What is the World Wide Web?

The World Wide Web, also referred to as the WWW and "the Web", is the most popular way to access information resources on the Internet.

The Web presents information as a series of "documents", often referred to as web pages, that are prepared using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Using HTML, the document's author can code sections of the document to "point" to other information resources. These specially coded sections are referred to as hypertext links. By clicking on the highlighted hyperlinked words you can be transported to another document, even if the second document is located on a server computer halfway around the world.

 
 
The Web's History

The Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991 at CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics). The Web was originally intended as a way for researchers in high energy physics to share their data over the Internet. But, the Web's application to the Internet as a whole caught on quickly. For example, in October 1993 there were only 130 Web servers. That number now exceeds one million.

Who Owns the Web?

No one person or group owns or is in charge of the Web. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the closest thing the Web has to a leader. The W3C made up of industry representatives from around the world, and it "exists to realize the full potential of the Web" by developing standards and protocols that allow for the development and continued accessibility of the Web. For more information about the W3C, visit their Web site at http://www.w3.org.

The Master Internet Volunteer Program was developed by the University of Minnesota Extension Service and was adapted for use in North Dakota with permission. Copyright  © 2000  North Dakota State University. All rights reserved.

North Dakota State University Extension Service