Well, I just had to add my 2 cents here…
Standards are very important, in the sense that if you truly want to express yourself, and you truly want the widest audience possible to share your expressions, then it is almost necessary to build your site to the highest standard possible. Making your site look good in any given browser is fine, but what of the people that can’t see well enough or at all? Their web readers need standard coding done in order for the listener to be able to consume the information. If you are a writer, and your audience needs to listen to words, then why would you not care to build your site so that they can? Also, following standards helps create the strongest chance that your site, and therefore your work, will be around for the long haul. It will be far easier to transform a standards-compliant site of today into the compliant site of tomorrow. Don’t forget, the way people consume the Internet is changing and evolving all the time. Your words can be made available to a PDA, a cell phone, a monitor, and a myriad of other devices that haven’t even been invented yet. Building to standards also means your site is easier to manage and maintain, giving you more time to express yourself. This is not to trash anyone or anyone’s site. In the end, it’s up to the owner of the site. I just know that I will make every effort to build standardised content, so that I can share my thoughts with all those who care to visit my site. Designing to standards is not about perfection–it’s about being accessible.
Craig.