www.atlargestudy.org) and discussed at the ALSC June 5 Outreach Meeting in Stockholm. We are interested in studies that examine roles, requirements, processes, and structures relating to individuals' involvement in international organizations. Send studies, or questions to: dmichel@atlargestudy.org 2. On-line Forum Launched: Go to http://www.atlargestudy.org/forum.shtml to share your views and engage in a dialogue with the ALSC and Internet users throughout the world on how to involve and represent the world's Internet users as individuals within ICANN. **************************************************************** You are receiving this message because you signed-up for the At-Large Membership Study Committee (ALSC) "announce" list. 1. CALL FOR STUDIES *Request: Provide studies that will contribute to consideration of individual Internet users' involvement in ICANN. Studies will be posted on the ALSC website and discussed at the ALSC June 5 outreach meeting in Stockholm. *Background: The ALSC is working to achieve a broad consensus on an appropriate and effective means by which individual Internet users worldwide ("At-Large Members") may participate in ICANN's activities and decisions. This includes both how they can give input to ICANN (directly or through representatives), and how that input should affect ICANN's overall decision-making processes. To ensure diversity of views and depth of analysis on the role of individual Internet users in ICANN and its decision-making processes, the Committee is seeking credible research on key issues concerning At- Large membership. We are looking for contributions. Correspondence and discussions have confirmed that there are numerous researchers throughout the world who have conducted, are conducting, or are interested in conducting, examinations of issues related to At- Large membership. The ALSC is inviting anyone with an interest and insights or information to participate in this important international endeavor. This is a key moment in ICANN's evolution, and it is important for the Committee -- and ICANN's community overall -- to have access to the best research and analysis as it considers the role of ICANN's At-Large membership. The ALSC will post (or post links to) all studies it receives on its website. Part of the ALSC June 5 Outreach Meeting in Stockholm will be dedicated to discussing studies posted for comment by May 28. We are interested in studies that examine roles, requirements, processes, and structures relating to individuals' involvement in international organizations. Of particular interest is research on international membership (including membership funding) models, international membership discussion and decision-making models, and international membership representation models. These studies should contribute to the publics' consideration of two critical questions: 1) What are appropriate mechanisms for input by individual Internet users throughout the world into ICANN? 2) How can individual Internet users' participation be structured to support ICANN's effective and efficient fulfillment of its specific technical and administrative missions? The ALSC relies extensively on individual participation to add to its ever-expanding collection of comments, links, and studies. If you are aware of a research initiative that you feel is relevant and valuable to our efforts, please share it with us: dmichel@atlargestudyorg. *Action: Please submit your study, along with the requested information, in the format listed below, to dmichel@atlargestudy.org by May 28. If you have questions regarding the submission of studies, please contact dmichel@atlargestudy.org. We are grateful for your participation, and we look forward to your contributions! Please forward this request to any other interested parties. *ALSC Study Submissions If you would like to submit your study, we request the following: * Topics: We are interested in studies that examine roles, requirements, processes, and structures relating to individuals' involvement in international organizations. Of particular interest is research on international membership (including membership funding) models, international membership discussion and decision-making models, and international membership representation models. These studies should contribute to the publics' consideration of two critical questions: 1) What are appropriate mechanisms for input by individual Internet users throughout the world into ICANN? 2) How can individual Internet users' participation be structured to support ICANN's effective and efficient fulfillment of its specific technical and administrative missions? * Format: 500-2500 words; text with HTML attachments; in English. Please use the following format: Author(s): Organization (if applicable): Email address: Topic: Abstract: Study: * Submission: Studies (in formal or draft form) should be submitted by Tuesday, May 28 to give others enough time to review and comment on them prior to the ALSC June 5 Outreach Meeting. Send to dmichel@atlargestudy.org. The ALSC will post studies at www.atlargestudy.org. Relevant studies will be posted as received. There will be an on-going comment and discussion period until the ALSC has completed its work in November. Synthesized comments will be shared at the June 5 ALSC Outreach Meeting. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. ON-LINE FORUM The ALSC has created an on-line forum as part of its continuing effort to foster a discussion that will lead to a consensus on the best method for representing the world's Internet users as individuals within ICANN. Please use this open forum to share your views and engage in a dialogue with the ALSC and other Internet users on ICANN At-Large membership issues: http://www.atlargestudy.org/forum.shtml. Comments are always welcome on any aspect of this issue. In addition, a specific question or issue will be posted periodically for your consideration and discussion. The current topic is: What are the benefits and goals of At-Large involvement? Yes, this has been discussed before, but we want to give everyone an opportunity to share his or her views on this important issue. Please go beyond the "need for ICANN to represent the world's Internet users," and discuss specifics. What would you, personally, like to gain from being involved in ICANN? In envisioning an At- Large membership, what do you see as its greatest potential contributions to ICANN? What are the negatives of having an At- Large Membership? We look forward to reading your views. Sincerely, Members of the At-Large Membership Study Committee