Subject: HTML Writers Guild Newsletter -- Spotlight on HWG Opportunities
HTML Writers Guild Newsletter
Volume 5 Number 18, 10 October 1999
http://www.hwg.org/
mailto:editor@hwg.org
Table of Contents
1. A Word from the Editor: The Guild is What You Make of It
2. Volunteer Opportunity: List Guides Wanted
3. A Cordial Invitation: The October Town Hall Meeting
4. Educational Opportunities: Enroll Now for Online Courses!
5. Teaching Opportunities: Seeking Online Instructors
6. Volunteer Opportunity: The Lost (Password) Patrol
7. Speaking Opportunities: The HWG Speakers Breau
8. W3C Activity Report: Composite Capabilities/Preferences Profiles
9. About the HTML Writers Guild Newsletter: A Mini-FAQ
This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by:
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1. A Word from the Editor: The Guild is What You Make of It
(Kynn Bartlett, Guild President and HWG-News Editor, editor@hwg.org)
Recently I had the privilege to speak to one of our newer members,
a web designer from Rome, about the early days of the Guild and the
principles upon which the HTML Writers Guild has been built.
The core idea of the Guild has always been, and continues to be,
"members helping members by sharing experience and knowledge." From
the mailing lists to the resources and FAQs to the member-taught
online classes, that simple principle embodies what the HWG is all
about. None of us is an expert on _everything_ in the web creation
field; we each have something to learn, as well as something to
teach.
The role of the organization within that principle is to provide
structure -- we create _opportunities_ for our members. The Guild
administration creates the framework, and the members create the
true value within our association, simply by sharing what they've
done, what worked, and what didn't.
The Guild gives back, therefore, in proportion to what the members
put into it. Participating in a mailing list, submitting a resource,
or teaching a class are examples of how you can share with other
members what you've learned. Maybe you're not quite at that point
yet -- we especially welcome our new members -- but as your own
skills grow, you too can contribute to the cooperative community
of web creators that we call the HTML Writers Guild.
In this special issue of the HWG-News newsletter, we present a
number of opportunities for you to become more involved with the
Guild and what we do. Why not make the most of your HWG membership
and investigate these unique opportunities?
2. Volunteer Opportunity: List Guides Wanted
(Melanie Trivett, Assistant List Guide Manager, lg-manager@hwg.org)
The List Guide Program is in need of a few good people!
The program's purpose is to maintain the quality of the discussion
lists. List Guides also help list members with problems or questions
they can't ask on the lists. To be successful as a List Guide, you
should be familiar with the HWG and its resources and like to help
people.
There are a few requirements for this position. You should currently
be a member of the HWG and have no recent suspensions from the lists --
a recent suspension being one that occurred within the last three
months. You should also have at least 6 to 12 hours available each
week for List Guide duty. A reliable email account is a must.
If you're interested, please take a few minutes and send the following
information to . This information forms your
application to the List Guide program.
1. Name
2. Age
3. Email address
3. Alternative email addresses you may have used on HWG
mailing lists
4. List or lists you would be most interested in serving on.
(Depending on availability)
5. How long you've been a member of the Guild (estimates are
fine)
6. Areas of HTML or web design in which you have experience.
Please indicate level of expertise and give examples of
work (URLs only) or other information to give us an idea
of what you know.
7. Time availability including current work/school status
8. Any special qualifications or skills that may be an asset
to the List Guide program
9. Why you think you'd make a good List Guide
We look forward to hearing from you soon! For more information on
the HTML Writers Guild's discussion lists, please see:
http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html
3. A Cordial Invitation: The October Town Hall Meeting
(Fred Barnett, HWG Assistant Secretary, fred@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 details for October's meeting are:
28 October Town Hall Meeting
Date: Thursday, 28 October 1999
Time: 6:30 p.m. PDT, 9:30 p.m. EDT, 01:30 (28 October) GMT
Server: HWG Interactive, http://interact.hwg.org/
IRC: irc.hwg.org, port 6667
Channel: #townhall
To connect, either go to the URL above and use the Java-based client
available via the web, or use your favorite IRC client and join channel
#townhall.
We look forward to meeting you there!
4. Educational Opportunities: Enroll Now for Online Courses!
(Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org)
The HWG Online Education program has developed a variety of online
instructor-led courses that allow you to expand and enhance your
skills at web design. These courses are designed to be flexible
and affordable, fitting into your schedule easily. Why not make
the most of your membership and see what you can learn from your
fellow HWG members?
