Re: What are the TAG's priorities for 2011-2012?

On 11/22/2010 8:58 AM, Arthur Barstow wrote:
> As I consider potential candidates for the TAG (e.g. skill sets, domain
> expertise, etc.), it would be helpful if I had a relatively clear
> understanding of the TAG's top priorities for 2011-2012. Where can I find
> that information?

A rather broad answer to that is contained in the TAG's most recent status 
report [1].  From that:

---
That TAG continues to organize most of its work into three major focus areas:

*    HTML
*    Web Application Architecture
*    Metadata Access and Formats
---

Of course, we continue to do a fair amount of work on what I'd call the 
core mechanisms of the Web, e.g. work on IRIs, the role of MIME types, etc.

Robin Berjon wrote:

> I'd suggest going about it the other way around: figure out what
> priorities *you* would like the TAG to have, and based on that come up with
> a set of candidates who can help make that happen.

I have a lot of sympathy for that view.  It's very important that I  avoid 
appearing to suggest who specifically should be nominated, and as Robin 
says, much of our technical focus should be driven by whom you as members 
choose to nominate.

What I can do is to remind you of some of the broader criteria that I think 
contribute to effective TAG participation.

* Clearly, it's useful for people to have a deep background in the design 
and deployment of complex systems, especially distributed systems.

* We need at least some people who write well, and who can adapt their 
writing to the needs of different audiences.  Especially important is to 
have people who can write clearly and convincingly, not just about their 
own ideas, but to help communicate the work of the TAG as a whole.

* The TAG has the responsibility of working on the Web's Architecture, 
which necessitates taking a high-level view of the long term implications 
of various design decisions.  To be effective, however, we need to work 
with W3C groups and others who are building specifications and/or products 
that are deployed today for use by millions.  We need people who can "walk 
in the shoes" of those who build real, practical systems, and who can work 
with them to strike the right balance between short term considerations and 
long term architectural robustness.

As I say, I'm reluctant to deeply into technology specifics, but I will say 
that security strikes me as an area in which there are many serious 
challenges, and in which the TAG has limited domain-specific expertise. 
There may be other equally important areas to consider, and I invite other 
TAG members to make suggestions as they see fit.

I am always glad to chat with people who are considering a run for the TAG, 
to give them an idea of what life on the TAG is like, what the time 
commitment is, etc.  I'm sure other TAG members will be happy to do the same.

Finally, I should mention this on ac-forum as well, but the TAG is planning 
to meet 8-10 January 2011 in Cambridge, MA, and we're expecting that newly 
elected and appointed members will join us.  So, all candidates should 
block out the time and prepare to make travel arrangements if they become 
members.

I hope this is helpful.

Noah Mendelsohn
TAG co-chair


[1] http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/2010/sum07

Received on Friday, 26 November 2010 17:28:48 UTC