July 8, 2005

Philadelphia Standards Meetup

Last night was the first monthly meeting of The (reinstituted) Philadelphia Standards Organization. The group was originally organized on Meetup.com, but nearly disbanded once Meetup started charging monthly fees. Friend and ex-coworker Jeff Louella picked up the torch and decided to keep it alive.

Philadelphia companies are way behind when it comes to web standards, as evidenced by this scorecard, and those are just the agencies. Let us not forget all of the in-house design departments. Also, Philadelphia and surrounding areas are overrun with giant pharmaceutical companies, the very people making products for people with disabilities, who turn a blind eye to their customers’ needs online.

Enough soapboxing for now though, as you can see, there is work to be done here. As excited as I was to get together and talk about standards, I was even more excited to meet some people from the local community; something I’ve been meaning to do for some time now.

The first meeting’s attendance was modest, which is ok since it was mostly a meet-and-greet. Next up, the group will start a new site, plan a few learning seminars (some with guest speakers), and see if we can’t make a dent in this town.

If you are in the area, sign up for the Philadelphia Standards Organization group on Meetup.com. Events are held the first thursday of every month.

Commentary (7):

1. James Muspratt says… jul 8, 2005 | 12:08 pm

Hey Jason,

Great to meet you last night, as well as the various crews from TMX, Weblinc, Pixelworthy, and elsewhere. I was pretty psyched to meet a group with this level of interest and enthusiasm in building a community/resource for standards-based web design in Philly. Plus it sounds like a bunch of other people wanted to come but couldn’t make it, so maybe the Aug. 4 meeting will have a bigger turnout.

2. tim from philly says… jul 8, 2005 | 5:59 pm

90s Power Pop, Guinness, Shaved (Bald?) Leadership, War Stories, and Lingua de Standardista.

Good Times. Good Times.

3. Dave says… jul 9, 2005 | 10:24 pm

This does seem like a really good resource, especially for those of us just learning css. Hopefully I will be able to attend the next meeting.

4. Kevin says… jul 11, 2005 | 10:30 am

Darn you Jason. This is exactly the type of thing I needed when I lived in Philadelphia and now I’m stuck in Kansas City. Argh.

5. Jason Santa Maria says… jul 11, 2005 | 11:03 am

James and Tim: It was great getting to meet you guys too! Aside from the 90s power pop…

Kevin: I guess you will just have to move back… or drive over every month. It’s only like 21 hours. Or you could just start a group in your town. hmm

6. Andrea Piernock Barrish says… jul 14, 2005 | 1:59 pm

Yes indeed, I could not make it to this meeting, I had to work late at the last minute. I’ve already made plans to attend the next one though, so I’ll see you there!

7. Greg says… jul 15, 2005 | 8:50 am

Its also a pleasure to announce Mr. Louella is part of the Pixelworthy/Electronic Ink team!