Evolution of the Web to Web 3.0

Web 3.0 Concepts Explained in Plain English (Presentations) from Digital Inspiration (May 2009)

This is brilliant - Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 explained in a single slide of points, some text, and 5 excellent slide presentations. As the note on the page explains, the two about the red stamp describe the semantic aspects and workings very clearly.

Good Look at Semantic Web

Jean Graef of the Montague Institute answers the question, Where will semantic content come from? in terms we can begin to understand.

"Semantic web" is usually a very theoretical idea of linking up data in magical ways. In this posting, we get a real-life example drawn from a mortgage refinance application of how a semantic infrastructure would work.

Also raised here is the matter of trust. How will we know to trust the information that is brought together through a semantic infrastructure?

Jean Graef concludes: "The technology piece of the infrastructure is almost ready; it's the semantic content and editorial oversight that's missing.

Card Sorting with Users

Holger Maassen has the inside track on card sorting. In this posting on Card Sorting Maassen describes using card sorting as a categorization technique with user groups in order to learn more about how they view and work with information.

"Card sorting is a categorization technique where users sort cards describing and giving their picture, their understanding and their mental picture of concepts, workflows and information and knowledge."

But, he notes, card sorting will not deliver a finished taxonomy.

He presented this as the first of a series on design and analysis techniques for improving user experience.

ASIST on Information Architecture

BULLETIN of the American Society for Information Science and Technology for August / September 2009 [pdf] is a special issue about Information Architecture.

Contents:

+ A Tonic for the Busy Troops by Stacy Merrill Surla, Guest Editor
+ The Information Architecture of Social Experience Design: Five Principles,
Five Anti-Patterns and 96 Patterns (in Three Buckets) by Christian Crumlish
+ The Debut of Usable, Influential Content by Colleen Jones
+ An Internet Watered Down by John Pettengill
+ Gaming the Design: Using Game Design Techniques in the Realm of Investing by Kellie Rae Carter and Dominic La Cava
+ IA for the Rest of the World by Miles Rochford
+ Lessons from Slime Mold: How to Survive and Thrive in Ever-Changing Organizational Environments by Kate Rutter

+ A Reflection on the Structure and Process of the Web of Data by Marko A. Rodriguez

From the editor:

"Our annual special section on information architecture (IA) – A Tonic for the Busy Troops – is the centerpiece of this issue and a very fine one. Stacy Surla, our associate editor for IA, has put together a collection selected from presentations at
the 2009 IA Summit.As they were coming in, I was already emailing friends saying that a number of the articles were going to be must-reads. Immediate utility and impact were Stacy’s selection criteria, and she certainly implemented them well: lots of very timely information for practitioners and some fine thought-pieces. Stacy’s introduction says it all in terms of what’s there and why. Don’t miss it.

Our feature article is another one not to miss. Marko Rodriguez writes about theWeb of Data – the RDF (Resource Description Framework) side of the web – and the problems of exploiting it.Whether you are an RDF novice or someone for whom RDF is daily fare, Marko’s ideas and insights will intrigue you. It’s an outstanding contribution."

Hakia's Commercial Ontology

A New Commercial Ontology from hakia by Dr. Riza C Berkan, Hakia (

CEO of Hakia, Dr Riza Berkan, proposes a Commercial Ontology that will serve the types of queries that users put to the web. Berkan says these have a "commercial pattern", but I suppose we could think of it as consumer interest just as easily. The key bit is -- "One particular distinction of the commercial pattern is that they come in short packages including a name (onomasticon), or always referring to something sold, bought, watched, heard, etc." Commercial Ontology will also work with sequence of words - which may be more efficient than individual terms.


Also see hakia Unveils Commercial Ontology, Search Engine Watch (July 30)