OJR article: Industry Standard Is Latest Dot.Com-Era Publication to Try a Comeback

Grok Headline matches for OJR article: Industry Standard Is Latest Dot.Com-Era Publication to Try a Comeback

ICT Industry offered new publication

ICT Industry offered new publication 06/23/2004 02:19 PM
globetechnology.com Jun 23 2004 6:31PM GMT

A Business Information Publication
Standard and Google's Power to Make It
Happen

A Business Information Publication
Standard and Google's Power to Make It
Happen 08/30/2004 03:17 PM

It's time we extend the robots.txt concept to information about businesses.

First, let's take a quick detour into robots.txt for a second —

In order to tell a search engine how to spider a Web site (or not), webmasters can stick a text file called "robots.txt" in their root directory with information spiders can use. This works because it's useful and it's ridiculously simple — everyone sticks the same file, named the same thing, in the same place. It's so simple, it can't NOT work.

MT-Blacklist does the same thing. You can put your blacklist in a text file called "blacklist.txt" in the root of your site so people can see what you're blocking.

For the sake of standards, it is recommended that the file be named blacklist.txt and reside in the root directory of your website. The possible network effect here is certainly delicious.

This isn't complicated — stick the same info in the same place and people will know where to get it.

Okay, back to the point —

Lets make up an XML spec for information about your business. Like this:


<business_info>
  <name>Deane's House of Pancakes</name>
  <address>1600 Pennsylvania Ave</address>
  <tag_line>We make round, fluffy crap.</tag_line>
  <hours>
    <monday>
      <open>0900</open>
      <close>2200</close>< br />    </monday>
[etc]


Obviously, this is absurdly simple, but you get the idea. You could have fields for your business phone number, fax number, general email, directions on how to get to your office, stock ticker symbol, customer service phone number, etc. Essentially, anything anyone would want to know about your business and for which they would (1) have to look up on your Web site, or (2) make a phone call to your receptionist.

Now, lets all put this file in the root of our Web site and call it "info.xml." That way we all know where it is, and we can all retrieve it. Now, every business has a common URL pattern where a program can find easily digestable information about the business. It's not hard to imagine what we could do with this.

For instance, Outlook could parse the domain name of the email address of all your contacts, go looking for this file for each one, then store the information with the contact (refreshing it every 30 days or so).

Online white and yellow pages could have a field day with it — you just give them your URL, and all your information is self-updating. Search engines could present this information alongside search results for your company. Etc.

Of course, this only works if everyone does it. And here, my friends, is the one, single thing that would have to happen for everyone to do it: Google adopts it. That's it. If Google announced tomorrow that they were going to do something like this, and released the spec for it, we'd see info.xml files start to hit the Web within a few hours. We'd have massive saturation within a month.

Google is already pushing beyond search with localization results. They're nailing down addresses of sites they visit, then presenting them in graduated radii from the city center.

Why not eliminate the parsing step and just ask people to put their actual address in a file in a common location? And while they're at it, have them put a bunch more information there as well. Once search engines starting spidering and parsing this stuff, it's amazing the level of detail and accuracy you could get for online directories and other business information sources.

And, again, the only thing standing between this idea and reality, is Google. Google is such a juggernaut that they could — in the words of Jean Luc Picard — "make it so" just by announcing that they wanted to it to happen. Companies would fall all over themselves to deliver it. Like Microsoft, Google is in a position to drive standards simply by virtue of its position.

So, Google, snap to it. The world is waiting.

Click here to comment on this entry

HostSearch.com Announces Publication of
Web Hosting Industry Newsletter

HostSearch.com Announces Publication of
Web Hosting Industry Newsletter 03/14/2005 04:41 PM
HostSearch.com, the industry’s leading web hosting directory and web hosting informational resource, announced today the publication of the monthly HostSearch.com Newsletter. For industry analysts, web hosting professionals, or others interested in the web hosting industry a free subscription is offered at http://hostsearch.com/newsletter_main.asp. [PRWEB Mar 12, 2005]

"this scary Evening Standard article"

"this scary Evening Standard article" 04/24/2004 03:37 PM

"London Evening Standard article
published today "

"London Evening Standard article
published today " 01/01/2005 04:44 AM

"by Brooks in his latest NYTimes
article"

