Mission:
To give millions of knowledge-seekers around the globe direct access to the world's greatest thinkers and teachers.

Background:
Organized by architect and graphic designer Richard Saul Wurman, the first TED Conference was held in 1984 and included demos of the then-new Macintosh computer and Sony compact disc. In 2001, TED was acquired by the Sapling Foundation, and media entrepreneur Chris Anderson became its curator. Under Anderson's leadership, TED's content has expanded to include speakers from all fields of expertise and regions of the world. Between 2001 and 2006, TED launched TEDGlobal, a sister conference held in a different country every other year; the TED Prize, which grants its winners "one wish to change the world"; and TEDTalks, a free audio and video podcast series that is now the main focus of the TED Web site.

Outstanding Web Features:
Visitors to the TED Web site can browse thousands of videos by speaker name, theme, topic, and user-selected characteristics such as funniest, most jaw-dropping, and most beautiful. Themes include art unusual, inspired by nature, words about words, and TED under thirty, which includes speakers and performers in the early stages of their careers. The videos, which can be downloaded or embedded on an external Web page or blog, each feature a "chapter" toolbar enabling visitors to easily skip between sections of a talk. Visitors to the site can also view information in traditional list form or in "visualizations," which allow them to browse videos on the site in a creative and aesthetically appealing way. The site also offers a blog, information on its past and upcoming conferences, and member profiles.