Rothenberg (sort of) stomps on standards

You may not want to read every word of the latest, lengthy entry on Randall Rothenberg's IAB "clog," but at least the guy has the cojones to question the need for industry standards on the same day that his Interactive Advertising Bureau released guidelines on how to measure rich Internet applications and a status report on interactive ad platforms for video games. But Rothenberg thought it was the right time to open up a discussion about when standards help--and when they hurt. "Our members want us to establish standards for the best of reasons: to make markets" he says. "But standards established in the wrong way or the wrong time can hinder dynamism. ... In my 10 months leading the IAB, I have been struck by how frequently we are asked to develop industry standards in areas ripe with innovation, and bubbling in utter ferment. Digital-video insertion standards, mobile advertising creative standards and, most recently, widget size standards are among the requests that have been made to our various committees. In most cases, I believe such standards are premature and inadvisable."