Standards/Participating in a W3C Working Group: Difference between revisions

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Standards/Participating in a W3C Working Group (view source)

Revision as of 01:14, 30 March 2022

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clarify a few things about WGs vs CGs, some copyedits
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(clarify a few things about WGs vs CGs, some copyedits)
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== Ways to participate (to join or not to join) ==
== Ways to participate ==


W3C working groups have a defined membership: people can become a member of a working group or community group by being nominated by a W3C member company, by being invited by the chairs of the group (an invited expert), or by being a W3C staff member placed on the group by the W3C.  However, most W3C working groups have most of their technical discussion on public mailing lists, which means that non-members can participate in many of the activities of the group.  So, when you approach a W3C working group, you could decide to do so by becoming a member of the group or just by joining the public mailing list and participating in the discussion.
W3C groups have a defined membership: people can become a member of a Working Group (WG) or Community Group (CG) by being nominated by a W3C member company, by being invited by the chairs of the group (an invited expert), or by being a W3C staff member placed on the group by the W3C.   


How should one choose between these alternatives?  While there's a good bit of variation between groups depending on the [http://www.w3.org/Consortium/activities charter] of the group, its chair(s), and the other participants in the group, I suggest considering the following factors:
Most W3C Working Groups have most of their technical discussion on public mailing lists, which means that non-members can participate in many of the activities of most WGs.  When you approach a WG, you could decide to do so by becoming a member of the group or just by joining the public mailing list and participating in the discussion.
* being a member of the group signals Mozilla's support for a group to others (e.g., W3C staff, others in the industry).  (This means that if the group is working on something we don't like, being a member may confuse other companies into thinking that Mozilla supports or is contributing to the work of the group).
 
* members of the group may (depending on the charter of the group) have more ability to influence the decisions and the output of the group
How should one choose between these alternatives?  While there's a good bit of variation between groups depending on the [http://www.w3.org/Consortium/activities charter] of the group, its chair(s), and the other participants in the group, we suggest considering the following factors:
* if you want to attend face-to-face meetings or teleconferences of the group, you should be a member of the group
* Becoming (and remaining) a member of the group signals Mozilla's support for a group to others (e.g., W3C staff, others in the industry).  This means that if the group is working on something we don't like, being a member may confuse other companies into thinking that Mozilla supports or is contributing to the work of the group.
* the group may have expectations that members participate (e.g., by attending phone or face-to-face meetings, by keeping up with certain aspects of the discussion).  These vary by group and are described in the "Participation" section of the group's charter.
* Members of the group may (depending on the charter of the group) have more ability to influence the decisions and the output of the group
* some mailing lists may require being a member of the group to subscribe (although this is rare), even when the archives are publicly viewable
* If you want to attend face-to-face meetings or teleconferences of the group, you should be a member of the group
* becoming a member of the working group involves making some patent commitments, which may make other participants more comfortable accepting your contributions
* The group may have expectations that members participate (e.g., by attending phone or face-to-face meetings, by keeping up with certain aspects of the discussion).  These vary by group and are described in the "Participation" section of the group's charter.
* other members of the group may expect somebody representing Mozilla is responsible for implementation work / decisions in Gecko; if you're not, you may wish to consider being extra clear about what your role is
* Some mailing lists may require being a member of the group to subscribe (this is true for all Community Groups for example), even when the archives are publicly viewable
* Becoming a member of a WG involves making some patent commitments, which may make other participants more comfortable accepting your contributions
* Other members of the group may expect somebody representing Mozilla is responsible for implementation work / decisions in Gecko; if you're not, you may wish to consider being extra clear about what your role is


When you decide you want to participate:
When you decide you want to participate:
* If you want to just join the [http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ public mailing list]:
* For most Working Groups you may consider just joining the [http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ public mailing list]:
*# Send an email to "list-name-request@w3.org" with the subject "subscribe".  (Don't forget to add the "-request" to the end of the list name.)
*# Send an email to "list-name-request@w3.org" with the subject "subscribe".  (Don't forget to add the "-request" to the end of the list name.)
*# Reply to the automated reply.
*# Reply to the automated reply.
* If you want to become a member of the working group, and you work for Mozilla:
* If you want to become a member of a WG or a CG, and you work for Mozilla:
*# Make sure you have a W3C member access account associated with Mozilla:
*# Make sure you have a W3C member access account associated with Mozilla:
*#* if you don't already have a W3C user account, [https://www.w3.org/accounts/request create one]. Using a @mozilla.com email will lead to the account being created automatically; other email addresses will require that you choose '''Mozilla Foundation''' as the affiliation, and then there will be a human intervention step that requires a day or so, perhaps more.
*#* if you don't already have a W3C user account, [https://www.w3.org/accounts/request create one]. Using a @mozilla.com email will lead to the account being created automatically; other email addresses will require that you choose '''Mozilla Foundation''' as the affiliation, and then there will be a human intervention step that requires a day or so, perhaps more.
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