World Wide Web Foundation Launched

Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, announced this weekend the formation of a new organisation dedicated to studying how the web works and expanding access to the billions of people who can't get online today. The World Wide Web Foundation kicked off with $5 million in support from media funders the Knight Foundation.

The question is whether another organisation can really make a difference? With so many web organisations in existing there are a number of observers suffering from organisation fatigue. However, with Berners Lee standing in the industry it will be interesting to see what he can do. The Word Wide Web Foundation has an ambitious remit and if it is successful should provide a lot of benefit.

The Foundation launched with a three part plan, including:

• Web Science and Research
• Web Technology and Practice
• Web for Society

What do these actually mean? Web science and research almost involves developing a new science to explore the complex system of the web that combine the cross science disciplines incluiding social science and computer science as well as creating a curriculum for other Web Scientists to be trained around the world.

Web technology and practice involves the advancement of web standards and Web for Society has very noble aim "To learn from people in socially or economically deprived communities how the Web can better serve them."

Concerns have been expressed in a number of camps, especially regarding the addition of more layers of problems on top of initiatives already being undertaken by a number of other organisations.

The cause has some ambitious aims for thorny issues, with the people involved and strong backing it will be interested to see the progress that is made.