HTML Writers Guild Newsletter
Volume 4, Number 8, August 1998
http://www.hwg.org/
editor@hwg.org
Table of Contents
1. XML Course Joins HTML, Accessibility, & Perl Online Courses
2. The Bookmark: Featured Titles from the HWG Bookstore!
3. Join Us in Supporting the Web Standards Project
4. Discounts Available to Guild Members
5. New Look for the Guild Site!
6. Volunteer Opportunity: Classroom Assistants
7. September's Town Hall Meeting: 24 September, 6:30 PDT
8. Governing Board Updates
9. Frequently Asked Questions about the HWG-News Newsletter
1. XML Course Joins HTML, Accessibility, & Perl Online Courses
(Ann Navarro, Online Classes Manager, classes@hwg.org)
The Guild's Online Classes program is pleased to announce our
newest addition to our course catalog:
X101: Introduction to XML
In a short space of time XML has outgrown its nascent purpose
of being a means to fix 'broken' HTML and help the web expand,
and has become the language of choice for most new major
standards and projects. This course, taught by XML expert and
author Frank Boumphrey, is designed to give students a thorough
grasp of the basics of XML and will also hopefully excite them
enough to learn more about this powerful new concept.
The course begins on September 14, and runs for 8 weeks. The cost
of the class is $50 for Trial members, $25 for Full members. You
can get more information at:
http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/x101.1.html
The XML course is the fourth online class to be offered by the
HTML Writers Guild; the other classes are:
Introduction to HTML 4.0
Instructor: Ann Navarro
Dates: August 24, 1998 - October 2, 1998 (currently underway)
Designing for Universal Accessibility with HTML 4.0
Instructor: Kynn Bartlett
Dates: August 24, 1998 - October 2, 1998 (currently underway)
Beginning Programming with Perl
Instructor: Rich Bowen
Dates: August 31, 1998 - October 9, 1998 (6 weeks)
A limited number of spaces in the Perl classes are still available;
enroll online by September 7 to take this course! More classes will
be announced soon, via the hwg-announce mailing list. (To subscribe,
please see http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-announce/.)
Complete details on the Guild's online classes can be found at:
http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/
2. The Bookmark: Featured Titles from the HWG Bookstore!
(Dain Anderson, Online Bookstore Manager, bookstore@hwg.org)
The Guild's online bookstore, a Barnes and Noble affliate, is up and
running! Featured titles from the bookstore include:
* Web Pages That Suck
Michael Willis & Vincent Flanders
Sybex
"Here's the straight dope on the World Wide Web - the Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly. Movies have Siskel and Ebert...Web sites have
Flanders and Willis. If you design Web sites, plan to build one,
or are just an active surfer, you need to hear what they have to
say. Funny, opinionated, and always to-the-point, Flanders and
Willis have developed a reputation for being the Web's leading
critics."
* WebMaster in a Nutshell
Stephen Spainhour & Valerie Quercia
O'Reilly & Associates
"Web authors and administrators have many sources of information,
both in print and online. Webmaster in a Nutshell pulls it all
together into one slim volume--for easy desktop access. It will be
an essential reference for anyone providing content for the Web,
for CGI programmers, and for administrators of Web servers."
* Learning Perl, 2nd Edition
Randal Schwartz, Tom Christiansen & Steve Talbot
O'Reilly & Associates
"Learning Perl" is ideal for system administrators, programmers,
and anyone else wanting a down-to-earth introduction to this
useful language. Written by a Perl trainer, its aim is to make a
competent, hands-on Perl programmer out of the reader as quickly
as possible. The book takes a tutorial approach and includes
hundreds of short code examples, along with some lengthy ones."
Order any of these books online NOW -- at a 20% discount! -- by
simply going to:
http://www.hwg.org/bookstore/
3. Join Us in Supporting the Web Standards Project
(Ann Navarro, Governing Board member, ann@hwg.org)
The Governing Board recently voted to endorse and support the
activities of the Web Standards Project, a collective effort by
leading web designers and concerned end users dedicated to halting
the fragmentation of the web by persuading browser makers to
conform to the established web standards.
The WSP estimates that the average site design takes 25% longer
to complete, due to the extra time required for cross-browser
compatability -- because the major browsers don't comply with
the standards.
