I have been on the Dreamweaver Task Force for some time now. Things are a lot easier with the Adobe Developers taking standards based development seriously — just Spry had issues, but that is changing thanks to Adobe folks like Scott Fegette.

This has nothing to do with Drew but I think overall the formal WaSP members just aren’t as ‘community’ focused as they could be. Work commitments are largely to blame I imagine but I have a feeling SXSW has a lot to do with it too. Why? Well if you don’t go there and meet people then it can feel like you are moved outside of the loop. Online personalities start with inside jokes that started over beer in Austin and things start to appear elitist.

This isn’t the reality, just a perception. I would say the first thing to do is distance WaSP from any particular conference unless it runs its own break even event.

Go back to the community, ask them, revisit the purpose and goal of WaSP, maybe redefine. Being in the middle of rebuilding a volunteer run organization with 1400 paying members, I will admit its not easy. But its required and possible.