Classes currently open for enrollment include:
Introduction to XML
Dates: October 18, 1999 - November 26, 1999 (6 weeks)
Extensible Markup Language is the Internet's language for the
21st century -- now is the time to learn XML!
Practical Web Management: Creating an Effective Web Site
Dates: October 18, 1999 - November 30, 1999 (6 weeks)
Covering everything from personalization to usability studies,
this course is a perfect fit if you're struggling with how
to manage your new or growing website!
Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets
Dates: October 18, 1999 - November 26, 1999 (6 weeks)
Add a little style to your web design! This popular course covers
CSS 1 and 2, which can enhance the appearance of any web page!
You'll learn what CSS is -- and isn't -- supported by the major
browsers, and more!
Introduction to JavaScript
Dates: November 8, 1999 - December 17, 1999 (6 weeks)
The Javascript language allows you to add interactivity to your web
pages -- this course will teach you the basics of programming in
Javascript for multiple browser types.
Creating Web Graphics with Paint Shop Pro
Dates: November 8, 1999 - December 17, 1999 (6 weeks)
Release the artist within you! This graphics course will teach
you to create your own stunning images for use on your web site,
using the Paint Shop Pro program.
Designing for Universal Accessibility with HTML 4.0
Dates: November 8, 1999 - December 19, 1999 (6 weeks)
Can your web site be used by everyone, including people with
disabilities, older browsers, and hand-held computers? If you're
not sure, take this course; it could change the way you view the
web!
COURSE FEES
For all courses, Full and Discounted members may register for $25,
Trial members for $50. Upgrade your membership before registering,
and save money! Payments may be made online via secure transaction;
all figures are in U.S. funds.
A certificate of completion is available for an additional $5;
the request needs to be made at the time of registration. Textbooks
(when required) are separate and may be purchased through the Guild's
online bookstore, The Bookmark. Books should be purchased before the
first week of class! In addition, students should have regular access
to the web and the ability to post completed assignments on a
public (non-Intranet) web server.
Sign up today through our online enrollment forms or get more
information at:
http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/
5. Teaching Opportunities: Seeking Online Instructors
(Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org)
The Guild is currently accepting applications for instructors in our HWG
Online Education program. In order to apply, you need have demonstrable
expertise your chosen course topic, and meet other criteria that may be
established by the Guild's Education Committee.
Courses are four to eight weeks in length, with six weeks being most
common. A typical course will include:
* A weekly reading assignment from a selected text or from
material available online
* A lesson/lecture essay
* An assignment or activity
* Interaction between the instructor and students on the
current topic
Classes are taught via a web-based discussion forum classroom system.
Instructors must be able to access their classrooms frequently enough
to provide timely responses to student questions and concerns. One
Teacher's Assistant (TA) may be provided by the HWG Online Education
program to assist with these responses; instructors may recommend
pontential TAs to the program office.
To apply, the following information is required, and must be sent
together to classes@hwg.org:
1. A resume (plaintext or URL only, no attachments please!)
2. A letter of application that expands upon the relevant
experience in your resume. Tell us why you would be the best
choice to teach this specific topic, and provide URLs or
other evidence of your experience and expertise in the subject
matter.
3. A course proposal and outline. Propoals should include:
a. Any required texts for the course (books must be available
for purchase online via The Bookmark, the Guild's
BarnesAndNoble.com affliate bookstore)
b. An outline covering each week's proposed topics and
potential assignments
c. A short (one or two paragraphs) description of the course
suitable for our online course catalog pages.
d. A short (one or two paragraphs) biography for the
instructor, suitable for online course catalog.
e. The name(s) of any potential TA candidates that possess
sufficient knowledge to aid you in teaching this course.
f. An identification of the skill level of students who
should take this class, and necessary prerequesites and
other requirements for enrollment.
Please note that instructors and TAs will be compensated for their
time and effort in teaching these courses, so if you are accepted,
we will also need to complete necessary financial paperwork. (SSN
for US residents will be necessary, etc.)
Proposals for course topics not currently in our catalog are preferred,
though we will review proposals from potential instructors that will
compliment and expand our available sessions for popular existing courses.
Courses of specific interest to us at this time include:
* Marketing Your Web Design Business
* Web Site Promotion
* Introduction to Java Programming on the Web
* Beginning Visual Basic Programming
* Design Theory for Web Developers (specifically, art and design
basics - spatial relationships, color theory, etc)
If you have expertise in any of these areas, or others, we encourage
you to apply now! The HWG Online Education program is based on
members sharing their experience with others, so why not share yours?
