We’re in 2006 guys not 199x!
Just recently, I have come across *so* many inaccessible and invalid websites that I just had to write about it. I am shocked and totally disappointed. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but to be honest I am… I really am. In particular, the ones that get my goat are the web companies that are shouting things like “latest in web design technology? “with built-in accessibility? “usability best practice?. I am so disappointed. I hope I just had a bad week of viewing source code too many times and it just so happened to be the bad ones. So many code-bloated, table-based, html 4 (some with no doc type at all) websites. Tut tut… 
Instead of repeating and ranting on about what so many people have already said a million times, I’ll make this short and sweet. I am going to add a few links here which explain web standards and why we, the developer and you, the customer, should be doing it and demanding it respectively.
For people who build websites – The developer
- Why tables for layout is stupid: problems defined, solutions offered
- www.hotdesign.com/seybold/
- What Every Web Site Owner Should Know About Standards: A Web Standards Primer
- www.maccaws.org/kit/primer/
- Design rant
- www.thenoodleincident.com/tutorials/design_rant/
- The need for accessibility
- www.webnauts.net/accessibility-need.html
- An Interview With Douglas Bowman of Wired News
- devedge-temp.mozilla.org/viewsource/2002/wired-interview/
- CSS examples - FAQ. (From Paul O Brien, CSS guru.)
- www.pmob.co.uk/faqcss/
For people who want a website – The customer
- PAS 78 Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites
- www.bsi-global.com/ICT/PAS78/index.xalter
- The need for accessibility
- www.webnauts.net/accessibility-need.html
- Why tables for layout is stupid: problems defined, solutions offered
- www.hotdesign.com/seybold/
- BBC - New standards for website access
- news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4783686.stm
I hope this helps some folks out there. 
You’re banging your head against a brick wall. Most people don’t care - even the ones who do - make sense? Just keep on about it though and do yourself justice.
Might I just add Paul Boag’s recent Podcast “The Benefits of Web Standards” to that list. Definitely essential viewing.
I’ve just started a new job where the current site is painfully crap in terms of design and code, so I’m hunting around for as many sites, articles and so forth which I can use to back up my case for a complete redesign and recode! How geek am I?!
Anyway, hello there Laura, I believe you were at uni with a friend of mine (Phil Hemmings) so I just thought I’d drop by and say hi.
…of course it might help if I get my links right…
The benefits of Web Standards by Paul Boag
and I call myself a web designer….*tut*
Oh, thanks Hudson. I shall take a peek at that link on my lunch today.
Go on Laura name & shame… (As long as it’s not one of mine