NANOG-futures

[William B. Norton]

On 6/14/06, Steve Gibbard <scg@gibbard.org> wrote:
> Is there some background here that somebody could fill in?  I feel like
> I'm reading this conversation from the middle.
Steve - my pespective here FWIW.

Steve Feldman said that there was no photography allowed in the main
nanog room in San Jose in response to concerns about having photos
taken by someone in the mainstream press and splashed in some
publication.  Randy's view was that he had the right not to be
photographed, and since there was a chance the San Jose Mercury Times
reporter was going to be there in San Jose to do a story on geeks
invading silicon valley, Merit suggested and Steve agreed to make the
announcement banning photographs from being taken in the main room,
and asking that people ask permission before taking pictures
elsewhere.

My concern is that we somehow invented a rule that did indeed affect
the community by stifling their ability to care-free take photos as
they had in the past.  In the hallway I heard people joking about it
as they took pictures, but there were a noticable decrease in people
taking photos as part of a social aspect of NANOG. It had a subtle but
slightly stifling effect ni my opinion.

I don't care so much personally since I don't generally take photos,
but it seems to me unnecessary to continue such a ban as we had in San
Jose.

And generally my view is that we are all adults and there hasn't been
a problem so we don't need a photography ban or rules of any kind in
this regard. Yet. If and when there is a flagrant problem then maybe
we will.

Bill