[Bill Posters]

I'll be adding xhtml and css validation links to a site I'm working on. I also want to add a link to a page explaining the basics about web standards to accompany the two validation links.

I've got two urls that are suited to explaining the ideals and benefits behind web standards.
Both are aimed at punters and media buyers, but I'm not sure which one I should direct interested visitors to.

W3C
Buy standards compliant Web sites

WebStandards.org
Web Standards for Business


Views/opinions/better suggestions?

TIA

[Stickman]

I'd write my own.

Shorter, less technical and easier to weigh up the benefits. For the man on the street (or client on your site), both of those are long and boring. Succinct is what you want.

[Bill Posters]

Me? do succinct?
Guess there's a first time for everything.

Actually, not sure I'll bother writing my own.
This project is partly being paid for 'in kind' so rustling up a distillation of the issues/benefits would be going a bit too far beyond the call of duty (and what the project is really worth to me).

I was looking for a short-cut for this project.


Perhaps we should rustle one up between us that we can all link to.

[Stickman]

Ha ha
Indeed.

Maybe get someone else to do it.

[And]

Bill,
Andy Budd recently posted an excellent article on the case for accessibilty here.
Well worth a read if you havn't come across it already.

And

[Bill Posters]

Cheers, And.

Just checking through his articels now.

I may actually put something together myself, kinda like a mini franken-article based on the significant points made in the two previously linked articles and whatever good points are raised in the Andy Budd blog/article.

I'm thinking that it could be hosted by DT (or a member) and used by any member wishing to do so.
Maybe we could knock one up between us here at DT (also suggested at DO) where all members could link to it and use php to stipulate their own css file to style the page according to the referer (ZenGarden-stylee).

How's about it?

[And]

Not a bad idea Bill, sort of like a centralised "standards" mission statement if I get you correctly? Count me in if you need any help.

And

[Bill Posters]

Exactly, And.
Something we can all hook into and direct our clients and their visitors to that speaks in plain english about the benefits of a standards-oriented web.
Part sales-pitch for web standards, part sales pitch for yourself as a web-standards-aware developer/designer.


Oli's already offered up hosting and domain name for it.

I'll be having a wee think about the text over the w/e and have a crack at something next week.
If we have any journalists here, then speak up so I can rope you into doing the writing instead.

We may need a little effort in the way of whatever php mechanisms are required to fuel the style switcher.
There's not much else to it really…*unless anyone can think of anything else.

[Mik]

could have used precoded.com but if olis already suggested something?

[Bill Posters]

He hasn't offered an actual name, so precoded will be fine.

I'm thinking that maybe we can open it up to suggestions for something that might be suitable and possibly more intuitively memorable to punters.

Any suggestions?

[Mik]

go for it.

[Bill Posters]

Fwiw, I registered whywebstandards.com and plan to put something up as soon as I get the time to scribble something usable down.

Gonna be a simple-structured, single page with a short passage about the w3c followed by two (poss. three) channels of text:
What web standards mean for users and What web standards mean for business

Possible third will be: What web standards mean to web designers, but not sure if that's really necessary.


Finished markup page is being hosted by Oli (cheers) and can be linked to with the css file specified in your linking url.
You'll be able to upload your css files to the hosting space too (or refer to a css file hosted elsewhere, if you want).

More info as and when…


…fwiw™.

[Mik]

cant wait

[Bill Posters]

try

[smallbeer]

Nice one bill, I'll help if I can.

[sleepingfish]

Sounds like a very good idea.

In the meantime, I've had it up to here <points to high area> with argueing with my boss and the code monkeys about why we should be using css and XHTML, apart from the W3C and WebStandards.org links above, are there any other useful links that explain the benefits well?

Cheers.

[smallbeer]

Pay attention

why adopt web standards

[sleepingfish]

I know I know, but I knew I could count on some helpful person

[sleepingfish]

Erm, how's the document going? In all my campaigning at work for web standards and css design I seem to have talked myself into having to run a training session for everyone at the company

[Brown]

ha ha!