The eve of the first day of the Internet Governance Forum has been frantic, and not only for me. The GigaNet forum, about which I will be writing three more articles shortly, was a great success with (at an estimate) over 100 attendees packed into a small room. My own presentation went well and I have had some fruitful discussions over it already.

However, much of the rest of my time today was taken up with the resuscitation of the igf2006.info site (the officially endorsed site for online participation in the IGF), which is now resident on a UN server after it died under load while hosted on Kieren McCarthy's Web space.  All should now be working as before, but please report any problems to me.

Then there was setting up my display at the Plaza (and the realisation that I had forgotten to bring scissors and a stapler: there's some shopping for me). And arranging a VIP pass to enable me to assist Kieren with his blog watching duties from the first rows of the main auditorium tomorrow.

There have been metal detectors and X-ray machines set up at the entrances to the venue, doubtless for the arrival of the Greek Prime Minister tomorrow, and security was also in evidence during an official ceremony this evening in which the United Nations flag was raised.

So what are my impressions of it all? Actually, quite good. The registration process seems well organised and efficient. The host nation staff and Secretariat have been helpful and courteous. One Secretariat member in particular seemed very interested in and receptive to the constructive criticisms leveled at the IGF's structure in my writings.

My optimism is returning, and I look forward to the first official day of the proceedings tomorrow.