[uf-discuss] Revisiting a press release microformat

[Tantek Ç elik]

Welcome Todd!

On 6/22/06 12:34 PM, "Todd Van Hoosear" <tvanhoosear at topazpartners.com>
wrote:

> I read with interest the thread back in January regarding a press
> release microformat
> (http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2006-January/
> 002701.html). The consensus at the time was that hAtom
> (http://microformats.org/wiki/hatom) was sufficient.

Or rather, I believe the proposal was, try publishing some of your press
releases in hAtom in order to discover "what's missing" using real
experience.


> I'd like to revisit this subject, and add the perspective of a public
> relations professional.
> 
> I was very pleased to see news releases being considered for a specific
> microformat. I would argue that we're in dire need of a news release
> microformat that makes it easier for journalists and other interested
> parties to sift through the hundreds of press releases that cross the
> wires ever hour. 

It is good to start with a real problem statement.


> After looking at the hAtom format, I would argue that it doesn't suit
> the needs of journalists sufficiently.

Perhaps, but "suiting needs" is not what drives a microformat.

Microformats are driven and designed by modeling existing behavior on the
Web.

Here is what I encourage you to do.

First, try using just hAtom to markup a few press releases and publish them
on the web (so we can refer to them with URLs when we discuss them).  One of
our maxims is to make as much use of existing microformats as possible
before resorting to creating a new microformat.  As a result of that
process, keep track of what you were unable to markup using hAtom.  Post
URLs to these to the list and let other folks take a look at the markup and
perhaps suggest additional usage.

Second, start a page for "press-release-examples" on the microformats.org
wiki per the process[1], using guidance from the examples[2] page.

 http://microformats.org/wiki/press-release-examples

Third, invite folks to help with documenting the implied schema in the
examples.  

Start with that.

If at any point you get stuck or are unsure what to do next, feel free to
ask here on the list or in IRC and I'm sure folks will be more than happy to
help keep you moving along.

Thanks,

Tantek

[1] http://microformats.org/wiki/process
[2] http://microformats.org/wiki/examples