I’ve been looking for ways to connect web developers with XML since I first got involved in XML, and this year’s XML 2006 conference is offering a whole track designed to do just that.

XML on the Web is a new track, focusing on some questions I wish we’d asked more loudly for the past ten years:

• How is XML making the Web smarter and more fun?

• What new, innovative sites are using XML?

• What tools and techniques can help Web developers use XML easily and effectively?

• What XML standards actually matter for the Web?

• When do XML alternatives like JSON make more sense?

You can guess that “Ajax” is a key part of this conversation, but it’s just one angle, one piece of the larger story of XML’s escape from inside the corporate firewall. I’m especially hoping to hear some ‘outsider’ stories, presentations by people who’ve come to XML recently because it solved specific problems, but I’d love to see proposals on any subject that connects XML and the Web. (As the last question suggests, there’s also room for proposals that question XML’s value.)

The conference is December 5th-7th, in Boston, MA. Right now we’re looking for proposals, which need to come in by next Monday, June 19th. (There will also be a chance for late-breaking news to get in by October 30th.) We’re also looking for proposals on Hands-On XML, Enterprise XML, and documents and publishing.