I’m attending the 2010 No Fluff Just Stuff conference in Reston, VA this weekend. One of the speakers is Brian Sletten, a self-proclaimed “Semantic Web Nerd,” who presented a really excellent RDFa session – and I’m not just saying that because he plugged our book on his “Recommended Reading” slide. To understand why his talk really struck a chord with me, I’ll provide some background.
For better or worse, I’ve been a bit of out of the Semantic Web world lately. I’m currently not working on any projects for which the Semantic Web is considered a critical technology. I’ve watched as many of the Semantic Web programs I had involvement in were scaled back or disappeared entirely as government funding dried up. It was hard to not feel like the Semantic Web was dying a slow death. What’s worse is that upon reflection, I found it hard to identify a program where the Semantic Web was truly a critical feature and not just an alternate implementation decision that could have just as easily been replaced with any number of traditional technology solutions. Maybe I was just jaded after working in the same technology area for 6 years, or maybe I was going through my own trough of disillusionment.
The keynote address at NFJS (by Venkat Subramaniam) spoke to the value of exposing yourself to many different programming languages, even if you only have one or two primary languages. The process of learning a new language trains you to think about programming in new ways. It introduces you to the various challenges that all languages face as well as the strategies that a particular language employs to address these issues. This is much the same with any technology. Learning about alternate ways to solve problems helps us become better problem solvers. And isn’t that the real goal? Along this line of thinking, best practices are the enemy of innovation and creativity because they create a safe little box in which we can live without having to go out into the unknown to explore. This got me to thinking about my career in the Semantic Web world. I’d been so focused on using the Semantic Web that I’ve neglected to learn about alternate technologies and the lessons they have to offer. I’ve stifled my problem solving skills by keeping too narrow a focus and failing to recognize the opportunities for hybrid solutions that leverage many technologies, not just Semantic Web.
Now, back to the point. Brian’s RDFa talk was excellent. It reintroduced me to all of the progress being made in achieving the Semantic Web. Big organizations are starting to adopt and leverage the Semantic Web via RDFa. IBM and Open Document Format. Drupal RDFa and CMS. The White House? MediaWiki. Creative Commons Licenses. Newsweek. Facebook – and Microsoft, IMDB, RottenTomatoes, Yelp, NHL!? Best Buy. Google!! Really. There are too many to list. Many of these sites you can go to now and view their source to find the RDFa. It’s happening.
All of this progress made me realize something. Beyond all of the hype and inflated expectations. Beyond the lost hope and naysayers. The industry is starting to adopt the Semantic Web for real. They are starting to see the real business case for open linked data. People are starting to find specific applications where the Semantic Web makes sense and might actually help. And, all of this leaves me with a renewed desire to find opportunities to apply technologies that complement and are complemented by Semantic Web technologies.
Ryan Blace Events, No Fluff Just Stuff
Semantic Web in the Enterprise Ready or Not? What’s your take? Share your views and see others
jhebeler Uncategorized
More to come… But here is the link for the presentation
jhebeler Uncategorized
So, they translated the book into simplified Chinese and the new edition has just been released! We’re psyched especially given that the next ISWC is being held in Shanghai, China. This opens up our book to a whole new audience.
Our Chinese Cover (pdf)
jhebeler Book
So I just got done reading this press release and looking over the report in more detail. It would be easy to dismiss the “experts” – what makes Sem Web experts? Are we four authors experts? – but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. Also, the survey was really responding to two questions. I find it hard to gauge such a broad and strong medium with just two questions. What I do realize is that this survey is meant for consumption by a wide audience: technologists, journalists, academics, engineers, developers and on and on. So, take it for face value.
My view? The Semantic Web is here, it is in commercial and military use and it is not the next killer app. It is improving both our lives and how we interact with the Web on an incremental scale. It is not a single technology nor does it obsolete other technologies. In summary, it is making data and computers work better for us, through improved linking, metadata and tagging technologies. Don’t be fooled by those who think it never arrived, it never worked and never made an impact.
mfisher Semantic Web, Survey
Data management, process management, access management, and resource management form the four pillars of the advanced computing enterprise. This includes critical technologies such as databases, web services & service oriented architectures (SOA), mobile devices, and cloud computing. Semantics helps adapt and unify them to your current enterprise to allow rapid adoption and effective use.
We outline and demonstrate the potential contributions of Semantics to each of the four pillars. The contributions exist along two dimensions; making each pillar operate more effectively and making semantics work more effectively through effective implementation of the pillar. This provides you with choices as to how to focus your needs with potential semantic contributions.
We end by establishing an incremental, iterative plan outlining risks and benefits to allow you to gracefully incorporate Semantics into these critical enterprise areas.
* Host semantic solutions in advanced enterprise technologies
* Enrich key enterprise technologies with semantic extensions and enhancements to improve efficiency, effectiveness, functionality, and quality
* Identify semantic opportunities in the enterprise
* Outline a pragmatic plan for semantic enrichment
Sign up here.
jhebeler Events
A new video by Katie Ray has been making the rounds recently which gives a nice introduction to the Semantic Web and what it all means. An interview with John was featured in the film, along with interviews with Semantic Web personalities such as Tim Berners-Lee, Lee Feigenbaum, and others. Check it out!
andrew.perez.lopez Uncategorized Semantic Web, video
We just got a ‘Recommended Read’ from The Hindu. We appreciate it – thanks so much!
The link above doesn’t always seem to be available so YMMV.
mfisher Book, Reviews
Andrew found out the book is part of a Semantic Technologies class at the University of Oslo! Exciting news! http://tinyurl.com/y8kmtmb
mfisher Academia, Book
