Consider renaming or otherwise clarifying "the field of web technologies"

[domenic]

See confusion from a contributor here: https://github.com/whatwg/html/pull/10367#issuecomment-2141331908

My understanding is that initially it was kind of unclear what this meant, and in particular, whether it applied to people who were web developers or used web technologies in their day job. The SG clarified the meaning in https://github.com/whatwg/sg/commit/8a397d587e24d3120c71a493c17675af236f30b2:

"Field of Web Technologies" means the field of creating and influencing web standards and web technologies that could be adopted by the web community. "Field of web technologies" does not include implementation of web standards solely for the purpose of creating a website or app.

However, they did not update the name.

This means that a contributor which arrives at https://participate.whatwg.org/agreement goes through roughly the following steps:

• Read through a bunch of stuff, and eventually arrive at

  I represent that I do not work in the field of web technologies as an employee, contractor, or agent of another person or legal entity, and make this Agreement in my personal capacity only.

• At this point, maybe they say "I am a web developer, of course I work in the field of web technologies." So they go down the wrong path.

• But, maybe they recognize that the hyperlink there is worth following... that takes them to:

  "Work in the Field of Web Technologies" means that the contributor's role at the contributor's company or entity is in the field of web technologies. If the contributor's role within its company or entity does not involve the field of web technologies, as defined here, the contributor does not "work in the field of web technologies" regardless of whether the company's or entity's work is generally within the field of web technologies.

• They reason, OK, it sure sounds like my role as a web developer does involve the field of web technologies. So they likely go down the wrong path.

• But, maybe they decide that they should follow that second hyperlink, which finally takes them to the actual definition of "Field of Web Technologies", which clarifies the situation.

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I would suggest renaming "field of web technologies" to "web technology standardization and adoption" or something similar. And being sure to update everything, but especially the Participant Agreement.

A possible smaller fix would be to have the link "work in the field of web technologies" on the agreement go directly to https://whatwg.org/ipr-policy#210-field-of-web-technologies instead of https://whatwg.org/ipr-policy#2101-work-in-the-field-of-web-technologies . That would still require people to realize that they need to click a link, but, at least it'd be only one link instead of a two-link chain.

[domenic]

@whatwg/sg gentle ping on this issue :). I am willing to prepare PRs if I can get a directional OK on this.

[dmsnell]

Personally I found this wording incredibly confusing when I recently signed up. I am lucky enough to be sponsored to work on the WordPress project and would generally say that I work in the field of web technologies. It was my intention, still, to contribute from a personal capacity. Apparently I picked the right path, though I felt like what I wanted to do was not allowed with the flows. Whether my employer is specifically endorsing me to contribute to the HTML community/specification is possibly a matter of perspective; I'm not interacting here as a voice for Automattic Inc, though what I have contributed here comes from my work for them.

[cwilso]

I think it would be a lot easier to take the second approach, clarifying the wording but still using this term. @domenic can that approach fix this, do you think? (I know you said so, but you said it was less ideal.)

[domenic]

I'm unsure why one would be easier than the other, but... anything helps.