Session Date/Time: 20 Feb 2025 22:00

LLC-COMMS

Summary

This LLC-COMMS interim meeting covered various communication-related initiatives, including a review of IETF's social media presence, small-scale paid promotion experiments, ongoing updates to the www.ietf.org website, and progress on the RFC Editor.org and IPMC site reworks. Discussion also included efforts to develop Working Group Chair resources and other outreach collateral. Attendees provided feedback on the meeting format and brainstormed ideas for broader promotion of LLC-COMMS activities.

Key Discussion Points

Meeting Format and Logistics:
- The meeting was recorded, and notes/video will be publicly posted.
- An attempt to share the agenda/notes via screen share was abandoned due to technical issues (black rectangle observed by multiple attendees); a link was provided in the chat instead.
- The format encourages participants to share video and jump into discussions, replicating an "around the table" experience.
- Comms in this context is defined as "marketing" but without the commercial divisions (e.g., between marketing and advertising/sales).
Social Media Review:
- IETF/IAB/IRTF/RFC Editor social media presence has developed organically across more than a dozen channels. The goal is to review and develop a cohesive strategy.
- The RFC Editor's automated feed for new RFC publications to X (formerly Twitter) is currently not updating. The Mastodon feed for RFC publications is working, as confirmed by attendees. BlueSky is being explored.
- Initial review of accounts, platforms, and follower counts is complete. YouTube is the largest platform in terms of IETF followers (almost 10,000 subscribers).
- The IETF's BlueSky community is currently larger than its Mastodon community.
- The IETF has no presence on Instagram or TikTok and does not actively participate in the Reddit IETF subreddit.
- Consideration is being given to producing a video for the IETF YouTube channel to appeal to potential participants and supporters.
Small-Scale Paid Promotion Experiments:
- Low-cost experiments (e.g., $25 for Google Ads for a meeting) are underway to promote IETF activities.
- Previous Google Ads showed 2-3 times higher click-through rates (CTR) to meeting pages compared to standard.
- The primary challenge is to determine whether these ads lead to additional participation or simply capture existing interest. Experiments aim to build expertise in this area.
IETF.org Website Updates:
- The "Technology" section (formerly "Topics of Interest") on www.ietf.org is being refreshed to be more relevant to non-IETF participants (e.g., policymakers, managers of IETF participants). The current internal categorization of technologies often differs from external understanding (e.g., "Internet of Things" cuts across many IETF technical areas).
- There's a possible connection with efforts to label or tag IETF artifacts (RFCs, Working Groups) for improved discoverability. Warren Kumari previously worked on a folksonomy-based approach for Working Group chairs to provide industry keywords.
- RFCs currently have keywords in their metadata (embedded in XML for V3), which are author-supplied. There is no controlled vocabulary or rigorous policing of these tags, and they are not currently presented as "friendly tags" or tag clouds on the RFC Editor website.
- Blog Posts: Efforts are underway to increase the tempo of technology- and IETF-work-related blog posts (e.g., IAB programs, workshops, new Working Groups, RFC publications, research groups, milestones).
  - Blog posts are intended to be broadly accessible, not just for specialists.
  - This effort is resource-constrained, requiring significant editorial work. Streamlining options discussed include providing templates and examples.
  - Trials with external technical writers highlighted challenges in adapting to the IETF environment, particularly the high emphasis on technical accuracy and the unique "marketing angle," leading to extensive back-and-forth with content experts. Finding technical writers already familiar with the IETF ecosystem would be beneficial.
RFC Editor.org Rework:
- The RFC Editor website is undergoing a rework, with details available on the RSswg mailing list and a public GitHub repository.
- The goal is to combine RFC text and metadata (stream, authors, obsoletion status, etc.) onto a single page, providing direct access to the RFC text without an intermediate "info page."
- Existing RFC URLs will not change.
- The new site will feature a modern, clean, and mobile-friendly design.
IPMC Site Rework:
- The IETF Intellectual Property Management Corporation (IPMC, formerly IETF Trust) is also developing an entirely new website on a separate platform due to different requirements.
- The old Trust site will remain accessible, with a banner directing users to the new site for current information, similar to the transition of the old IOC site.
LLC-COMMS Meeting Feedback and Promotion Ideas:
- Attendees found the current cadence of interim meetings (during non-plenary months, approximately eight times a year) to be good for information sharing.
- Meeting announcements are distributed via the IETF-announce mailing list and listed on the data tracker's upcoming meetings page.
- Ideas for broader promotion included:
  - Mentioning the LLC-COMMS meetings during IETF plenaries (e.g., on "thank you" slides or by chairs).
  - Developing a "comms report" to be included in plenary proceedings, similar to IAB/IESG reports.
  - A "tools team table takeover" by comms during IETF week to engage attendees.
  - Establishing a dedicated "comms interest list" with open archives.
Working Group Chair Resources:
- Work is underway with Deb Cooley and others to enhance resources for Working Group chairs, building on existing materials at chairs.ietf.org.
- The approach focuses on organizing and indexing existing materials rather than duplicating them.
- A version 0.1 "Getting Started" page has been published on the chairs Wiki.
Collateral and Other Documents Underway:
- The first-ever IETF Sponsorship Report has been published, received well by sponsors, and is useful for internal advocacy and new sponsor recruitment. Planning for the 2025 report is already underway.
- The annual IETF Snapshot (statistics and trends) is being updated, with new elements focusing on highlighting effective IETF participation that does not require in-person meeting attendance (addressing a common misconception among external stakeholders).
- New case studies are in development to illustrate real-world impact of IETF work (DNS has one, gaming and L4S are next).
- Updated sponsorship recruitment materials are being prepared.
- Development of new templates, such as an outward-facing Google Slides template for the IAB, is in progress.

Decisions and Action Items

Decision: The attempt to share the agenda/notes via screen share was abandoned for this meeting due to technical issues; attendees were directed to a chat link.
Action Item: The organizer will investigate the feasibility of including a "comms report" in IETF plenary proceedings.
Action Item: The organizer will consider creating a dedicated "comms interest list" with open archives.
Action Item: Continue to develop and flesh out the Working Group Chair resources, building on the initial "Getting Started" page on the chairs Wiki.
Action Item: Begin planning for the 2025 IETF Sponsorship Report.
Action Item: Continue work on the annual IETF Snapshot, with particular emphasis on demonstrating effective participation outside of in-person meetings.
Action Item: Proceed with developing case studies for gaming and L4S, and update sponsorship recruitment materials.
Action Item: Develop new templates, such as the IAB Google Slides template.

Next Steps

Maintain the current cadence of LLC-COMMS interim meetings during non-plenary months.
Continue the social media review and strategy adjustments, particularly addressing the RFC Editor X feed issue and exploring BlueSky.
Proceed with small-scale paid promotion experiments to gather data on their effectiveness.
Continue with the ongoing content updates for the www.ietf.org website, focusing on the "Technology" section and increasing the tempo of accessible blog posts.
Monitor the progress of the RFC Editor.org and IPMC website reworks.
Explore and implement ideas for broader promotion of LLC-COMMS activities, including plenary mentions and a dedicated mailing list.
Continue the development of comprehensive Working Group Chair resources.
Progress on other collateral, including the IETF Snapshot, new case studies, and templates.