It is often challenging to get everything done as quickly as imagined.
When the idea to start the association for the Physical Web was born back in November 2017, I really didn’t expect that it would end up taking two months to write the articles of association, another three months to secure a bank account for a non-profit, and six months to launch the site. Life does get in the way of the best intentions, however.
That said, we have finally launched the site for the PHWA. It is hopefully the right channel to automate the membership subscriptions, develop the community, and make a case for why the Physical Web should be supported as a technology that can democratize the access to interactions and bridge the gap between the real world and the digital world.
The Physical Web development has come quite far since 2014 with the driving support by Google and Scott Jenson. I know many people have worked to make it what it is today, and despite being a technology that has received a lot of criticism, we, as an association, believe in the potential of this simple but powerful sensor/trigger technology.
My strong opinion going forward is that we must address the shortcomings of the previous implementations to reduce friction, raise consumer awareness, and provide access to a universal standard for notification/alert/filtering that puts the consumer in charge of interruption and access control.
Technology will need to be a useful tool before it can change behavior, so we are going to drive that vision of providing value to consumers by the means of practicality before we focus on commercialization.
Membership fees and sponsorship will provide funds to drive the development of the Physical Web clients and standards. These funds will be invested to promote the technology.
Pooling resources is a very effective way to scale our efforts, and it requires commitment that goes beyond taking care of one’s financial bottom line only.
Thank you for your support.
-agustin