Zeldman inducted to the SXSWi Hall of Fame!

He's known as the godfather of web standards following decades of tireless campaigning on behalf of web designers and developers everywhere. Now Jeffrey Zeldman is to become the first-ever inductee to the SXSW Interactive Festival Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place on the evening of Tuesday, March 13, and in the run-up to the big night we wanted to pay tribute to the great man ourselves. So we've created this special page, where you'll be able to find out more about his life and work, as well as paying your own personal tributes to the author, speaker, campaigner, entrepreneur and all-round good egg.

Tell us what you think!

We want to hear how Jeffrey Zeldman's work has influenced YOUR work in web design and development! Did one of his best-selling books or articles spark your imagination? Did a talk inspire you to create something magnificent? Has one of Zeldman's numerous projects (An Event Apart, A List Apart, A Book Apart, 10K Apart...) influenced your design philosophy? We want to hear your stories, opinions and more: right here, right now!

Here's how

You've got three ways to let us know how Jeffrey Zeldman has influenced your web building career: via tweet, email or video. Obviously a tweet is the quickest and easiest option, while a longer email or a personal video recording gives you more scope to share your Zeldman memories with the community!

1. Video Simply record your video, upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and send us the link (feedback@netmagazine.com): we'll then embed it on the page!
2. Tweet Just write a tweet using the hashtag #iheartzeldman: we'll pick it up and post it on this page for all to enjoy!
3. Email and Pictures If 140 characters just isn't enough, then email us your story (with or without pictures) via feedback@netmagazine.com using the subject heading ‘I heart Zeldman’. We'll upload it to this tribute page for all to read!

Zeldman's achievements

1995: First website

At a New York ad agency, Jeffrey Zeldman, Steve McCarron, and Alec Pollak collaborate on batmanforever.com, an early entertainment website commissioned by Warner Bros. At this time there are three million web users; batmanforever.com attracts 1.5 million. Zeldman quits advertising to become a web designer.

1995: Pardon My Icons

Three months after batmanforever.com, Zeldman debuts “Jeffrey Zeldman Presents,” an “independent content site” at a tilde address. Initial content includes a collection of free web design icons with a Dada/punk aesthetic. It’s still available at www.zeldman.com/icon.html.

1996: Illustration for "Tools" page, "Ask Dr Web"

“Ask Dr Web” on zeldman.com is now a book-length web design tutorial.

1996: Zeldman.com "core page"

Zeldman moves his website to zeldman.com. The page is animated, and the big labels are "buttons" to the various sections of the site.

1997: A List Apart launches

Zeldman and Brian M Platz launch A List Apart, a curated mailing list “for people who make websites” in 1997. A year later Zeldman turns it into an online mag. This is an example of the header art, designed by Jeffrey, from the early days.

1998: The Web Standards Project

To combat the threat of a fragmented web, Zeldman, George Olsen, Glenn Davis, Tim Bray, Jeffrey Veen, Steven Champeon, Dori Smith and several others form The Web Standards Project to promote common web standards.

1999: Happy Cog

Zeldman founds Happy Cog, an interaction design studio initially focused on combining web standards with great user experience and design. Headquartered in New York, the shop will eventually grow to include robust practices in Philadelphia, PA and Austin, TX.

2003: Designing With Web Standards

Jeffrey Zeldman writes the international bestselling Designing With Web Standards, read by millions, translated into 13 languages and counting, and (as of 2009) currently in its third edition.

2004: Blogging breaks out

Zeldman.com is redesigned in what turns out to be a big year for blogging. Google purchases Blogger and hires Douglas Bowman to redesign its templates using valid XHTML markup and CSS for layout. Bowman in turn hires Dan Cederholm, Dan Rubin, Todd Dominey, Dave Shea, and Jeffrey Zeldman to help him design standards-compliant Blogger templates.

2006: An Event Apart launches

In December, Eric Meyer and Jeffrey Zeldman launch An Event Apart, the design conference for people who make websites, which brings together 12 of the leading minds in web design for two days of non-stop inspiration and enlightenment.

2009: HTML5 superfriends

In the year when the W3C quietly kills XHTML 2.0, Zeldman convenes a group of web experts to discuss the direction of HTML5.

2010: Ministry approval

At the .net Awards ceremony, held at London’s Ministry of Sound, Zeldman steps up to collect three awards as voted for by the magazine’s readers: Standards Champion, Video Podcast of the Year (for the Big Web Show) and Design Agency of the Year (for Happy Cog). Compere Jack Whitehall exclaims: "This man is a web design GOD!"

