HWG Membership FAQ

Contents

Basic Membership Questions

What is the HTML Writers Guild?

Who can join the HTML Writers Guild?

Is the Guild considering the adoption of an ethics statement?

Can a business or corporation join the HTML Writers Guild?

How much does it cost to join?

Do I have to be a professional to join the Guild?

Who is in charge of the Guild?

Are there any rules I have to follow?

I just want to be a member. Do I have to subscribe to any mailing lists?

Where can I just get some HTML information?

I am not a member. Can I enroll in a class?

How to Join and Application Questions

How do I join?

I don't have any URLs to put on the application - what do I do?

Am I a member after I fill out the form?

I never received the "test" email. Why?

I received the verification code, but when I access the URL I keep getting an error. Why?

I'm accessing the correct URL but it still gives me an error. Why?

I never received my Welcome Letter, now what?

Who do I contact if I have other application problems?

I got the "Welcome Message", but I'm not getting any mail.

Why did I receive a "Duplicate New-Member Add" message?

I paid my Full membership and received a "Duplicate New-Member Add" message. What happened?

Now that you are a member:

What is the difference between my User Name and Membership ID?

How do I get mail?

How do I know which list to join?

I'm changing ISPs and need to change my email address - what do I do?

My personal information that I joined with is out of date - how do I fix it?

How do I get Guild members to visit my web page?

Can I ask hwg-news-owner or the website team for help with HTML?

I want to post to the Guild lists - do I need to know anything first?

Where do I get the really cool "Member" of the Guild logo?

I'm getting too much mail! What do I do?

I have a problem, but don't know who to send mail to!

I just became a Guild member, why can't I register for a class?

I just upgraded to a Full Membership, but I'm being charged full price for a class. Why?

I'm trying to sign up for a plus list but can't get past the authentification window.

How do I get an Associate membership?

How do I upgrade from a Trial membership to a Full membership?

I'd like to get more involved in the operations of the Guild...

Where do I volunteer?

How do I find out what is new with the Guild?

I want to file a complaint with the Governing Board - how?

I have a great idea to improve the Guild, where can I send it?

Resigning your membership:

How do I resign from the Guild?

I can't seem to unsubscribe from the mailing lists - what do I do?

Can I stay a member, but stop getting mail?

Basic Membership Questions

What is the HTML Writers Guild?

The HTML Writers Guild is the premiere organization for HTML design originators. Founded in October of 1994, the Guild serves the informational, educational, and support needs of its members. For additional information, visit: About the Guild.

Who can join the HTML Writers Guild?

Any individual or business with an interest in web authoring, who is willing to uphold the Guild's Charter and Bylaws may become a member of the Guild.

Is the Guild considering the adoption of an ethics statement?

The Governing Board is not currently considering an ethics statement at this time. Any set of guidelines published by the Guild will be voluntary and are not binding on members who do not elect to adopt the statement.

Can a business or corporation join the HTML Writers Guild?

Yes, the Guild provides two levels of membership for businesses, corporations, schools, organizations, and other groups of people. These are the Business and Corporate levels of membership. For more information on this program, please see the Membership Levels Information Page.

How much does it cost to join?

Trial membership in the Guild is free. Full membership in the Guild is $49 (US$) per year. A Trial member may remain a free member for up to a year, after which the Guild requests that they join as Full members. For more information, please see the Membership Levels Information Page.

Do I have to be a professional to join the Guild?

No. The Guild membership is comprised of people from many backgrounds and disciplines and includes beginners, hobbyists, students, and professionals.

Who is in charge of the Guild?

The Guild is governed by the HTML Writers Guild Governing Board and the day-to-day operations of the Guild are handled by the Executive Committee of the Governing Board, which consists of the Guild's corporate officers.

Are there any rules I have to follow?

Yes. All Guild members must uphold the Charter and Bylaws and if members participate in a mailing list, they must follow Mailing List Policy and the specific policies governing the mailing lists.

I just want to be a member. Do I have to subscribe to any mailing lists?

The only mailing list that you must subscribe to is hwg-news, the Guild's membership list/newsletter. Mailings for this list are very infrequent - twice per month at maximum. This newsletter is only posted to by the Governing Board and is the way we notify the membership of new services, new mailing lists, and other important news about your membership.

