[members-discuss] RIPE NCC forum, Community Projects Fund suggestions

As mailing list have now high engagement, i would like to hijack this
opportunity to share one more platform for discussion RIPE NCC
provides: Forum, at https://forum.ripe.net

I think current situation we reached is also result of low engagement
of RIPE NCC and members, and this should be two-way road. I think we
should also engage more with RIPE NCC projects, provide voluntary help,
and also feedback and suggestions.

For example after attenting today 2023 RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund
open house event i learned about quite interesting needs of academic
community, which inspire me to contact educational institutions in my
country and offer help with their projects. But also i would like to
evaluate my suggestion to RIPE NCC by other members, and i think forum
is good place for that.

Link to discussion:
https://forum.ripe.net/t/ripe-ncc-community-projects-fund-suggestions/941/1

My post (if some people don't like forums):
```
After attending 2023 RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund open house event
at 26 April 2024, i would like to propose several suggestions to
improve such events and RIPE NCC Community Projects Funding in general.

    1. Openhouse could pre-publish presentation slides and videos. This
approach is more convenient than the current process. At present, we
have to allocate 1:30 hours for our meeting, but with pre-published
videos, we could view them, take notes, prepare data, and formulate
questions ahead of time. The complexity of the topics often prevents
attendees from asking questions during the live sessions. Having access
to materials in advance would facilitate more engaging and productive
discussions during the open house. Another advantage includes fewer
technical issues with Zoom, such as audio muting problems, and reduced
stress for presenters, who could prerecord and edit their
presentations. It would also be beneficial if these presentations were
transcribed, enabling us to search for specific topics and aiding those
with disabilities.

    2. I am surprised that the live openhouse is the only platform for
discussion. I have suggested that we need a mailing list or forum. The
contact information for presenters is often insufficient; I would
prefer public discussions where I can see other people’s questions and
responses. This open format might also provide corrections if I
misunderstand something.

    3. Projects posted on the Call for Participation (CFP) should at
least include a project website and contact information.

    4. It would be preferable to publish projects on the CFP in advance
of approval to facilitate discussion. This allows attendees to prepare
questions and conduct research before projects are approved. For
example, concerning the topic of submarine cables, I have significant
doubts about the adequacy of using just traceroute for measurements.
Such projects need more comprehensive data inputs. For instance, many
ISPs might use a combination of old and new links for traffic
engineering, which traceroute may not adequately detect. Discussions
with project authors could reveal more intriguing aspects than what is
presented in their slides. Additionally, discussions might provide
insights on how projects could be adjusted to be more beneficial for
the community, as suggested by RIPE members, and members opinions can
be taken in consideration by Working Group during the project
evaluation.

    5. Why are project reports (six-month, one-year) mentioned in
presentations but not published on the RIPE website? We need more
transparency to understand what has been accomplished and the outcomes
of these projects. (APNIC does that)

    6. RIPE publishes very limited information about its projects. For
example, try finding the repository for “fpdns2: DNS Fingerprinting
Tool” based on the description provided. This lack of information
hinders our ability to follow up on project developments.

There is more to suggest, but i prefer to get familiar with the
processes and community first. I hope these suggestions will be taken
into consideration and improve the RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund
open house events.
```