I���m Running for the W3C Advisory Board

As many of you know, I���ve been involved in the push for web standards for the better part of two decades. I caught the bug early and have been advocating for their use in pretty much every article, book, talk, and workshop I���ve created. I���ve also had the great pleasure of helping run the Web Standards Project (WaSP), a group whose impact on the web cannot be understated.1 And so, when a handful of my colleagues reached out to see if I���d consider running for the W3C Advisory Board, I was��� well��� speechless. What an honor it is to be nominated, especially out of the blue like that!

You can read my nomination statement on the W3C site, so I won���t spend a lot of time rehashing that. What I will do is make a brief case for why I think I would be a valuable member of this particular board.

I���m a web developer whose heart belongs to standards. I may work for Microsoft in Developer Relations, but I started building stuff for the web in 1996 and never stopped. I���ve worked on sites for every kind of business you can imagine���from small mom and pop shops to huge international conglomerates and everything in between. I���ve also held just about every role you can in web projects, from strategist right through to front and back end dev, where the rubber meets the road.

I think this experience, especially when coupled with my current position at Microsoft���which affords me a lot of time to listen to the challenges faced by the web design and development community���will enable me to bring an ���in the trenches��� perspective to the W3C. Rachel Andrew provides similar guidance as Fronteers��� representative to the W3C and I relish the opportunity to work with her again2 in this capacity. I honestly wish there were more web designers and developers working within the W3C and my goal is to give voice to their concerns and champion their ideas.

I���m a diplomat and a pragmatist. Over the years, I���ve participated in varying capacities for a handful of boards and committees. I���ve chaired small town committees (e.g., the Energy Use Task Force in Hamden, Connecticut), been the co-president of a state political party (Green Party of Connecticut), run homeowners associations, and, of course, led the Web Standards Project, to name but a few. In all of these roles���and in my consulting work���I���ve learned how to manage personalities (and politics), set expectations, and get folks to rally together to achieve common goals.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am incredibly diplomatic. Perhaps more soo than is warranted sometimes. I believe everyone should be heard, but I���m also unwilling to allow individuals to dominate conversations and drown out other viewpoints. I value diverse opinions and appreciate people who challenge convention. In all interactions, I look for common ground and shared goals. I don���t shy away from uncomfortable conversations and have no problem disagreeing with someone, but I will always do it in a civil and respectful way.

While idealistic���especially when it comes to the web and standards���I���m also a pragmatist. I want to understand problems from multiple angles and use that knowledge to know which battles are worth fighting and when compromise is necessary. And I always seek to build consensus, which is the W3C way.

I���ve got experience in non-profit work. You may not realize it, but the W3C does not actually exist as a legal entity. It���s currently in the process of changing that and becoming a non-profit corporation. The Advisory Board is overseeing that process. When I lived in Connecticut, I helped form a non-profit corporation. I���ve also got experience in grant writing and other non-profit related work. I think I could be a real asset in that regard.

If you can vote in this election and think I���d make a good member of the Advisory Board, please vote for me. If you can���t vote, but know someone who can, please encourage them to read this and consider voting for me. I���d be ever so grateful for your help.

Thank you!

Most of the truly impressive and important work was done by the folks who founded the Web Standards Project. I can���t take credit for more than a handful of our activities, but I was honored to have played a bit role in its history.��↩

We worked together in the Web Standard Project.��↩