Getting Involved in the W3C

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Getting Involved in the W3C

• Lorrie Cranor
• Mary Fernandez

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Overview

• What is the W3C?
• What areas does W3C work in?
• Our experiences with W3C
• Whats in it for you?

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What is W3C?

• Over 400 member companies
• Interested in any technology related to the web
• New activities created at request of members
• Working groups chartered
• Working groups make draft recommendations
• After a long time proposed recommendations go to
  membership for vote
• Public input solicited, but only members vote

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W3C Domains

• Architecture
• HTTP
• XML
• Technology and Society
• P3P
• Metadata
• User Interface
• HTML
• DOM
• CSS/XSL
• Web Accessibility Initiative

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Lorries experience with W3C

• Involved in P3P work at W3C for about 3 years
• ATT representative to W3C advisory committee
• Chair of P3P specification working group for
  about a year
• Working on P3P has been
• Interesting
• Exciting
• Frustrating
• Time consuming
• Fun

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P3P Working Group members
hard at work in Kiel, Germany
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Floating some ideas
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Marys experience with W3C

• XML Query working group for about 1 year
• Editor of 2 out of 3 public documents
• Chair of subgroup with XSLT
• Working on XML Query has been
• Interesting
• Exciting
• Frustrating
• Time consuming
• Fun

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Pros and cons of standards work
Positives Negatives
Opportunity for your work to have real impact - Time consuming
Lots of networking opportunities - Lots of time spent on political issues
High profile work may be viewed as valuable by employer and others - Employer may not view work as very valuable
Lots of travel to exotic (and not-so-exotic) places - Lots of travel to exotic (and not-so-exotic) places
Opportunity to work with lots of different people with diverse view points - Opportunity to work with lots of different people with diverse view points
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Find out more

• W3C web site http//www.w3.org
• ATT W3C mailing list
• email majordomo_at_research.att.com with the
  message subscribe w3c