"by Brooks in his latest NYTimes
article" 04/27/2004 03:55 PM

by Brooks in his latest NYTimes article

by Brooks in his latest NYTimes article 04/28/2004 05:51 AM
Looking through keyholes .. noticed .. OP-ED

nytimes.com/2004/04/27/opinion/27BROO.html
track this site | 5 links

Entertainment: Industry Article |
Reuters.com

Entertainment: Industry Article |
Reuters.com 04/17/2005 07:35 PM
like this story on a phantom seal hunt .. the hunt never happened .. we're proven wrong

reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=819782 9
track this site | 3 links

Latest version of the Unicode Standard
released

Latest version of the Unicode Standard
released 03/31/2005 03:24 PM
The Unicode Consortium announced today the release of the latest version of the Unicode Standard, Version 4.1.0. This version adds 1,273 new characters, including those necessary to complete roundtrip mapping of the HKSCS and GB 18030 standards, five new currency signs, some characters for Indic and Korean, and eight new scripts. In addition, there have been a number of significant additions and changes to the Unicode Character Database properties, which determine the behavior of characters in modern software. The release of Unicode 4.1 will be soon followed by a new release of the Unicode Collation Algorithm, for language-sensitive sorting, searching, and matching; by Unicode Regular Expressions, setting the standard for handling Unicode character in regular expressions; and by a new draft of Unicode Security Considerations, for dealing with security issues posed by the large number of visually-similar characters in Unicode. The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote software globalization. The membership of the consortium represents a broad spectrum of corporations and organizations in the computer and information processing industry. Apple Computer is a full member (the highest level) of the consortium.

Guestbl0gging at The Industry Standard

Guestbl0gging at The Industry Standard 07/13/2004 12:24 AM
I'll be guestblogging at The Industry Standard this week. Also hope to see you at Always On 2004 this week at Stanford and BlogOn next week in Berkeley....

The Industry Standard: The Blog

The Industry Standard: The Blog 01/22/2004 02:36 AM
Jimmy Guterman: "For all of us, this is a chance to remain associated with a brand that still means a great deal to us, in whatever form. None of us are getting paid for this (at least I'm not getting paid; compadres, let me know if I'm getting a raw deal). It's a hobby. Hey, it's either this or clean the kitchen."

An industry-standard DVD template for
Pages

An industry-standard DVD template for
Pages 03/25/2005 11:25 AM
I've been looking to create my own DVD covers to compliment my moviemaking efforts and present them in industry standard "Amaray" cases. I couldn't find any pre-made templates on Google, so I decided to make my own. I would t...

Technology Industry To Adopt Linux
Standard

Technology Industry To Adopt Linux
Standard 09/14/2004 09:04 AM
Linux , which has been gaining ground on Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , stands to get a major boost today with the unveiling of a broad agreement within the tech industry to back a set of standards for the open source operating system. The announcement comes with a thumbs-up from some of the biggest names in technology , including Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) , Advanced Micro Devices, Hewlett-Packard, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) , among others.

Web analytics firms to create industry
standard

Web analytics firms to create industry
standard 01/05/2004 01:31 PM
newmediazero Jan 5 2004 12:10PM ET

Linux Standard Base Takes on Industry
Fragmentation

Linux Standard Base Takes on Industry
Fragmentation 09/14/2004 09:54 PM
Analysts say a new standard version of Linux should go a long way to raise the platform's chances in the enterprise by improving open-source software's interoperability.

Industry Group Unveils New Storage
Network Standard

Industry Group Unveils New Storage
Network Standard 03/20/2003 01:05 PM
In a major step forward for the data storage and networking industries, the Storage Network Industry Association has announced that its new standard, dubbed Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), is "technically complete."

Hardy Instruments Introduces An Industry
Standard EtherNet/IP

Hardy Instruments Introduces An Industry
Standard EtherNet/IP 12/24/2004 12:14 PM
Hardy's New EtherNet/IP network interface for it's Filler/Dispenser and Multi-scale weight controllers. [PRWEB Dec 23, 2004]

New RFID Standard, Industry Group To
Make Debut at Frontline

New RFID Standard, Industry Group To
Make Debut at Frontline 09/14/2004 11:15 AM
A new RFID standard proposal and international association are expected to be announced at the Frontline show in Chicago.

