A Database Called The Web Nathan R. Yergler Creative Commons

First Things

This Talk Is About Semantic Web RDFa Using them to drive your applications

Semantic Web

RDFa

Using them to drive your applications

It is not about Distributed data stores SQL Databases That is, the titular “database” is a metaphor And now I've used titular in a conference talk

Distributed data stores

SQL Databases

That is, the titular “database” is a metaphor

And now I've used titular in a conference talk

share, reuse, and remix— legally

<a href=” http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ” rel=”license”> Attribution 3.0 Unported </a>

Why do we care? Programs should be able to answer simple questions about licensed works. What is the work's license? Allows commercial use? Are derivative works allowed? How do we attribute the work?

What is the work's license?

Allows commercial use?

Are derivative works allowed?

How do we attribute the work?

Semantic Web (a gross oversimplification in 120 seconds)

Down with silos!

RDF

(subject, predicate, object)

RDF Subject and Predicate are URIs Object is a URI or Literal

Subject and Predicate are URIs

Object is a URI or Literal

2002

<!-- metadata -->

Pervasive Problems Opaque to parsers Opaque to humans Easy to screw up Overly verbose

Opaque to parsers

Opaque to humans

Easy to screw up

Overly verbose

2009

CC Rights Expression Language

Principles for HTML Encoding Independence & Extensibility Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) Visual Locality Remix Friendliness

Independence & Extensibility

Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY)

Visual Locality

Remix Friendliness

RDFa Builds on [X]HTML Uses a few attributes (rel, rev, about, href, property, resource) to encode RDF triples in [X]HTML Extensible for emerging applications

Builds on [X]HTML

Uses a few attributes (rel, rev, about, href, property, resource) to encode RDF triples in [X]HTML

Extensible for emerging applications

rel=”license”

Attribution Metadata Users can assert a name and URL for Attribution We encode this in the generated HTML Our deeds display this information when we can detect it

Users can assert a name and URL for Attribution

We encode this in the generated HTML

Our deeds display this information when we can detect it

Where should I link to? >>> import rdfadict >>> dessert = 'http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathan_y/3637818168/' >>> p = rdfadict.RdfaParser() >>> p.parse_url(dessert)[dessert]['http://creativecommons.org/ns#attributionURL'] ['http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathan_y/']

CC Network Launched October 2008 A place creators to collect work references A platform for digital copyright registry exploration Built on ccREL Free Software: AGPL 3, available from code.creativecommons.org

Launched October 2008

A place creators to collect work references

A platform for digital copyright registry exploration

Built on ccREL

Free Software: AGPL 3, available from code.creativecommons.org

Network + License Badges

Reciprocal Ownership Metadata “ Identity” Work

A “Registry” <span id=&quot;#nathan&quot; about=&quot;#nathan&quot; rel=&quot;sioc:member_of&quot; property=&quot;sioc:name&quot; resource=&quot;http://labs.creativecommons.org/~nathan/info/labs.html&quot;>Nathan Yergler</span> <ul> <li><a about=&quot;#nathan&quot; rel=&quot;sioc:owner_of&quot; href=&quot;http://labs.creativecommons.org/~nathan/info/db-called-web.html&quot;> A Database Called The Web</a></li> </li> </ul>

What about you?

Interface Considerations Javascript is limited to progressive enhancement RDFa builds on the existing DOM We could insert the RDFa with Javascript but that severely increases demand on consumers

Javascript is limited to progressive enhancement

RDFa builds on the existing DOM

We could insert the RDFa with Javascript but that severely increases demand on consumers

General Principles You're probably using templates already – make them useful for software, too. Vocab mix-n-match is fine: use established vocabularies whenever possible (DC, etc). If you're a market leader (or hope to be), commit to publishing a minimum set of information. Think about your URIs – you're making a commitment to maintain them.

You're probably using templates already – make them useful for software, too.

Vocab mix-n-match is fine: use established vocabularies whenever possible (DC, etc).

If you're a market leader (or hope to be), commit to publishing a minimum set of information.

Think about your URIs – you're making a commitment to maintain them.

Why Bother? Enable mashups and remixes You're probably making the information available anyway It builds an open web It adds value for your site

Enable mashups and remixes

You're probably making the information available anyway

It builds an open web

It adds value for your site

Google Recently announced support for RDFa in “Rich Snippets” They're exploring ways to make this easier for “webmasters”

Recently announced support for RDFa in “Rich Snippets”

They're exploring ways to make this easier for “webmasters”

Yahoo Supports RDFa in many properties Search Monkey lets you build “info bars” BOSS lets you query for presence of metadata

Supports RDFa in many properties

Search Monkey lets you build “info bars”

BOSS lets you query for presence of metadata

Nathan R. Yergler Chief Technology Officer Creative Commons [email_address] tivecommons.org @nyergler {twitter | identi.ca} http://wiki.creativecommons.org/A_Database_Called_The_Web