6. Volunteer Opportunity: The Lost (Password) Patrol
(Yvonne MacGregor, Manager of HWG DBA Team, dbadmin@hwg.org)
The HTML Writers Guild is seeking volunteers to assist members who
have lost or forgotten their passwords and/or user ids, which are
required for access to the Guild's member database, for class
registration, and for membership renewals. If you don't know your
membership number or your password, you can write to:
mailto:lost-password@hwg.org
Volunteers must:
* Be able to read email and connect to the web for database
lookups and password resets.
* Be able to check email at least 3 times per week, and
preferably every business (non-weekend) day. Expected time
for processing username/password resets is no more than 15
minutes per day.
* Commit to at least 3 months volunteering. Volunteers who
serve at least 6 months can earn volunteer credits which can
be applied membership dues, Guild classes, or other benefits.
* Take direction and supervision from the Database Administrator,
who will see that duties are divided fairly and efficiently
among the volunteers.
* Sign a non-disclosure agreement to not release Guild
membership records, a pre-requisite for database access.
* Have a service-oriented manner and be willing to meet the
needs of the Guild's membership in a cheerful and personable
manner.
We are looking for at least two volunteers who are interested in
helping with this very important duty. If you would like to help,
please send email to dbadmin@hwg.org with a statement of your
willingness, availability, and qualifications.
7. Speaking Opportunities: The HWG Speakers Breau
(Frank Boumphrey, Vice President of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org)
As part of our outreach to new members -- and in accordance with the
Guild's purpose to inform and educate the web design community -- the
HTML Writers Guild actively participates in conferences and workshops.
Upcoming engagements featuring HWG presenters or speakers include:
* Web Managers National Conference
Denver, Colorado
13-14 October 1999
http://www.govtech.net/conferences/webmanager/webmanager.shtm
Government and educational web managers are invited to attend the
panel "Applying the ADA to the Internet: A Web Accessibility Standard"
presented by the City of San Jose's Cynthia Waddell and the HWG's
Kynn Bartlett, and others.
* Interlab 99
Stanford, California
3-5 November 1999
http://www-project.slac.stanford.edu/interlab99/
Kynn Bartlett will also be presenting at the Stanford Linear
Accelerator Center's Interlab 99 conference, again on the very
important issue of web site accessibility.
* Builder.Com Live!
New Orleans, Louisiana
7-11 December 1999
http://www.builder.com/live/
The best web design sessions all under one roof in the heart of the
ultimate fun city! HWG presentations include Frank Boumphrey who
will tell you how to "Use ASP to Access XML Data Stores" and the
panel "You Can Build It, But They Won't Come If They Can't:
Accessibility and Your Site" with Kynn Bartlett and others.
If you plan to attend any of these events, please let us know; we'd
love to arrange to meet our fellow Guild members!
Guild appearances at conferences are made possible through our newly
created HWG Speakers Bureau. The purpose of this program is to list
qualified speakers on topics of interest to the HTML community.
We're currently seeking Guild members who meet the following
qualifications:
1. Be an expert in your topic.
2. Be a fluent and accomplished speaker.
3. Have had experience speaking to a large audience.
Speakers who meet these qualifications will be informed of any call
for papers for national meetings received by the HWG, and will go into
a database of speakers. They may also be invited to speak at HWG
sponsored events.
If you think you might qualify please forward a brief biography to
vp-events@hwg.org together with a list of topics you feel qualified to
speak on. In addition to your address, phone number, and other
contact information, please include a short statement outlining your
experience, and the reasons that you think you are the person who
should speak on your subject(s) of choice (Don't be coy!). Please
put "HWG Speakers Bureau" in the subject line.
8. W3C Activity Report: Composite Capabilities/Preferences Profiles
(Ann Navarro, W3C Advisory Committee Representative, ann@hwg.org;
Kynn Bartlett, CC/PP Working Group Member, kynn@hwg.org)
Last month, HWG President Kynn Bartlett attended the first meeting
of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) new CC/PP working group.
We're presenting his report here as a way of letting members have a
look "behind the scenes" at how the HWG and the W3C work to develop
new standards for web development.
As the only association of web designers that has joined the
Consortium, the Guild's role in the W3C is unique: We represent
the interests of you, the "front line" web developers who will
eventually be using, on a daily basis, any new standards developed
for the web. We are the voice of the web author in the standards
process.
Members who wish to become involved in W3C activities within the
HWG are advised to join the HWG-W3C mailing list; this list and
W3C participation is considered a privilege of Full membership,
and the list is thus only open to paid members of the Guild. For
more information on the HWG-W3C list, please see:
http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-w3c/
And now we present Kynn's report on CC/PP:
What is CC/PP?
