Marc Canter and Dave Winer on Microcontent

Hi Marc and Dave!

Been following your microcontent threads...

I hope I'm not one keeping progress at a snail's pace. I'm very interested in microformats and openness. I avoid the political crap and, to my knowledge, haven't bashed anybody. If anything, I'm small and not able to get features out quickly enough. A few ways I'm using extended data on blog entries:

Extended data in RSS:
http://www.reger.com/biz/what-is-datablogging-rss.log

Log types as XML Schemas:
http://www.reger.com/biz/what-is-datablogging-xml-schema.log

I'd like to get more involved in the standards side of things. The first place I think I can play a role is in making it possible for users to export log types as XMLSchema. Currently users can create a custom log type (their own microformat) at Reger.com and then export the description of that log type in XMLSchema (see the second link). The next step is to make it possible for users to import a log type. Maybe one manually created or one created with another microcontent system.

The vision is for a democratic system where the best log types survive. Users create log types and they compete for usage. Currently we have this at Reger.com but I'd like to extend this to other content systems. If you can send somebody your log type via email, or have them download it from your blog and import it into theirs... then we're getting somewhere (thanks to Jon Udell for that challenge!).

Tricky parts include the fact that I can't support the complete XML Schema. The number of things you can do with it is huge. But I can support a sub-set quickly and make this two-way possible.

Another tricky part is that I'm proposing writing rules on top of XML Schema... in other words, a spec of a spec. I need help from you guys on how ot structure/present this. I like Dave's simplicity-of-explanation when it comes to specs.

I'll be at the Web 2.0 conference. Can we spend some time then or before talking microcontent?

So, let me know if I'm in the way or just completely irrelevant right now... my goal is to be productive, contributing and relevant.

Best,

Joe

P.S. Posting this to my blog as well...

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From: Scripting News [mailto:dwiner@cyber.law.harvard.edu]
Posted At: Friday, August 26, 2005 11:29 AM
Posted To: Scripting News
Conversation: Marc Canter has an old picture of me wearing SF 49ers glasses and with a dumb...
Subject: Marc Canter has an old picture of me wearing SF 49ers glasses and with a dumb...


http://archive.scripting.com/2005/08/26#When:11:29:02AM

Marc Canter has an old picture of me wearing SF 49ers glasses and with a dumb grin on my face, and one of his twins in the background. You can tell it's an old picture because my beard is brown (not gray) and the kid is really young (they're tall strapping young men now, not really kids anymore). I had dinner with Marc on Wednesday in Berkeley. I've been reading his blog all along, about how he wants my help with microformats, and I would be happy to help if we could find some way to factor out the reputation-bashing. He said on his blog today that he'll help soften the blows when they come. A very small number of people have been able to keep progress at a snail pace. It would be easy to route around them, if there were a will to do so. Marc tells me that he has such a will. So we'll give it a try, first with something small and not too ambitious, and then see if we can build on that.
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