Layout task force roles

The W3C Internationalization Interest Group contains a number of task forces dedicated to assessing and documenting language support for a given set of languages. See the list of task forces.

This page summarises various roles people can adopt within such a group. One person may play more than one role, play different roles per document, or switch between roles over time. Involvement becomes greater as you read down the page.

All participants receive a single digest email (no more than one a day) whenever there is movement on issues related to the script/languages of interest to the task force in which they participate. The issues may originate in the task force itself, or may be raised by other W3C Working Groups.

Follower

Followers are simply subscribers to the mailing list that receives notifications from the GitHub repository. They may provide occasional comments related to issues or document review. If a follower makes contributions to the group's documents, they become a Contributor.

A follower:

• follows and may comment on GitHub issues, and may review documents
• may occasionally propose content to the group's document deliverables, but if that content is accepted or is provided via a pull request, will be asked to agree to the contributor guidelines
• does not participate in teleconferences/meetings
• is not listed in the credits at the top of the document, but may be included in the acknowledgment section
• is not listed in the group membership database

Contributor

Contributors provide content for the group's documents, either via pull requests or other means.

A contributor:

• contributes content to the group's document deliverables that is accepted by the group, or helps develop tests
• actively follows and contributes to GitHub issues and group discussions relevant to their contributions
• is recognised in the acknowledgments section of any relevant documents
• doesn't participate in regular teleconferences/meetings
• is not listed as a member of the group in the W3C database, but must agree to the contributing guidelines

Participant

Participants support the work of the group in a regular fashion by attending teleconferences, participating in discussions, and providing regular feedback on the work of the group over a sustained period. They may also assist in developing content, and developing tests and analysing results.

Participants provide content for the group's documents, either via pull requests or other means. They also attend teleconferences, and provide regular feedback on the work of the group over a sustained period. They may assist in development of tests and analysis of results.

A participant:

• participates in regular teleconferences/meetings, where possible
• actively follows and contributes to GitHub issues and group discussions
• may contribute content to the group's document deliverables, or help develop tests and analyse results
• may be recognised in the credits at the top of the document if they have made substantial contributions to the development of that document, in terms of quantity, importance, or frequency. Otherwise, they are recognised in the acknowledgments section.
• is listed as a member of the group in the W3C database

Co-editor

A co-editor works on the group's document deliverables, assisting the principal editor. They contribute text, fix bugs, and assist in managing the structure of the document. There may be a number of co-editors per document.

The co-editor:

• participates in regular teleconferences/meetings
• contributes content to the group's document deliverables
• actively follows and contributes to GitHub issues and group discussions
• is recognised in the credits at the top of the document
• is listed as a member of the group in the W3C database

Principal Editor

Each document the group is producing should have a principal editor assigned, whose role is to ensure the completion of the document by adding content to it, and managing the contributions of others. There may be more than one such editor per document, and they may not be the principal editor for all the group's documents.

The group's documents are likely to include, foremost, the gap-analysis document, and the requirements document. However, there may be others.

The principal editor:

• participates in regular teleconferences/meetings
• contributes content to the group's document deliverables
• actively follows and contributes to GitHub issues and group discussions.
• is recognised in the credits at the top of the document
• is listed as a member of the group in the W3C database

(Co-)Chair

The (co-)chair drives the work of the group forward. It is common to have multiple co-chairs.

A (co-)chair:

• schedules and leads regular teleconferences/meetings for the group
• actively follows and contributes to GitHub issues and group discussions
• may or may not contribute content to the group's deliverables
• is recognised in the credits at the top of the document if they also have the role of editor
• is listed as a member of the group in the W3C database