The Guild is a strong proponent of the web standards published by
the W3C and other industry groups, and invites all concerned HWG
members to visit the WSP website at:
http://www.webstandards.org/
Our press release about the Guild's support for the WSP can be
found at:
http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/press/PR-980810-wsp.html
4. Discounts Available to Guild Members
(Jobin Hume, Vendor Discount Program Manager, vdp-manager@hwg.org)
Through our Vendor Discount Program, the Guild has arranged for
discounts on products and services to be offered to all Guild
members. These are available to both Trial and Full members, so
be sure to take a look at what's currently offered, as we are
always adding new vendors! Information on the program can be
found at:
http://www.hwg.org/services/vdp/index.html
The list of vendors includes:
* 123 Go Global: Web Site Hosting
* CorelXARA 2.0: vector-based drawing program
* CyberTech Media: streaming video conversion services
* DAT Enterprise: Hardware sales
* Data Demand: Web form data retrieval tools for the desktop
* Morph Technologies Inc.: CGI Programming Software
* R35: Web Graphics Tools, two books, webContacts address book
* Telcom.net: Web Site Hosting
* Top Floor Publishing: Web Site Construction Book
* WebTelecom: IPBX Service
Be sure to visit the web site for full details on the specific
discounts offered! Vendors interested in reaching the Guild's
70,000 members by offering a HWG discount can contact Jobin Hume
at vdp-manager@hwg.org.
5. New Look for the Guild Site!
(Kynn Bartlett, Vice President of Marketing, homepage@hwg.org)
If you've seen the Guild's website lately, you may have noticed a
change! The HWG site has been updated to a new look, one that is
less graphics-intensive that allows us to highlight the activities
and benefits of Guild membership.
The new site design has been implemented on the homepage, and most of
the major pages; we are still working on converting the entire site
to the new style, and expect this to be completed within a few
weeks.
Navigation, accessibility, and asthetics were important considerations
in the redesign of the site; we hope you'll agree that it is now
easier and faster to find information you might be seeking.
The Guild site now uses HTML 4.0 (Transitional); a recent Board motion
mandated the use of HTML 4.0 on Guild web pages, as well as recommending
all HWG members to learn and design to the 4.0 standard. In addition,
the Guild pages use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to enhance the look
of the pages; while the site is usable under any browser, it appears
especially nice in a CSS-enabled browser such as Microsoft's Internet
Explorer 4.0, or Netscape's Navigator 4.0.
Comments, criticism, suggestions, or compliments on the new design
can be sent to homepage@hwg.org.
6. Volunteer Opportunity: Classroom Assistants
(Allen Gould, Volunteer Coordinator, volunteer@hwg.org)
The Guild is entirely volunteer-run, that means there are many
opportunities for active members to become involved and help
contribute back some of what you have gained from your Guild membership.
Volunteering is a great way to gain valuable experience, learn new
skills and make friends.
The HWG is now accepting applications for the volunteer position of
Classroom Assistant (CA).
CAs will periodically be assigned to specific class sections in our
Online Classes program, for the duration of the course, generally 4 to
8 weeks.
Duties include:
* Assisting students with the operation of the Eshare Expressions
forum software
* Administrate or moderate the classroom message boards as directed
by the Online Classes Manager, to support educational activities
* Assist the course instructor in other ways as assigned.
CAs should be available to access the classroom at least once per day
during the business week, and preferably at least once per weekend,
spending as much time as is necessary to answer pending functional
questions and performing other duties. Anticipated time commitment
is up to 5 hours per week.
CAs must have a pleasant email manner, have had no negative
interaction with other Guild programs or staff, possess the
maturity and tact necessary to deal with potential problems, and
have a solid command of the written English language. Training on
the Eshare Expressions system will be provided.
You *must* be able to obtain either:
* A static IP address which you'd use both on weekdays and weekends
for access, and/or
* Your ISP must be willing to provide you with information on the
"range" of IP addresses that correspond to your dialup POP.
This is because CAs have limited Eshare administrator rights; for
security purposes those are restricted to certain IP addresses.
Submit letter of interest that contains a review of your qual-
ifications to classes@hwg.org using the Subject: Classroom
Assistant. No attachments accepted.
7. September's Town Hall Meeting: 24 September, 6:30 PDT
(The Governing Board, corporate@hwg.org)
Each month, the Guild provides an opportunity for real-time discussion
and chatting via HWG Interactive. These monthly meetings are hosted by
members of the Governing Board (with most of them in attendance),
and give our members the chance to voice your views about the HWG.
The scheduling information for the next meeting is:
24 September Town Hall Meeting
Date: Thursday, 24 September 1998
Time: 6:30 p.m. PDT, 9:30 p.m. EDT, 01:30 (24 September) GMT
Hosts: To Be Announced
Server: HWG Interactive, http://interact.hwg.org/
Room: Meeting Hall
To connect, surf to the URL above for HWG Interactive, and create a
HWG Interactive account. (This will not be the same as your HWG member id
and password.)
Logs of the previous Town Hall Meetings (July and August) are available
from http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/events/.
