Subject: Re: [Tools-discuss] Request for IETF WG and BOF Session Minutes

From: David Sinicrope <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:31:55 +0000

<blush>
Aw shucks, it ain't nothin'.

Seriously, thanks for the kind words but it doesn't need to be that much work.
I usually:
- Ask for time, topic, name, draft URL, and presentation objectives in the slot call email
- make the agenda from cut and paste of the info received and format as the template for the minutes.
- take notes into the agenda file and save as the minutes. Don't try to capture each word or slide points but rather summarize key verbal points and decisions made on the mikes.
- keep jabber open to catch names and missed points at the mikes (Thanks Yaakov)
- save often
- spend 5 min to clean up the notes and post a draft version before leaving the room so it doesn't get forgotten.

It's not always pretty but sufficient.
Dave

On Mar 21, 2013, at 10:50 AM, "Andrew G. Malis" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

My WG is lucky to have a WG secretary who prepares the agenda and takes the minutes. Having a stable minute-taker goes a long way to getting them done in a timely and consistent manner. I encourage other WG chairs to seek out secretaries for their WGs. Asking a colleague in your own organization can be an easy way to start.

Cheers,
Andy

On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 10:43 AM, Bob Hinden <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

On Mar 21, 2013, at 9:34 AM, Brian E Carpenter wrote:

> On 20/03/2013 20:23, Ted Lemon wrote:
>> On Mar 20, 2013, at 2:44 PM, Marc Blanchet <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:
>>> 1) at the end of each meeting, if the wg etherpad contains more than 500 characters, then it is considered potential minutes.
>>> 2) after one week, an automated tool takes this etherpad and put it into meeting materials as wg minutes and send an email to the wg chairs and wg mailing list saying what it did.
>>> 3) wg chairs can always push another version, since they will have an opportunity.
>>> 4) at the cutoff for proceedings, they become official minutes.
>>
>> This seems like it would produce more bad results than good results
>
> Definitely. A rough transcript is not the same things as minutes.
> Minutes are supposed to be a comprehensible summary of points made
> and conclusions reached. There is no easy way to produce good minutes;
> it's hard work.

That's my view as well.  We have the jabber logs for a rough transcript of the meeting.

If the chairs of a working group consistently don't produce minutes by the deadline, then the ADs should get new w.g. chairs.

Bob