[uf-discuss] wysiwyg editors and microformats

[Ted Drake]

-----Original Message-----
From: microformats-discuss-bounces at microformats.org
[mailto:microformats-discuss-bounces at microformats.org] On Behalf Of
Christian Heilmann
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 9:29 AM
To: Microformats Discuss
Subject: Re: [uf-discuss] wysiwyg editors and microformats

> Recently I've been thinking about how can I make it easier for my
> non-tech clients using our web based CMS to write POSH and Microformats.
> I've just written some thoughts on my blog:
> http://www.ts0.com/2007/06/posh-wysiwyg.asp
> but im wondering if anyone else has done this before? if anyone has any
> input?
>
> Adding microformat markup into db loops on big sites listing people and
> events is really useful and opens up masses of data, but if we can get
> ordinary people to start using them it'll open up a whole new world of
> really meaty data.

Full ACK, this is for me one of the biggest misconceptions about
microformats: that you can control the HTML. Most of the people I know
who write a lot of content for the web never touch HTML and have no
clue about it - and why should they? We invented CMS tools to stop
people from randomly adding their own FONT and CENTER tags.

WYSIWYG hcard editors for CMS would help allow these people to mark
things up as hcards without knowing it. I started writing a WordPress
plugin that adds something like the hcard generator below the main
entry box, but this is still too complex.

-- 
Chris Heilmann
Book: http://www.beginningjavascript.com
Blog: http://www.wait-till-i.com
Writing: http://icant.co.uk/
_______________________________________________




I agree with Christian. I am building a little form to add microformatted
details to a template. I think a wysywyg editor/microformatter is great for
specific uses, i.e. editing contact details, adding event details, adding
reviews. However, if you add this functionality to a normal inline editor,
the interface would be too complicated and filled with strange buttons for
the average user. 

I also think that bad microformatting is worse than no microformatting at
all. Do we really need a lot of hcards with just a name and no other contact
info?  That's what you'd start getting if you add the functionality to a
basic editor.

Ted Drake
www.last-child.com