8. Governing Board Updates
(Leanne Phillips, Secretary, secretary@hwg.org)
Your Governing Board members are:
Joe Cline joe@hwg.org President
Kynn Bartlett kynn@hwg.org VP/Marketing and Outreach
Ann Navarro ann@hwg.org VP/Finance, Treasurer
Leanne Phillips leanne@hwg.org VP/Member Education, Secretary
Gerald Oskoboiny gerald@hwg.org Board member
Mike McGhan mike@hwg.org Board member
Jim Barchuk jim@hwg.org Board member
Fred Barnett fred@hwg.org Board member
The Board would like to announce some changes in key personnel.
Gerald Oskoboiny has stepped down, due to time constraints, as
VP/Information Technology. He has been a very useful contributor
and we owe a lot of him. He'll be staying on as a Board member.
Charlotte Crothers is resigning as VP/Member Education as of
August 31, to be replaced by Leanne Phillips. Char is also
resigning from the Board. Our thanks to her for her great help
and her contributions in guiding the Guild for so long.
Larry Behrens has resigned as a Board member as well. In his
time with the Guild, he revitalized the Mentor/Apprentice program,
which had been without reliable management for quite some time.
Currently, there are three Board positions open (of eleven total).
If you are interested in presenting yourself for consideration,
please send a note to gb-search@hwg.org that includes your resume
(text version please, no attachments) and a vision statement of
how you view the current state of the Guild, the future of the
Guild, and your role in both.
Board members should have the following qualities:
* Familiarity with the way the Guild is managed, and the
Guild's bylaws
* Member of the HWG for at least one year
* Any of the following desired types of experience:
- Business/Corporate
- Marketing/Public Relations
- Non-profit Organizations
- Virtual (Internet) Organizations
* Must be at least 18 years of age
As part of the Board, you will be expected to:
* Serve a term of up to three years on the Governing Board
* Invest a minimum of 10 hours per week in Board-related
activities, and possibly more if asked to serve as an
officer on the Executive Committee
* Contribute to setting the direction of the Guild through
participation on the Governing Board's private discussion
list, and effectively articulate your vision for the HWG
* Reach decisions based on the best interests of the HWG
Inc. corporation as a whole, in cooperation with other
members of the Board
* Be willing to travel (if necessary) on behalf of the Guild
Being on the Governing Board is a major responsibility and
commitment, but it can also be very rewarding to shape the
future of this organization. If you have any questions, feel
free to direct them to gb-search@hwg.org
9. Frequently Asked Questions about the HWG-News Newsletter
(Shelly Ross, HWG-News Newsletter Editor, editor@hwg.org)
Some questions you may be asking:
Q: Why did I get this mail?
A: You received this newsletter because you are a member of the
HTML Writers Guild. This message came from hwg-news, the Guild's
mandatory mailing list for all members. If you need more information
about hwg-news, please see the List Charter at:
http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-news/index.html
Q. Why doesn't this newsletter talk about web design or HTML?
A. The newsletter is the Guild's administrative bulletin to the
membership. If you are interested in the topics of Web design
and HTML, then you might want to subscribe to some of our
discussion lists devoted to those topics. More information on
the Guild's offering of discussion lists can be found at:
http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html
Q. How can I find out more about Guild activities?
A. The Guild has set up a one-way announcement list, HWG-Announce,
that carries bulletins of day-to-day Guild business. For details
on how to subscribe, please see:
http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-announce/
Q: How do I unsubscribe from hwg-news?
A: Since this is a required list in order to maintain your
Guild membership, unsubscribing is the same as resigning from
the HTML Writers Guild.
If you have your Member ID and password, to resign your membership
in the Guild and to unsubscribe to hwg-news, visit:
http://www.hwg.org/member/resign.html
Fill in the pertinent information, and submit it.
If you don't have a Member ID, or have forgotten your password, send
mail to:
newapps@hwg.org
with a Subject of: Resign membership
In the body of the message, provide the following information:
* Your email address(es)
* Your member ID if you have one.
* The list of discussion lists you are on.
Please remember that unsubscribing to hwg-news automatically resigns
you from the Guild. If you have problems with unsubscribing,
please contact the Database Manager for help.
Q: What if I want to comment on this newsletter?
A: The HWG-News Mailing List is a "Read-Only" list -- please do not try
to reply to this message directly.
If you wish to contact the editor of this newsletter, you may do
so by sending email to editor@hwg.org. Each article begins with
the contact information for the author as well.
This issue was edited by Shelly Ross and Kynn Bartlett.
Copyright 1998, HTML Writers Guild, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Published monthly via email and WWW.