I am rather obsessed with this issue at the moment, so I must be disciplined and comment briefly (this is a challenge, I tend to write long emails, articles, everything…see it is already happening. Focus…) The bullet point approach helps me, like training wheels.

1.Thank you very much, you made my day.

2. I am a Web designer and developer with a passion for exploring the impact and purpose of the Web and New technologies on human beings as well as the social changes that occurring.

3. I worked for ten years before the Web was born at a leading social marketing advocacy agency. We worked with social cause organizations on various issues by providing media strategies and communication campaigns. This meant we focused on people and had to understand how to effectively communicate to them. Hard work indeed.

4. I left that “world” when I decided to focus on Web design and new media exclusively. The was about seven years ago and am proud to say that it only took me about six and half of those years to figure something out that changed my whole perspective on my work. It deserves a number and bolding I think.

5. The Web is about people. As well as communication between people, which are social in nature. The individual who first conceived the Web, Tim Berners-Lee, says it all the time. This is one example from his book, Weaving the Web…. “I created the Web for its social effects and not just a new technology.”

6. I am thrilled by the idea that I am still in the “people business” and the biggest thrill of all is the idea that I never left the world of social change, I simply went out into the world and joined a social movement.

7. No knows exactly what this movement is about and why it is occurring now and is the connection or relationship to the rapid developments in new technology we are experiencing? Humans created this technology to be used as a tool, but what the hell is it for? Tools can help and assist us in many ways; they can also used to fix things that are broken.

8. I feel that there is a a great amount of tension, stress and confusion for many members of our profession. Their is a lot of “tearing each other down” and not much collaboration. They are many reasons that could explain this, but I was supposed to be brief, so one idea only from me (today).

9. We are the ones that build, create and maintain all of this and it changes so rapidly that it makes me dizzy. We have an enormous responsibility to produce. The underlying issue makes it far more to carry: this is all is coming from pressing human and social needs. Oy yeh.

10. Most of us are not expert in this area as it isn’t our job. (This is a kind way of saying that while we are experts in the area of communication between machines or by means of visuals, etc., we are not so great when it comes to “human to human” communication. In fact, we rarely think about humans at all. We even changed their name to “User”

11. The frustration I feel is that many people from other disciplines, some totally unrelated to technology, are really interested, excited and even captivated by thoughts and ideas regarding the “big picture”.

12, They are writing, discussing, theorizing about all this; In other words, they get to use their imagination. Why shouldn’t we get to have some of the fun: We have weave the damn thing, why not join in on the excitement of what it could become?

Wow, if you made it this far, I thank you again. But at least I was honest-this is too long!