About

New techniques and technologies may appear to be the main event, but, really, they are clues along a path of something more profound.

The Web Ahead is a quest for all of us to seek the answers together.

Guiding Principles

  1. The web is a new medium. Though it's 25 years old, it's still a baby — like photography once was, followed by film, radio, television. We will raise it together.
  2. Everyone who takes part in creating and maintaining websites needs to understand this emerging medium — not just folks who write the code.
  3. Trapping an understanding of technology behind obtuse language is ridiculous. We are all smart enough to get this stuff. We just need people to explain it.
  4. How can we empower each other regardless of our level of expertise? Every episode aims to find its own answer to that all-important question.
  5. Keeping up is hard. Here, we have a shortcut to stay abreast of the latest technologies, learn to speak intelligently about them and hear how to implement them.
  6. The everyday work of building things can keep us focused on the little picture, the Right Now. But looking at the big picture, the long arc, is essential. We’ll do better work if we do.
  7. What the web will become is not set in stone. We create our future in all the small choices we make. By being conscious and deliberate in our choices, we can shape a better future.
  8. We are in the discovery stage, exploring and redefining — and going down some wrong roads. We need a place for lively discussion at a deep level.
  9. Building the web can be a joyous challenge and an arduous endeavor. Both are worthy of celebration and admiration of one another's achievements.
  10. Some of our work helps people in times of hardship, suffering or harassment. Sometimes, those people are us. Let's set a tone of beautiful diversity, destigmatization, and generosity.
  11. One of the greatest qualities of the early web was the sense of openness and sharing that permeated its culture. We should actively promote and protect these values.

Are You A Fan?

Are you a big fan of the show? You can help make it better.

Thank You

I want to give credit and a huge thanks to everyone who has made The Web Ahead into what it is.

Thank you to all the guests who bring their expertise, insights, and knowledge. You are the show.

Thanks to everyone who's transcribed episodes, especially Jenn Schlick. She single-handedly and untiringly transcribed half the shows — an incredible achievement. Also to these folks, who transcribed shows, helped improve transcripts, or sponsored transcriptions: Jason Neel, Ross Penman, Eliot Sykes, Matt Sugihara, Anna Debenham, Joe Watkins, Cheryl Colan, Simply Accessible, Karen McGrane, and rev.com. Thank you so much.

Thank you to Carolyn Wood who, as a brand/content strategist, helped me define the heart of what I do and why, and guided me as I constructed a path to achieve what I wanted to on this site. She kindly encouraged me to unwaveringly use the strong voice I have within me. That we established a close friendship during the work was an unexpected bonus, filled with a lot of laughter.

My gratitude to Team Web Ahead — Jason Neel, Jenn Schlick, Joe Watkins, Matt Sugihara, Proko Mountrichas, Robert Fonó, Ross Penman, Sean F. Fitzpatrick, and anyone else who helped. They helped load up this website with pages and pages of content, found and fixed bugs, assisted with various parts of the technology, and acted selflessly as a team of colleagues to help make The Web Ahead a reality. It's heartening to know that folks are out there, excited about the show and willing to help.

Thanks to my friends Nicole Sullivan, Rafael Mojica, Paula Cano, and Gerardo Díaz who all took a look at this website while it was in progress, gave me feedback and ideas, and cheered me on.

A huge thank you to Dan Benjamin who first saw something in me when I was on The Big Web Show with Jeffrey Zeldman. It was Dan who invited me to do The Daily Edition with him and, later, who invited me to create my own show. I do love this medium and have only him to thank for getting me into it.

And thanks to everyone who's worked at 5by5 for clicking the bits on the show each week, especially Haddie Cookie. She books our sponsors and handles many of the day-to-day details of running the network.

I want to recognize all of the editors who've processed the show, including Jim Metzendorf — an authority in this field, Aaron Dowd, and most recently, Mark Miles.

The original The Web Ahead logo was created by Jory Raphael.

Technology Behind This Site

This site is built on Drupal 7. I created the layout grid in Gridset app. The icons are from The Noun Project. All words are typeset in Avenir Next from fonts.com.

And the whole site runs on the engine at Pantheon. Thanks to them for providing the place for this site to live.