Re: RFC Series Editor (RSE) Statement of Work

[Michael StJohns <[e-mail]>]

Hi - John's note makes a lot of different very good points, and he does 
note that some could be made on one of the other threads.  I've 
extracted a few points that are particularly germane to the SOW thread 
primarily for emphasis and added ellipsis to shrink some of those 
hopefully without changing meaning.  I recommend all of you read John's 
original post - but if you don't have the time, this at least attempts 
to pull out points that frame the role of the RSE and the depth of the 
problem we're going to have finding a new one.

Mike


On 7/16/2019 10:38 AM, John C Klensin wrote:
>
>  *
>     Unless "we" are trying to make changes in how the RFC Editor
>     Function works that go far beyond what is (or is not) in what is
>     in the draft SOW, there have been several misconceptions in this
>     thread and the related ones.
>
>  *
>     This is not a
>     copy-editing role.  it is not even a technical editing role.
>
>  *
>     Instead, this is a strategic leadership and management role.  In
>     retrospect, maybe we would have less confusion about, e.g., copy
>     editing, if we had called the position "RFC Series Publisher"
>     when we made up the "RSE" title, but, given how few people seem
>     to understand what a publisher actually does, maybe it would
>     have made no difference.
>
>  *
>     If the RSOC and IAB are looking for someone who will quietly do
>     the job, follow their lead about strategy directions, and not
>     try to educate (and, if necessary, push back based on greater
>     specialist expertise, then they are making a really fundamental
>     change in the role.
>
>  *
>     Something Nevil didn't mention was that plausible candidates
>     were not easy to find, even with no incumbent to compete
>     against.
>
>  *
>     Unless we are making significant changes to the role, the RSE
>     should probably be seen as less even responsible to the IAB and
>     RSOC on day to day details than the IETF LLC Executive Director
>     is to the LLC Board.
>
>  *
>       For a position like this, even describing the
>     position search a and process as a "bid" is offensive and likely
>     to convince some people we would like to have as candidates to
>     say "they either don't understand what they are doing or are not
>     interested in anyone like me" and then move on.
>
>   * Olaf obviously had a great deal of IETF experience....However,he
>     did not ... have the
>     depth of technical and standards publishing,and publishing
>     strategy, experience ... I think it was very important ... that he
>     did have an RSOC that contained multiple people with at least
>     significant pieces of those types of experience. That RSOC saw its
>     missionmuch more in terms of supporting him and helping him
>     succeed in the role -- including giving advise on the strategic
>     publication issues to which he was happy to listen-- than as
>     "oversight" or supervision or evaluation of contractual compliance.
>
>  *
>     More generally, putting someone into the RSE role --either
>     "acting" or semi-permanently -- who has good community
>     experience and relationships, little or no strategic publication
>     leadership perspective and experience, and without the support
>     of in-depth expertise in the RSOC (or some other arrangement to
>     which a supportive RSOC is prepared to defer in matters of
>     expertise) is a recipe for disaster... or at least major changes
>     in the character of the Series whether intentional or not and
>     whether reflecting community consensus or not.
>
>