[uf-discuss] FYI: Jeff Jarvis on microformats and Google Base

[Scott Reynen]

Jon Tan wrote:

> Searching for products, property and jobs could be revolutionised  
> by MFs and immensely valuable for all users, whether they know what  
> the blogosphere is or not. If it was ever seriously suggested that  
> until current ones are in widespread use others should be on hold  
> or not be discussed it would be unfortunate.

Here's what I'd like to see: less talk of the hypothetical revolution  
microformats might usher in, and more actual implementations.  There  
are currently so few sites with microformats that it's entirely  
feasible to list them all in the wiki.  There's no need for a search  
engine like Google to get involved.  I think we should create a large  
enough base of information that it requires a search engines before  
we waste too much time trying to pressure search engines to parse the  
data.

> In the meantime in regard to the GBase question my point was that  
> they have their app now.

Precisely.  In one day, Google Base collected more structured  
information than they could in a month of parsing all existing  
microformatted data on the web.  Google wants data to attract  
searchers.  Real data.  No amount of hypothetical data will attract a  
search engine, regardless of how well that hypothetical data is  
publicized.

Peace,
Scott