April was the last post on this site about generating buzz from within the web design community in Cleveland. How sad. Tina, I guess one of the creators/designers who took time to put up the site, posts (bravo), nothing in the Google Group for this and random attempts that people have seemed to give up on.

Here’s my attempt to kick start something:

• Who’s played around with CSS3 and who has been brave enough to implement it on a clients site?
• Anyone started to use microformats yet?
• We (Optiem) are looking for a Senior Flash/Interactive Designer as well as a Flash Interactive Designer. Any takers?
• Transparent PNGs in IE6 - Why do they crap out on a Dell laptop at 120dpi and nothing else?
• How do I get in and fix the unordered lists formatting for these posts?

Write a comment, please! I’m sure there’s more than four of us out there

George linked to a John T. Unger column at Performancing.com, regarding Net Neutrality and what its death could spell for everyone. As a designer, Net Neutrality is important because it allows small businesses to compete with the big boxes, which allows them to hire me for their website design. As a consumer, it allows me to purchase items from independent retailers and artisans from around the world. As an individual I can get news and different points of view from weblogs and sites, national and international.

Killing Net Neutrality would essentially place a blessing on the idea of communications monopolies. It would widen the digital divide and create an even larger chasm between lower and higher incomes, putting a large price tag on information. It would alter the way the IT workforce does business (or doesn’t) and could spell the end of small business on the internet.

Of course, this is just my opinion. How do you think it would affect your job and your life?

Related Links:

• Petition to Save the Internet
• Saving the Net: How to Keep the Carriers from Flushing the Net Down the Tubes–Doc Searls
• Save the Internet
• How does your Representative feel about Network Neutrality?

Full Flash Websites vs. XHTML and CSS. Where is the greater strength? Should the focus be on the interactive and kinetic abilities of flash or the wide range of viewers that can be reached through XHTML and the multiple forms of CSS? Or is there another path worth taking, both, a flash front end backed up by a full XTML site underneath a noscript tag? thoughts? 

Volunteer your web/tech talents as part of Cleveland’s grassroots Urban Repair Project. All the details can be found on The Urban Repair Blog. The next Urban Repair “First Tuesday” is 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm until ?, April 4 @ The Town Fryer, E. 39th & Superior

Wondering what it’s all about? Refresh Cleveland is a brand new organization dedicated to fostering conversation and learning in the local web community. Refresh Cleveland is about changing the way we look at the web, whether you’re a designer, developer, writer or student. How? By starting discussions, by providing a way to contact each other, and by finding common interests in the local community.

Joining Refresh Cleveland is easy: just register on this website in order to contribute posts, join the email list, or email admin@refreshcleveland.org. Want to keep up with Refresh Cleveland events? Subscribe to our RSS feed to get site updates and news.