Dave Baker

Dave has more than seven years’ experience in various aspects of online community design, development, and facilitation, and he has served in a variety of technical capacities in that arena. At Kesmai—an industry leading online game developer—he developed an in-house online learning system for Kesmai's volunteer staff, designing the interaction process and functionality and integrating a variety of community tools with the system. At Electronic Arts, Dave was the Technical Lead for the EA.com community Message Boards initiative, supporting over 30 products and 17 million users. Dave has also worked with Blackboard modules, focusing on content organization and usability.

Dave has formal education in Section 508 accessibility standards, Internet legal issues, and various Web technologies. Coupled with his professional passions—Web usability and the creation and facilitation of long-lasting online communities—Dave brings to bear a number of powerful tools and ideas when approaching any project.

In his free time, Dave enjoys reading speculative fiction, swimming, teasing his children, and listening to his wife's mezzo-soprano performances. He also combines his passion for online community with personal interests; Dave operates a semi-official Web site for a world-renowned fantasy author. Dave resides in rural Virginia with his wife, two children, one dog, and an evil cat.