CC/PP stands for Composite Capabilities/Preferences Profiles, and
is a way to specify what exactly a user agent (web browser) is
capable of doing. This allows for sophisticated content
negotiation techniques between web servers and clients, to produce
optimized XML-based markup for display and use on a wide variety
of web user agents.
But What _Is_ It?
In technical terms, CC/PP is an RDF-based framework for describing
and managing software and hardware profiles that include information
on the user agent's capabilities (physical and programmatic); the
user's specified preferences within the user agent's set of options;
and specific qualities about the user agent that can affect content
processing and display, such as physical location.
CC/PP is designed to work with a wide variety of web-enabled devices,
from PDAs to desktop machines to laptops to WAP phones to phone
browsers to web television units to specialized browsers for users
with disabilities. Proxies may also be used to provide markup
transformation, transmission, or caching services for CC/PP-enabled
clients and servers.
The CC/PP framework provides a way to describe generic profiles
accessible via the web -- for example, from the hardware or software
vendor -- reducing the amount of information that must be directly
sent from the user agent itself (or a proxy), an important consideration
for limited-bandwidth cellular modem technologies.
How Will It Be Used?
CC/PP is simply the language for describing what the user agent
can (currently) do. This information would then be conveyed to
the originating server as part of an HTTP (or other protocol)
request, and it's up to the server to decide how to use the user
agent profile to best meet the needs of the user agent client.
The two primary ways in which a profile might be used are
_selection_ and _transformation_.
Selection is the process by which the originating server chooses
an appropriate representation of requested web content from a
finite set of existing representations. For example, the site might
have three versions of a given page: a "rich XHTML with Java and
ECMAscript" version for visual browsers, a "textual XHTML" version
for non-visual browsers and older browsers, and a WML version for
WAP phones. From the capabilities and preferences described in the
CC/PP profile, the server would select the best match and send that
back to the user agent.
Transformation, on the other hand, assumes that there is no finite set
of representations, but rather than content is created on the fly,
based on the properties expressed by the user agent profile. The
content would be stored in an XML-compatible format and then
transformed into an appropriate language (or modules thereof) that
could be understood and optimized for the user agent, such as XHTML
or WML.
CC/PP-based content transformations require a strong understanding
of what is contained within a document and how best to transform
the content for various user agent capabilities and preferences;
for this reason, the CC/PP Working Group is watching the XHTML
modularization process and the (X)HTML Working Group's document
profiles.
The CC/PP approach to preferences and capabilities is superior to
the presently used methods of simple browser detection because it
provides a framework that is not dependent upon recognizing a
particular browser type and inferring capabilities, but deals
directly with the properties of the user agent and the current
settings employed.
About the W3C's CC/PP Working Group
The CC/PP Working Group was chartered in summer of 1999 and is an
outgrowth of the W3C's Mobile Access Interest Group. The first
face to face meeting was held in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 23rd
and 24th of September, and was hosted by Ericsson. Johan Hjelm
of the W3C (and Ericsson) is the chair of the Working Group.
Companies and organizations currently participating in the CC/PP
working group include:
* Ericsson * Nokia
* Fujitsu Laboratories * Nortel Networks
* HTML Writers Guild * SAP AG
* IBM * SBC Technology Resources
* IETF * Sun
* Interleaf * T-Mobil
* Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
For More Information
To learn more about CC/PP, you can visit the CC/PP homepage at:
http://www.w3.org/Mobile/CCPP/
Further details on the HWG's involvement in the W3C can be found
on the Guild's website at:
http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/w3c/
9. About the HTML Writers Guild Newsletter: A Mini-FAQ
(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:
mailto:lost-password@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 password support team
for help.
Q: Can my company advertise in the Guild's newsletter?
A: Yes; the Guild is offering sponsorship opportunities in HWG-News
on a limited basis. If you are interested in advertising your
web related product or service here, please send email to
advertising@hwg.org or call (714) 526-4963. Discounts are available
to Guild Business and Corporate members, as well as for multiple
placements. The Guild's newsletter reaches over 100,000 web authors
worldwide each month.
(Note: The Guild does not make our member database available for
third party use. We have a strong privacy policy and will not
release our members' personal information; our mailing list is
not for sale. Any questions regarding the Guild's advertising or
privacy policies can be directed to advertising@hwg.org.)
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.
Copyright 1999, HTML Writers Guild, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Published monthly via email and WWW.