The conference is over, and there as expected, there is still no consensus as to what “semantic web technologies” actually mean not to mention their utility. However, what is universally agreed is that applications that engage web-based information will continue to grow in sophistication. Who would have predicted that “computational linguistics” would become, as one pundit put it, “the new black).
Implications for CalCPA (and the Interchange session)
Currently, CalCPA is not nearly complicated enough for a full blown semantic technology solution. It operates on four or five systems: AM4, CMS, two other servers, a host of spreadsheets that our Business Services Manager is folding in to AM4; The PR manager’s media file. The way these systems have been exchanging data should meet our needs. Semantics are currently best suited to
Now, if we were to branch out in terms of the kinds of data we collect from our members, that assessment might change. There are unused modules in AM4 for things like client referrals which could open the door to a level of complexity where semantics might help.
Until then, what SHOULD be on the to-do list is:
- exploring the more consumer-based tools like microformats, Zemanta, Twine, Gnosis, BlueOrganizer that can enhance our burgeoning web 2.0 efforts; textdigger, informa, etc. for SEO
- use what I’ve learned about taxonomies and ontologies to enhance our existing strategic planning efforts. A taxonomy is a great way to take a snapshot of the organization, and since it is generated by input from the whole organization, it is comprehensive. The resulting ontology, if done correctly, can be translated into something called “OWL” that makes it much easier not only to represent what you do and your value proposition on the web but to represent it in such a way that the data becomes portable, scalable, and free from dependency on a central relational database.
I made a lot of great contacts who can help us get to a point when the time comes to do that.
