Microformats – a more personable online experience

MinneWebCon 2008-04-14

---- Slide 1 - microformats

-----Slide 2- $750,000
HOOK: $750,000 will be granted for interdisciplinary work.
PITFALL: How will you be found?
RESCUE: Microformats

-----Slide 3 - blank
Play the example game
1. Row-by-row search for people wearing rings
2. This is time consuming and frustrating
3. All who want to self-define as ring wearers, please choose to self define
and respond to the next search.
4. I want every ring wearer to please stand up.
5. This is easier.
6. What if you are wearing a ring and didn’t self identify and chose to not
stand up?
7. That person will not be counted or recognized as a ring wearer.
8. Microformats are your tool for self identifying as a researcher, a
microbiologist, a poet, a web designer, etc.
9. Not using microformats = obscurity
10.Everyone self identify with your job title
11.All the web designers please stand up
12.All the web designers who know AJAX please stand up.
13. Do you see how microformats will make your content searchable?
-----Slide 4 – self identify
-----Slide 5– personalized searches – allude to APML
Personalized searches
• If I want to make the internet more personal, I will
begin to look for content that is self identified.
• If your content is not self identified, you will fall into
obscurity.

-----Slide 6 – hCard

• Your opportunity to connect your name with your

interests and your past work
• Wouldn’t it be great if the University provided this
database?
• Linkedin does this.

-----Slide 7 – blank – to demonstration

Microformats primer
• hCard to map demonstration “This is what sold me on
microformats.”
-----Slide 8 – hCalendar

-----Slide 9 – blank
• hCalendar to Google Calendar demonstration
• hacking the uThink blogs – Fairy Tales calendar
demonstration
○ multiple event authors
○ fed into an existing web page
 ○ easily exportable to calendars
• Do any of you see an application for
microformats in your own work?

-----Slide 10 – logos
Who is supporting microformats?
• Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft, Wordpress
When will microformats be available?
• Now!

-----Slide 11 – boost search engine

• Help boost your search engine results

-----Slide 12 – $750,000
• Provide information for early adapters ($750,000)

-----Slide 13 – contact info…

-----Slide 14 –blank
• Is anyone using Microformats now?
• What you can start doing today
○ Add hCards
○ Add hCalendar information to your event listings,
(uThink blogs)
• Your ground work you lay now will help you in the
future
○ Yahoo! search demo
○ Ie8 WebSlice demo
○ Even before these are ready, your microformats
will help you be found.
-----Slide 15 –APML

• A more personable experience:

○ APML: Attention Profile Mark-up Language
○ If content is self identified with microformats, you
will soon be able to sort content according to your
own personalized interests via APML
○ Aggregate 1000 feeds if you like and tell your
reader which ones you will be more likely to read.
-----Slide 16 – APML 2
Resources
-----Slide 17 – resources
Add microformats today and start being found!

Do you have any questions about how microformats

will make your online experience more personable?