We have been using CONFER (https://confer.apnic.net/) in the Policy SIG sessions to gauge consensus primarily from remote participants but also onsite. From our perspective it is a helpful tool to gauge the “temperature” of the participants in the room as well as those who have joined remotely, if it’s being used rationally. This tool allows participation in the PDP by those who cannot afford or have time to attend the meeting physically.
In the past and at the most recent meeting, we received some concerns from few community members about using CONFER as a tool for gauging consensus and we would like to explore this further.
As part of the PDP it is always preferred to encourage bottom-up participation from all. At this moment, we don't have another option in place to get opinions from remote participants other than the CONFER tool.
We are seeking comments from the community to improve the CONFER tool or suggestions of any other similar tools or other means of gauging consensus from remote participants.
Your constructive feedback will really help us to improve the bottom-up policy development process.
Sincerely,
Sumon, Bertrand, Ching-Heng APNIC Policy SIG Chairs