I'm a newbie - where can I just get some HTML information?

The Guild maintains such links at the website: http://www.hwg.org/services/. While on this page, please follow the links to the Guild's Mailing List Archives, a search engine of past Guild posts covering all aspects of HTML Writing. Also, an excellent beginners' resource is at: HWG Useful URLs. Please visit this before asking questions on the lists!

I am not a member. Can I enroll in a class?

The Guild's on-line classes are restricted to Guild Members. You can join for a free (Trial membership) if you wish, or benefit from reduced class enrollment costs by joining as a Full Member.

How to Join and Application Questions

How do I join?

Complete the Membership Application.

I don't have any URLs to put on the application - what do I do?

Many Guild members do not have a current URL to fill into this field or the URL is not accessible via the Web. You may enter Not Available or whatever is appropriate in the first URL box.

Am I a member after I fill out the form?

You are not officially a member until you have received the Welcome Letter, usually within 24 hours after submitting your main registration form. This letter is confirmation of your successful application and approval for membership.
The registration process takes place in two steps:
In the first, we request that you provide an E-mail address (and also specify the type of membership you are requesting, whether for an Individual or for a Business), which we then "test" by sending a message with a unique code to the address provided. If you can receive the message, confirming that it is valid and that you have access to read messages sent there, then you are instructed to proceed to the main registration form and complete the second step of the process. The two steps are linked together by the code value given in the message text.

I never received the "test" email. Why?

You would normally receive an E-mail message with the subject line "Your Application for HWG Membership" at the address you supplied. Failure to receive that response might indicate a problem with our being able to send to the address. Contact site contacts stating your problem and the E-mail address you supplied for application to see if the address can be accessed another way or if a substitute address will need to be used.

I received the verification code, but when I access the URL I keep getting an error. Why?

The usual problem is that it can be difficult to access the main form in a way that carries the verification code over correctly. It's recommended that you use one of the following two techniques:
Either "hot-link" to the URL included in the message, if your E-mail client supports that functionality, or "copy-and-paste" the entire URL, including the "?code=..." portion, from the message into the Location/Address box on your browser. Either of these should result in your being taken to the main registration form, and the form opening with the verification code value already filled in, and with your E-mail address displayed just below that area at the top of the form.

I'm accessing the correct URL but it still gives me an error. Why?

The remaining problems usually relate to data validation on the form elements. Typically, it is suggested that for fields that won't validate you either send the problem value to site contacts for a recommendation on formatting, or leave the field blank (if it is not a required field -- required fields are indicated by an asterisk next to the field name). The two most problematic items found, are telephone numbers, that accept only digits and spaces (so "(555)555-5555" is not valid, since it has punctuation, but "555 555 5555" works), and the zip code field, which will accept digits/letters and spaces/dashes, but no other characters.

I never received my Welcome Letter, now what?

If, after 24 hours of submitting your main registration form, you have not received your confirmation of successful application, contact site contacts. Supply them with the name you registered under, the email address you used, and any verification codes, etc., that you may have received during the process.

Who do I contact if I have other application problems?

Please send mail to site contacts with your question.

I got the "Welcome Message", but I'm not getting any mail.

You need to visit the Mailing Lists page and subscribe to the lists of your choice. The membership list is not an active mailing list.

Why did I receive a "Duplicate New-Member Add" message?

This occurs if a second registration is submitted for an E-mail address already in the database.
This can occur in two situations:
1)The registration form has been submitted more than once. This is a rare occurance as the second submission must be sent prior to the first one beginning processing in the system.
2)The registration form is being used to renew or upgrade a membership. To renew your Full membership or to upgrade your membership to Full, access your Member Profile and click on the links located at the bottom of the screen.
If you have problems accessing the Member Profile with the Member ID supplied in the Duplicated New-Member Add message, contact site contacts for a password reset.

I paid my Full membership and received a "Duplicate New-Member Add" message. What happened?

This occurs if a second registration is submitted for an E-mail address already in the database, as noted above.
Your payment will be properly applied to the original membership for you.

Now that you are a member: