[sigcomm] attendance policies for SIGCOMM-affiliated events

[Craig Partridge]

Joe Touch notes:

>(a) seems the key point in that regard, but it is well known that the
>breakpoint for the size of such groups is around 20-40, and most of the
>meetings we're talking about are around 80, so that point is moot.

Since we're in the exploring possibilities phase, a small point.

You can keep a group lively as it grows -- but it requires inviting
people known to be willing to provoke discussion.  Eventually the process
breaks and I don't know if it breaks at 60 or 80 or 100 people.

However, this invitation of select gadflies/commentators/etc creates another
fairness issue -- how do you identify these folks properly and justify
giving them a seat to the exclusion of someone else (who perhaps, might
also prove a gadfly but lacks the reputation)?

Finally, a comment on the larger issue.  It seems to me that the issue
is whether the benefit *to the SIGCOMM community* of having a closed
workshop is large enough to exclude some parties who wish to attend the
workshop.  My view is that, provided the workshop produces valuable
results which are disseminated (via proceedings and other means), it
is worth it.  Everyone sees the proceedings (and only a small group was
going to be able to afford to attend the workshop).  But we need to
hold the workshop to a high standard of results.

Craig