A few months ago, we wrote about (and signed onto) the "Integration Proclamation" calling for data standards to promote interoperability between tools in the nonprofit space.

There's been a lot of conversation since then, on lists and off, about what that standard should look like: XML? vCard? Something new? What about the fields and the data structure?

Unfortunately, in the real development of standards, these questions are so secondary that they're almost beside the point. These are discussions about data formats -- particular schemes of organizing information. But data formats are easy. The hard part about standards is the collective adoption of one format in particular.

Standards don't result from clever programming or even adroit diplomacy. They result from profit-sustaining incentives that drive users and developers to the same format.

Tate Hausman at dotOrganize directs us to the Integration Proclamation.

"We, the undersigned progressive leaders, have together identified technology integration as a top priority infrastructure need in 2007. We urge progressive funders, vendors and technologists to support a collaborative effort dedicated to ensuring that our tools integrate effectively, so that we can move forward with innovative, powerful platforms that will help us win."

Who could possibly not want that?