W3C works to ensure the web is used to its full potential in a secure and standard way

According to the W3C website, the goal of the consortium is to "To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web." (www.w3.org)

The basic premise is that the internet works by connecting one web server to another and to another. It's almost like a spider's web. But - what would happen if pieces of the web started fragmenting and couldn't connect to the rest of the fragmented pieces? In that instance, many of us would lose access to research sites, the ability to e-mail others, or IM/chat with a good number of internet users. W3C works to make sure that the internet does not become fragmented - guidelines and standards are published openly to allow web inter-connectivity. Some facts about W3C:

• The consortium was founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee.
• The consortium is a global organization, with a presence in all continents and most countries. But - W3C is hosted primarily by three organizations: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (in Boston, MA), the European Research Consortium in Informatics and Mathematics (in France), and the Keio University (in Japan).
• The goals of W3C are Web for Everyone, Web on Everything, Knowledge Base and Trust and Confidence. These goals want to ensure the social progress of the internet for anyone using many different technologies, including phones, kiosks, mobile devices and even TV in a safe, secure manner to promote education and truth.
• Since the inception of W3C, the consortium has produced more than ninety web standards, also called recommendations. Before standards can be promoted, the promotion must be considered stable and approved by the consortium members.

All told, without a group that continuously works to keep the web open and accessible, it would be so easy for it to start "falling apart."