How is my web community developing? Monitoring trends in web service provision

As the World Wide Web continues its tremendous rate of development, providers of services on the web have difficult decisions to make regarding the deployment of new technologies: should they begin deployment of technologies such as HTML 4.0, CSS 2, Java, Dublin Core metadata, etc., or should they wait until the technologies mature? This paper describes the use of a web auditing/profiling robot utility known as WebWatch which can help service providers by providing information on the uptake of technologies within particular communities. A description of use of the WebWatch software within the UK Higher Education community is given, together with a discussion of the findings.