Linux Standard Base Takes on Industry
Fragmentation (Ziff Davis)

Linux Standard Base Takes on Industry
Fragmentation (Ziff Davis) 09/15/2004 12:35 AM
Ziff Davis - Analysts say a new standard version of Linux should go a long way to raise the platform's chances in the enterprise by improving open-source software's interoperability.

Boris FX Version 8.0 Now Available
Advanced Effects and Compositing
Solution Integrates with
Industry-standard NLEs

Boris FX Version 8.0 Now Available
Advanced Effects and Compositing
Solution Integrates with
Industry-standard NLEs 04/18/2005 04:11 AM
Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that FX 8.0 is now available. FX is the industry standard for integrated effects creation. FX provides broadcast-quality effects and compositing features directly inside nonlinear editing systems. [PRWEB Apr 18, 2005]

Xyratex Adopts Mentor Graphics PCI
Express Intellectual Property for
Advanced Switching Industry Standard

Xyratex Adopts Mentor Graphics PCI
Express Intellectual Property for
Advanced Switching Industry Standard 06/30/2004 01:01 PM
Linux Electrons Jun 30 2004 4:41PM GMT

New Versions of Boris FX and Graffiti
Now Available Advanced Compositing and
Titling Solutions Integrate with
Industry-standard NLEs

New Versions of Boris FX and Graffiti
Now Available Advanced Compositing and
Titling Solutions Integrate with
Industry-standard NLEs 04/18/2005 04:11 AM
Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that FX 8.0 and Graffiti 4.0 are now shipping. FX provides broadcast-quality effects and compositing features directly inside nonlinear editing systems. Graffiti provides integrated vector-based 2D and 3D titling features. [PRWEB Apr 18, 2005]

Boris Graffiti Version 4.0 Now Available
- Advanced Vector Titling Solution
Integrates with Industry-standard NLEs

Boris Graffiti Version 4.0 Now Available
- Advanced Vector Titling Solution
Integrates with Industry-standard NLEs 04/18/2005 04:11 AM
Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that Graffiti 4.0 is now available. Boris Graffiti is a plug-in that provides integrated broadcast-quality 2D and 3D titling features directly inside nonlinear editing systems. [PRWEB Apr 18, 2005]

Linux Standard Base 2.0 promises a
common runtime standard

Linux Standard Base 2.0 promises a
common runtime standard 12/22/2004 01:44 AM
The Free Standards Group's (FSG) Linux Standard Base specification is an attempt to prevent the Linux marketplace from fragmenting by specifying a runtime environment where applications compiled for different distros can run install and run seamlessly.

Syndication is not publication.

Syndication is not publication. 12/03/2002 11:46 AM

Yeah, what Mark said. I don't only agree with him 100%, but I'd say you'd be crazy not to. This is somewhere close to what i said in my last post.

It should be obvious to any rational observer that this will go nowhere fast. A syndication format that requires valid semantic XHTML markup? Spare me. 9 out of 10 bloggers can’t even spell XHTML.

- Mark Pilgrim

DVD publication taking off for
individuals

DVD publication taking off for
individuals 05/24/2004 12:59 PM

The New York Times reports on the rapid growth in DVD publication, especially for small groups and individuals.

Independent filmmakers, specialty magazine publishers, artists, educators - all those with a video to sell, no matter how narrow the niche - are turning out DVD's and distributing them through the mail. It's a trend that began in the era of videotape but has accelerated with DVD's because they are inexpensive to duplicate and ship.

Ruling on Motions for Publication Ban

Ruling on Motions for Publication Ban 04/05/2005 06:13 AM
ban on publishing testimony .. made his ruling

gomery.ca/en/rulingonapplicationsforpublicationban
track this site | 4 links

Wi-Fi Problem Solvers for Publication

Wi-Fi Problem Solvers for Publication 02/18/2004 04:08 PM
I'm looking for people not in the Wi-Fi industry who have had certain problems and solved them: For a feature article I've written, I'm trying to track down a few people in the U.S. who would be willing to have their photograph taken and be quoted talking about how they solved any of the following problems: dead zones of Wi-Fi access in and around their house; Windows XP wireless zero configuration problems; bridging a network using Wireless Distribution System in their house; and interference from nearby networks that made their own Wi-Fi network unusable or lower speed. Please email me directly with what your problem was and how you solved, and I'll get in touch. The goal is to take common problems and attach a real person to them. The article focuses on solving each of those (and some other) difficulties that often frustrate people in trying to get a working home Wi-Fi network....

