One Web Day

OneWebDay, September 22, every year, is a day for celebration of the global internet. The net consists of people, interacting to create beautiful things and to teach each other and learn about the world. All around the world, local communities and groups will find innovative ways to celebrate the net and vow to keep it free and growing. Here are some ways you can participate:

1. If you're a Web user, use a standards-compliant Web browser like Firefox or Opera. They're free, faster, and more protective of your privacy. And because they conform to Web development standards, they make things easier for people who make Web sites. If you're a Web developer, test your sites with the w3c’s Markup Validation Service.

2. Edit a Wikipedia article. Teach people what you know, and in so doing, help create free universal knowledge.

3. Learn about an Internet policy issue from the Center for Democracy and Technology, and teach five other people about it. There are real legal threats that could drastically change the way the Internet works. We should all be aware of them.

4. Take steps to ensure that your computer can't be treated like a zombie. Computer viruses can steal your personal information. They can also cause major network outages on the Web, slowing things down and making sites inaccessible. Vint Cerf estimates that more than 150 million PCs have already been zombified, and are now awaiting their next order. To learn more about the threat of zombie computers, read this article.

5. Join an Internet rights advocacy group:

• Become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights, from privacy to free speech to Internet service.
• Join the Internet Society. ISOC is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world, particularly by establishing Internet infrastructure standards.
• Support Creative Commons by donating and by using their licenses to copyright your work. If you're outside the U.S., help support their counterpart, iCommons.

6. Help promote public Internet access. If you live in a city, there is likely an organization dedicated to providing free wireless access in public spaces.

7. Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation. The Wikimedia Foundation supports not only Wikipedia, but several other projects to create free knowledge: textbooks, news, learning tools, and more.

8. Donate a computer. You can donate a new $100 laptop to children in impoverished countries, or donate your used computer to Goodwill or a school.

9. Write your OneWebDay story. Talk about what the Internet means to you and why One WebDay matters at http://onewebday.org/stories

10. If your city is hosting a OneWebDay event, show up on September 22 and participate.

You can find even more participatory possibilities at http://action.onewebday.org/