Several for-profit and non-profit organizations are attempting to compile a thorough set of specifications to provide a base infrastructure for Web services interoperability. All of these specifications, which generally begin with a "WS-" prefix, are typically referred to as WS*. The WS* specifications (commonly called "WS Splat") are somewhat ubiquitous in form, but consist of several defined sub-categories that include Messaging, Security, and Reliability. The specifications are usually created by a consortium, typically the OASIS group or the W3C. After the specification has been developed, it goes through a series of ratifications steps (different for each consortium) that ultimately result in a vote where the majority decides its status.