Preface

In 2012 I had just finished my Ed.D. thesis. It had been on the web for anyone to read since I wrote the first word, but I wanted to create something a bit more accessible for the ‘lay reader’. I set about work on a book which would explain the concepts in a more easy-going way. Having already self-published one book using the ‘OpenBeta’ model I had devised, I decided to try it again. OpenBeta is a process in which the earlier you buy into a book, the cheaper it is.

I’m humbled to say that almost 300 people bought into the book from the first — where it was little more than a title and a contents page — through to this version 1.0. Along the way, the book has changed scope a little and it now also includes some work I’ve done in my role at the Mozilla Foundation around web literacy.

This book and the work it's based on would not have been possible without my wife's patience, my children's understanding, and my parents' encouragement. Thank you to them, and also to the people who have given me great feedback and support over the last couple of years. I couldn’t have done this without you all!

PS: This book is DRM-free. You’re welcome to share it with your friends, but please do encourage them to purchase a copy if they find it useful. It’s licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. See the last page for more details!