Today Jeffery Zeldman posted a blistering entry on why many of the people who were pushing standards (and the W3C) are beginning to abandon the W3C: "Alas, the organization appears unconcerned with our needs and uninterested in tapping our experience and insights. It remains a closed, a one-way system. Like old-fashioned pre-cable TV advertising." For alternatives he does mention Microformats which looks very interesting and probably worthy of more study.