Extranet is the term used to refer to a computer network that provides access to it from the outside. The extranet is a part or segment of the intranet that has been incorporated within the organization. In essence, extranets are extensions of private intranet networks for the purpose of ecommerce or the sharing of specific types of information. While the public has access to certain areas of the extranet, only the employees and other members of the organization have access to its intranet.

In general, the access is the result of certain types of business or educational activity that the organization has decided to allow to the public. Typically, the type or extent of the access is controlled to fit the protocol of the exchange. That is to say, accessible areas of the extranet will be limited to those that are relevant to the type of activity being executed.

External links:

• Wikipedia definition of an extranet
• Business Link guide to extranets
• List of extranet resources

An Intranet is a specific network or collection of private networks that belongs to a specific organization that is only accessible by members of the organization. These members can include employees, managers, owners, and individuals who have been granted the right to access the specific Intranet in question. Additionally, an intranet is based upon specific TCP and IP protocols and has the appearance of a private model of the Internet. In general, an intranet looks and works similarly to other websites. The primary difference is that other individuals are unauthorized to use the intranet. A firewall is set up to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to the site. The primary purpose of an intranet is to allow the sharing of files and company resources among employees for the benefit of the organization. Secure intranets are becoming more popular as a viable option to private networks. Additionally, secure intranets are useful in facilitating teleconferences among co-workers.
External links:

• Wikipedia definition of an intranet
• Intranet usability guide
• Intranet benchmarking forum
• Intranet benchmarking blog

The W3C refers to a net organisation, the World Wide Web Consortium. This organisation is composed of many different types of individuals including programmers, executives in the Web industry, Web developers, and users. Each of these individuals provides assistance in defining the development of future Web technology. The purpose of the W3C is to bring about the development of open standards in order to promote an evolution of the Web into a single direction rather than into several directions. The development f a single focus and direction for the Web would also discourage competing factions.

Founded in 1994, the W3C is an international consortium of companies. Each of the companies is involved in some way with the Internet and the Web. Most of the members of the W3C are involved in Web-based projects such as conducting extensive research on the Web, developing specifications for the Web, developing Web-based products, or utilising Web technologies as enabling mediums.

External links:

• World Wide Web Consortium
• Web Accessibility Initiative
• W3C Validation Tool
• Wikipedia summary of W3C