Ding Wei

AB Meet the Candidates Responses

What priorities should the AB take on in the next year? How will you help accomplish them?

I listed three top challenges that W3C is facing now in my nomination statement to run for this term of AB, and believe which should be addressed by AB as priorities for the next year, but maybe need more years for the solution and its implementation.

To the challenge regarding “more regulations are impacting Web standards”, I would suggest a scheme, maybe a “Regulation” CG, should be set up monitoring routinely the dynamic global regulations landscape which may impact Web, and work with the community composing W3C official standpoint document, advising the Team and all W3C community talking to regulators bridging possible gap, making sure a good coordination between regulations and Web standards. Moreover, would propose setting up a yearly summit engaging regulators on the topic.

About dealing with the trend of “decentralized web”, which is shared by W3C vision as “avoid centralization”, “aiming to reduce centralization in Web architecture, minimizing single points of failure and single points of control”, would suggest a horizontal review process built making sure the principle followed, could possibly be implemented by TAG or other roles.

Activating SMEs in community is always challenging but necessary being a healthy one. Travel cost may be the top reason prohibiting their participation, so would suggest organizing more local meetups for their easy participation, but the organizing should be globally coordinated making sure no geography fragmentation. Engaging government agency is important for regulation and technology sync up, would believe the “Regulation” CG may attract more their interests. How to attract more end consumers? Maybe we should let them know how their daily work will be impacted with more regulations on technologies. Will the Regulation CG help?

The AB positions are unpaid but require regular meetings at inconvenient times/locations, preparation for said meetings, and collaboration with people you might disagree with. Why do you personally wish to take this on?

AB is designed as an independent role serving only for the interests of Web as a public good, and meanwhile almost all AB candidates are nominated to run and sponsored to work by affiliated corporations, which proves the AB candidates and their affiliation share the interest that a prosperous W3C helps for both the public goods and the business.

As the AB runners, I would like to devote my time and energy contributing to W3C because it is my interests to work with the smartest people building the strongest community on the specific technology I believe in, where disagreement is usual and it is the reason that we are collaborate together.

How do you think W3C should build consensus in large groups, and can you speak to your ability & experience building consensus (at W3C or elsewhere)?

Business could be competing but the standards should be agreed on by consensus, and the more, the better.

My focus in last AB term is to establish scheme engaging broader community exploring the new front for Web technologies, because I believe scheme matters in building consensus, where I am capable to contribute with my decades of experience in standardization process engagement.

Personally, I believe in “walking alone fast, traveling together far”. Web, as the infrastructure technology, need we all being together, with far more strategic planning, by negotiation for compromise. Any by nature, I am this type of person with anxiety to contribute.

Talking about specific experience, one of my technical work with W3C was to adopt XML standards leading Chinese productivity software companies, not a surprise there are many companies in this business, defining a consensus format for document sharing. My as both the proposer of technical architecture and the first program manager, three years of hard work results Chinese National Standards GB/T 20916 Specification for the Chinese Office File Format, which serves well the target, shape the ecosystem and, myself.

How can W3C improve its diversity and inclusion, and what is the role of the AB in improving those?

W3C is trying for more diversity and inclusion from its beginning, and it is a job never end, and never be satisfied for.

In addition to other means, I would believe the root way is to empower. Less diversity and no inclusion are mostly because that kind of people are not being touched or vote on foot without satisfying the channels being engaged. AB should take the responsibility advising better schemes, measures, or even member care ways to touch more kinds of people and more importantly empower unsatisfied members.

One thing I would propose AB should step in interviewing leaving members, advising the step should be fixed in the process for member care. Listening to unsatisfied members is the best way for the improvement.

The AB has been working on the Vision for W3C, as a member of the AB how would you put the Vision into practice? How might it impact our decision making or priorities?

The Vision is a critical document both show externally what W3C is, and internally how W3C making technical decision especially without a director. As the drafter of the doc, AB and AB member should pioneer to lead its implementation.

Among the eleven principles, I would like to highlight Incubation and Avoid Centralization.

If I were elected, I will continue to push the Exploration Group leading more incubations to verify Web technologies still being the infrastructure for emerging technologies, and W3C be the frontline organization serving well the new ideas.

Web and Internet started from the belief of decentralization, and prosperous based on the its believing. I would propose W3C should be better organized to implement the interests, and invest more on the favorable technology trend.

The principles should be embedded in the process guiding every activity of AB, and evaluated by all members.