W3C

W3C

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) was set up by Tim Berners-Lee in October 1994. The consortium is made up of member organisations that are always working together to develop the standards of the World Wide Web. As of March 2012 the consortium has 351 members.

W3C are the standards body for the internet, they have defined precise guidelines for how the HTML of a website should be authored to ensure compatibility and accessibility. W3C guidelines should be employed by all websites. 

W3C's Mission:

'The W3C mission is to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure the long-term growth of the Web. Below we discuss important aspects of this mission, all of which further W3C's vision of One Web.'

Websites that comply with the W3C rules will:

• work more consistently across web browsers
• be more accessible and usable
• work on non-standard devices, such as mobile phones and televisions
• generally rank better in search engines.