About W3C

$Date: 2006/04/29 05:05:59 $

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

“To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web”

Web Technologies should be interoperable
- the Web is based on a large palette of technologies
- no technology can pretend to cover all needs on the Web
- hence the interoperability of technologies necessary
Web Standards should be open, i.e., non-proprietary
The Web should be accessible to all

W3C Hosts (in red) and W3C Offices (in blue) around the Globe

Web for Everyone
- regardless of language, user capabilities, geographical location, device used for access,…
Web on Everything
- not only PC-s, but Phones, PDA-s, Television,…
Knowledge Base, Advanced data searching and sharing
- information for both human and machine processing
Trust and Confidence
- technologies for collaborative environment
- a Web with accountability, security, confidence, and confidentiality

W3C Members ensure the strength of W3C
- they influence the strategic direction of Web Standard Development
  - each member is represented in the Advisory Committee (AC)
  - the AC has regular meetings (twice a year) where issues are discussed
- the community of key players on the Web
Recommendations are developed by the Members’ experts
- documents are developed in Working Groups staffed by the Members’ representatives
- altogether, they form a community of more than 500 experts
- the keyword is consensus building

More than 60 researcher and engineers
Very international team (residence in 9 countries, around 12 nationalities…)
Their role is:
- provide directions to W3C
- coordinate the activities of W3C
- facilitate active member participation
- communicate the results of W3C

A W3C Workshop is organized in an area of interest
- possible starting point for standardization
- members can have members submissions that are taken into account, too
A Working group (WG) is formed
- members have the possibility to review, and vote on the charter of the group (or to oppose its creation…)
WG regularly publishes drafts to seek comments from the public
Implementations of the new technology are called for
Members review the final proposal
If final review is positive, W3C publishes the new Recommendation

Incubator Groups
- look at a specific technology, specifications, current practice, etc, that might, eventually, find its way to “real” recommendation track in a Working Group
Interest Groups
- discussion fora; comment, or evaluate new specifications and Web technologies, discuss deployment issues, etc.
Coordination Groups
- ensure that the groups and their recommendation interoperate

Exercise technical influence
- participate in Groups
  - only members can be represented in Working Groups
  - all members have equal rights in a Group
- represent the interest of your user, client, languge, etc, community
  - you do not have to be a technology developer to provide very important feedbacks
Provide strategic direction for the Web
- through the participation at the meetings that steer W3C
- by submitting new work, initiate the creation of groups

Introduce new ideas
- at workshops, via submissions, …
Gain public recognition of your organization's contributions
- through your display of the W3C Member logo
- through the display of your logo on W3C via the member testimonials on the home page of W3C (about ≈ 400,000 pageviews daily)
- through testimonials in W3C’s press activities
- associate your (early) implementation with new recommendations (e.g., as part of its test suite)

Track development of emerging technologies, markets, and priorities
- through member only news, discussion forums, meetings, …
- lead time to information can be of 6 months to a year
Implement a standard ahead of the market
- your implementation can accompany the Working Group process, thereby gaining extra recognition
Increase your network
- meeting with your fellows from other members give you extra information and networking
- contact list is available to Members only
Participate at W3C’s Technical Plenaries
- joint meetings of almost all Working Groups, once a year; members can send observers

Three fee categories, depending on Annual Gross Revenue (AGR)
- Highest: for profit with AGR ≥ 204M€ (or some $ and ¥ equivalents); fee around 65,000€ (depending on currency)
- Intermediate: for profit with 204M$ > AGR ≥ 51M€; fee around 26,000€ (depending on currency)
- Low: non profit, governmental, or for profit with 51M$ > AGR; fee around 6,500€ (depending on currency)
Fees may be lower in developing countries
- for non-profit and governmental organizations
- another threshold is defined for companies, under which their fee is lower
- the exact amound depends on the World Bank categorization of the individual country
- for details, see the online fee calculator
Membership rights are identical across categories