event-consolidation
event consolidation
Just as identity-consolidation solves the problem of how do I connect all these profiles that all mean "me", event consolidation is a solution to the problem of how do I connect all these different representations of the same event, across blogs, event posting systems, and perhaps the site for the event itself.
Or to put it another way, why do I have to RSVP on three sites for the same event? Why can't I just RSVP once and have that RSVP reflected in all the other systems?
examples
These are real world examples of existing events with multiple representations that could benefit from event consolidation.
laughing squid pre nye party 2007
- Scott's blog post
- viewable without login
- Upcoming
- viewable without login
- marked up with hCalendar including link to Scott's post.
- Pownce
- viewable without login
- marked up with hCalendar
- Facebook
- requires login to view
In this case, note that Scott links from each event posting to his blog post, which then links to all three event postings. If Scott were markup the event in his blog post using hCalendar (including all three event posting URLs), it would be theoretically possible to RSVP to his blog post (assuming his blogging software supported RSVPing to event posts), and have that same code route you to the other event systems and auto-RSVP for your there.
brainstorm
Any site that permits the user to post an event should:
- (a) let you post one or more URLs for the event,
- (b) let you pick the "primary" URL for the event,
- (c) published the event info in hCalendar, including the "primary" URL as a
uidproperty value. - (d) support OAuth access to RSVP to events on your behalf
This would allow any event site (or perhaps a smart desktop calendar app) to RSVP for you across such sites.
lazyweb
We need a event posting / RSVPing plugins for blogging tools:
- Wordpress
- MovableType
- ... etc.
An event posting plugin would simply:
- add just a few more fields (see the differences in how Pownce lets you post a simple note vs. an event note) to let user's easily post info about an event, including URLs to representations of the event on other event posting sites.
- publish the information in a blog post on your blog with hCalendar (and download/subscribe links using the Technorati Events Feed service).
- modify the commenting user-interface on such "event" posts to add an "RSVP" field (again, note how Pownce does comments on event notes in contrast to simple notes).
- since the commenting system knows your URL (either via the form, hCard subscription/import, and/or OpenID), it can retrieve your identity-consolidation from that URL (e.g. your list of "Other Profiles" on your Pownce profile), and go to those systems that are among the set of other event posting sites noted in step 1, obtain access via OAuth, and RSVP for you on your accounts on those other systems.
- if you update your RSVP, the plugin should propagate that update to the other systems as well.
advocacy
What we need current event sites to do.
Let's start with please support hCalendar on event postings plus the ability to publish events publicly so that services can do some event consolidation without having to implement additional protocols. Add to that OAuth support for access to private events.
pownce
Pownce rocks because it already supports hCalendar and allows public events! In addition it would be great if they:
- (a) let you post one or more URLs for the event
- (b) let you pick the "primary" URL for the event
- (c) publish the "primary" URL as a "uid" in the hCalendar for the event
- (d) support OAuth access to the RSVP to events on your behalf
upcoming
Upcoming rocks because it already supports hCalendar and defaults to public events! In addition it would be great if they:
- (a) let you post more than one URL for an event
- (b) let you pick the "primary" URL for the event
- (c) publish the "primary" URL as a "uid" in the hCalendar for the event
- (d) support OAuth access to the RSVP to events on your behalf