MIT publication retracts two stories on
its website

MIT publication retracts two stories on
its website 03/22/2005 05:01 PM
Wbz1030.com - Tue Mar 22, 11:41 am GMT

U.S. Blogger Breaches Canadian
Publication Ban

U.S. Blogger Breaches Canadian
Publication Ban 04/04/2005 04:17 PM

"why the publication ban by the Gomery
Commission is a farce"

"why the publication ban by the Gomery
Commission is a farce" 04/07/2005 10:29 AM

Selecting Warehouse Software from WMS
and ERP Providers - New Publication

Selecting Warehouse Software from WMS
and ERP Providers - New Publication 08/19/2004 02:10 AM
Finding the best software is the author's goal in "Selecting Warehouse Software from WMS & ERP Providers". This is a NEW research & training publication by Philip Obal that covers warehouse management software. Ken Ackerman, an expert in warehousing, declares, "For those considering the purchase, or upgrade of warehouse software, this research report is worth its weight in gold." [PRWEB Aug 19, 2004]

Intel Seeking Moore's Law Original
Publication

Intel Seeking Moore's Law Original
Publication 04/12/2005 08:12 PM

Colleges respond to changes in scholarly
journal publication

Colleges respond to changes in scholarly
journal publication 04/09/2004 04:01 PM

American colleges are wrestling with changes in the publication of scholarly journals. In response to rising prices and electronic access policies, some universities have unsubscribed from titles , supported open access models , or issued public statements about what appears to be a growing crisis in scholarly publication . Publishers, such as Elsevier , argue that they are responding to economic and technological changes, and still make a wealth of material available .

( SPARC Open Access Newsletter )

Science Fiction Inventions by
Publication Date

Science Fiction Inventions by
Publication Date 02/18/2004 08:00 PM
Very nice:

1980 Food Factory - fast food from outer space (from Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl)
1980 Watercouch (from Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl)
1981 Communications Implant - I think therefore I network (from Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven)
1981 Mole - Underground vehicle (from Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven)
1981 Underground MagLev Train (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
1981 Arcology - Soleri's dream (from Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)

Link (via Ben Hammersley)

BBC promises action after publication of
Graf report

BBC promises action after publication of
Graf report 07/05/2004 01:00 PM
newmediazero Jul 5 2004 5:29PM GMT

UC Digital Library Changing Scholarly
Publication

UC Digital Library Changing Scholarly
Publication 05/29/2004 04:49 AM
UC Digital Library Changing Scholarly Publication
http://www.syllabus .com/article.asp?id=9357

In response to rising -- "out of control" -- costs of scholarly publications, the University of California Digital Library's eScholarship Repository (http://repositories.cdlib.org/) offers faculty a central online location for everything from technical reports to peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, says Catherine Candee, director of scholarly communication and publishing initiatives at UCDL. It provides university departments, centers and research units direct control over creation and dissemination of the full range of scholarly output, from pre-publication materials through journals and peer-reviewed series, and -- beginning in May 2004 - posting of legally available UC authors' commercially published articles. In addition to practical, day-to-day benefits and savings (in a little less than two years, the repository has seen almost 500,000 downloads of entire papers or articles), serendipitous benefits have surfaced. For example, the UCDL now boasts an infrastructure that allows administrators and faculty to focus on creating systemic change in the way authors and readers work. "We have technologies that allow broader, freer, more creative uses of text and data and we can begin to fashion badly needed services for the classroom, office and lab," says Candee. This will be added to Academic Resources 2004 Internet MiniGuide.

"Library of Congress online publication
of his scrapbook"

"Library of Congress online publication
of his scrapbook" 08/11/2004 02:40 AM

W3C Supports the URI Standard and IRI
Proposed Standard

W3C Supports the URI Standard and IRI
Proposed Standard 02/01/2005 08:54 PM
2005-01-26: W3C is pleased to announce its support for two publications that are important for Web addressing and increase the international reach of the Web. The documents are coordinated efforts of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and W3C. Read the press release. (News archive)
Grok Description matches for OJR article: Industry Standard Is Latest Dot.Com-Era Publication to Try a Comeback
GrokA matches for OJR article: Industry Standard Is Latest Dot.Com-Era Publication to Try a Comeback

OJR article: Industry Standard Is Latest Dot.Com-Era Publication to Try a Comeback

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