OpenFormats

Many W3C contributors face a tension between using familiar and productive tools for development and using standard, web-friendly formats for wider collaboration. The W3C Media Wiki allows most common document formats, but the following guidelines may help you choose appropriate formats.

• Consider Visibility

 Using standard formats like HTML promotes the
 visibility of your work. The more easily people can view your work,
 the better your chances are of getting crucial feedback.

• Consider Addressability

 Most feedback cycles benefit from specific
 references to locations in documents. This simplifies and improves
 accuracy both for those who which to provide feedback and those who
 need to incorporate this feedback.

• Consider Efficacy

 We all want to be as productive as possible.
 You may have to balance the value of public feedback against your
 productiveness with a particular tool. If you select a tool that
 compromises on the above points, consider making alternate versions
 available.

• Consider Ability to Index

 Open Formats are more readily indexable by search engines than proprietary 
 formats.  If you use a format that is not indexed consider exporting a version 
 in an open format (HTML, PDF, etc.) that can be crawled and indexed so people 
 will find it.  

If the format you wish to publish is rejected by the wiki, please consider whether there is a more appropriate format, and then propose to your team contact that the W3C Media Wiki permit this format.

Remember, all W3C Technical Reports, Submissions and Notes are published in HTML.