W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an organization that "develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding." (http://www.w3.org)

Basically, they help the internet be all that it can be. Supporting businesses include Microsoft, HP, and Nokia. Al Gore also praised the W3C for their committment to making the web more accessible for people with disabilities.

Members of W3C take on a leadership role in shaping the web, promote their image as an innovator, and learn about market trends before the rest of the business does.

More information can be found at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium

As part of its mandate, the W3C also develops standards for website designs. The following link lists websites that conform to these standards:
http://w3csites.com/

My Favourtie Websites

I have 3 websites that I really like:
http://www.hr.ubc.ca
http://www.google.ca
http://www.msn.ca

The UBC one I like because it's so clean looking. The site has a common look and feel consistant with the rest of the university websites and it is consistant from page to page. I like that there are lots of quicklinks to make navigation easier. The headings are clear and you always know where you are in the website at any given time.

Google is also nice and clean. And useful. And used at least 10 times a day by me.

I like msn because it gives me a quick glance at what is going on in the world every day. It covers all different topics that are located in the same location everyday so you always know where to look for the weather or the stock prices. It is easy to find what I am looking for.

Facebook

I was one of the last of my friends to join Facebook and now I'm hooked on it. I spy on people, mock ex-boyfriends, and am thrilled to talk to people I went to kindergarton with. It's lots of fun.

http://www.facebook.com

My Hometown

I grew up in Bonnville, Alberta. The population fluctuates between 3000 and 6000 depending on the price of oil. There's a Dairy Queen and a Kentucky Fried Chicken but no movie theatre or McDonald's. In rural Alberta, you know your town's a decent size when you get a McDonald's.

However, I was shocked to discover that Bonnyville actually has a Starbucks now. Well, kindda. They built a huge community centre which is mostly designed to host hockey games and dances (of course). The concession stand now "proudly serves Starbucks coffee." It's probably the biggest news to hit Bonnyville in 6 months.

Anyway, I still read their paper online every now and then. Check it out at http://www.bonnyvillenouvelle.ca/.

My Favourite Blog (OK, the only one I've read in the last 2 years)

Somehow, despite being both a computer geek and a writer, I've managed to avoid blogging up until now. I've never really understood the appeal of telling the whole world the random thoughts that bounce around in my head and give me headaches. It just seems like a pretty self-involved thing to do. However, I did stumble across a blog that gave me hope that I might actually enjoy this whole thing.

Rocks in My Dryer (http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ ) is an amusing blog that I spent a good 20 minutes reading through. It features the ramblings of a mom of 4 kids, which isn't that unusual in itself. However, this woman is witty, not just wishfully-witty and I can really relate to a lot of the things she talks about. Plus, she's a paid editor at another blogging website and she's going to Africa in February to blog relief efforts there. That sounds pretty cool to me. I might have to keep reading it to see how her trip goes.

First Blog Entry for 2340

Welcome to my first post. Visit www.google.com to see more blogs.