2011: A Book Apart

Zeldman’s new A Book Apart publishing house releases HTML5 For Web Designers by Jeremy Keith. Books that follow include CSS For Web Designers by Dan Cederholm, The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane, Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte.

Your tributes

For all the tweets, check out storify.com/netmag/zeldman-tributes.

By 2000/2ish, I'd quit making websites, so frustrated w/tables & slices. Reading DwWS made me excited & got me back into it. #iheartzeldman

— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) February 29, 2012

@netmag The thoughts of two massive people assisted my career: Steve Jobs & @zeldman. I'm not alone in saying that, I'm sure. #iheartzeldman

— Phil Sherry (@philsherry) February 29, 2012

Jeffrey @zeldman freed me from having to worry about web design needing to be "perfect" or "done". Web = work in progress. #iheartzeldman

— Kristofer Layon (@klayon) February 29, 2012

Posted by: Daniel Davis

@netmag @zeldman Lit a candle of reason in the darkness of mere being. Without him, I simply wouldn't recognize my calling. #iheartzeldman

— Dale Cruse (@dalecruse) February 29, 2012

Nobody has influenced the hearts & minds of so many web designers as Mr. Zeldman. His impact is epic & global. #iheartzeldman

— Jared M. Spool (@jmspool) February 29, 2012

#iheartzeldman for writing with passion & clarity. Giving voice to web pro's. For championing education. All humbly & with class

— Patrick Brown (@DVIMedia) February 29, 2012

Why do #iheartzeldman ? B/c he inspires as much as he teaches, yet is constantly a student himself. That's leading an industry by example.

— Jason Pamental (@jpamental) February 29, 2012

.@zeldman, you are the web whisperer. You see through to what is needed and cultivate innovation on the web every day. #iheartzeldman

— Scott Kellum (@ScottKellum) February 29, 2012

In 2008, @zeldman asked me to write about content strategy for @alistapart. That opportunity changed my life. #iheartzeldman

— Kristina Halvorson (@halvorson) February 29, 2012

I was on the verge of quitting & finding a new career when I read @zeldman's DwWS. It made me whole again. #iheartzeldman

— Chris Harrison (@cdharrison) February 29, 2012

Zeldman once gave me a reacharound at SXSW. #iheartzeldman

— Design Misanthrope (@dmisanthrope) February 29, 2012

reading @zeldman's 'Designing with web standards' changed my life 10 yrs ago. An Event Apart in Bos last May did it again. #iheartzeldman

— Kyle Burford (@kburford) February 29, 2012

#iheartzeldman for being a prophet and bringing enlightenment when my gut told me the web wasn’t supposed to be the tabled crap it was.

— Dylan Tan (@moleysepet) February 29, 2012

In 2005 @zeldman showed up to our HTML/Flash panel at SXSW and sat right in front of me: terrifying. Then he blogged about it #iheartzeldman

— Kevin Conboy (@alternatekev) February 29, 2012

In 1998 I learned html by copying @zeldman's site. Felt guilty and asked for permission. He said that I have a future in web #iheartzeldman

— Hasan Yalcinkaya (@hafifuyku) February 29, 2012

Five years ago, DWWS inspired me to give Flash a break and take web standards seriously. #iheartzeldman

— Brandon Kelly (@brandonkelly) February 29, 2012

Working for the US Gov't building table-based sites in six languages, I knew there had to be a better way. Web standards. #iheartzeldman

— William Dodson (@williamvdodson) February 29, 2012

Sales of blue beanies are through the roof #iheartzeldman cc @netmag

— Ben Edwards (@benedfit) February 29, 2012

Jeffrey encouraged me to be more than I was. With that inspiration, I started Airbag. We merged shops four years later. #iheartzeldman

— Greg Storey (@Brilliantcrank) March 1, 2012

Even though @zeldman and I have never met in-person, I consider him to be one of my best web friends today. He gets me. #iheartzeldman

— Alan Houser (@alanhouser) March 2, 2012

He fought, guided us thro a sea of non-semantic markup and wrote the 10 commandments of web design. And he has a beard. #iheartzeldman

— Régis Kuckaertz (@regiskuckaertz) March 2, 2012

For as long as I've known of him, @zeldman has been the light and warmth around which everything Web revolves. #iheartzeldman

— Andy Rutledge (@andyrutledge) March 2, 2012

The Godfather of the Internet @zeldman inducted into the SXSWi for his contributions to the web, what a true Don! #iheartzeldman #legend

— Rory Martin (@rorymm) March 2, 2012