Tag: Semantic Web

There's a lot of confusion about what the semantic web is, exactly. There are so many definitions that I can't possibly unify everything in one article. Some people say it's all about linked data, RDF, and ontologies. Some people call it "Web 3.0." (I recently gave a keynote speech at a "Web 3.0" conference, where many of the people had confused "Web 3.0" with "Web in 3D." I'm sure many people in the audience wondered why I wasn't talking about the future 3D web and, instead, was talking about information.) Some people say it will lead us to the singularity. Rather than try to define these terms, I propose we abandon them. I propose we stop talking about complicated solutions and start talking about problems.

Continue reading What is the Semantic Web?

It has been twelve years since Tim Berners-Lee threw up his hands and said "it's all crap, let's do it over" and set off to create the Semantic Web. We've got very little to show for it so far. I firmly believe the work Semantic Web technologists are pursuing is important and the concepts will inevitably be realized and I very much want to see this research become viable. But things are not moving fast enough and the tack semantic researchers are taking simply isn't working.

Semantic Web technology is marred in a chicken/egg paradox. The technologies are generally not useful unless they are adopted and implemented on a large scale and people are not willing to invest in implementing them unless they are useful. This is exacerbated by the fact that there are very high technology, business, and social barriers to implementing the Semantic Web.

Continue reading RDF Semantic Web Research Isn't Working

When constructing the Semantic Web, we are actually building two varied aspects simultaneously. One aspect is the Web that includes things such as the communication protocols, the Web data presentation formats, and so on. In particular, we have invented new technologies such as RDF, OWL, SPARQL, and other W3C recommended Semantic Web standards. The other aspect is the semantics that represent the meanings of Web data. Building semantics is, however, different from building the Web.

Continue reading Building Semantics is Different from Building the Web

A lot of you emailed me asking where to find more videos, so I'm delivering the goods. I've expanded the previous list from a paltry 17 to a remarkable 302, and I've included podcasts this time! There were so many videos I had to break them up into different categories for easier skimming. There are no duplicates, however I did place some videos into more than one category when I felt it was appropriate. This list is monstrous, enjoy.

Continue reading 302 Semantic Web Videos and Podcasts!

Update: 302 Semantic Web Videos and Podcasts!

I've compiled a list of videos about the Semantic Web, RDF, and OWL for your viewing pleasure! Most of these videos are short, ranging from about 6 to 10 minutes while others are long (45+ minutes). Included are a few introductions, a few interviews, and a few that get into the gritty details.

Continue reading 17 Semantic Web, RDF, and OWL Videos

The Web as we know it today is an ecosystem of people, documents, machines, and an exponentially increasing amount of unstructured information. Everyone is free to change the landscape of the Web, and millions of us (people, that is) have taken our crack at it, shaping it how we see fit. This generally entails creating our own Web sites, but anyone contributing in any way is actively changing the way the Web is structured. Changes to the Web's structure will only become more obvious and pervasive as we approach the full-scale vision of the Semantic Web.

Continue reading The Fault-Tolerant Semantic Web

Open your data! That's the theme behind the new Semantic Web logo created by the W3C. The three sides of the tri-color cube are meant to represent the RDF triple model, and the peeled back lid is suggestive of the main theme of opening your data for everyone to access. For now they ask that you use the images that include the W3C logo, at least until the new Semantic Web logo becomes more widely recognized on its own.

They've also created 80x15 sized buttons for RDF, OWL, SPARQL, and GRDDL! I'm not too wild about those kinds of buttons, but I'm sure we'll see them springing up everywhere in no time. The buttons come in blue, green, orange, gray, and purple.

Over the weekend I opened the doors to Planet Semantic Focus, our Semantic Web buzz aggregator! In a nutshell, PSF makes it easy for you to keep tabs on what's going within the Semantic Web community. In its current version (beta) the system is tracking blog posts from various sources and bloggers.

Continue reading Planet Semantic Focus: Aggregating Semantic Web Buzz

We want everybody to communicate freely by crossing the barriers of language differences and cultural variety. This is the commonly agreed upon ultimate goal of the Semantic Web. How we are to realize the Semantic Web in particular is, however, another story. Typically, there are two thoughts on how to achieve this common goal. One thought is to build a web of data; the other is to build a web of agents. Nevertheless, these two thoughts approach the same goal and represent two different philosophies. This philosophical difference may eventually determine the fate of these two approaches.

Continue reading Abandon Babel, Welcome Society: The Philosophy Behind Semantic Web Approaches

I recently read on Network World that Gartner's David Mitchell Smith said "There are a lot of constituencies trying to hijack the term Web 3.0." I don't think I like Web 3.0 just yet, do you? I agree with the Gartner representative that Web 3.0 wreaks of marketing hype, and in my opinion it is a race by people that felt left behind by the Web 2.0 movement. Vendors pushing the term Web 3.0 are advocating the rise of the Mobile Web, virtual worlds, and the Semantic Web. I agree that all of these technologies will take rise, but I don't agree that we should call that era "Web 3.0."

Continue reading Where Do You Stand on Web 3.0?