question-answer-brainstorming

Questions and Answers

Purpose

The "question-answer" microformat proposes to formalize the relationships between questions and answers (including "FAQs") published within a single HTML document (and possibly a set of documents). Such formalization should allow for reuse of questions and answers in new contexts, e.g. search engines, IM bots, etc.

Multi-page FAQs

Based on [1] (extraneous detail omitted)

Current mark-up:

<a href="/england/noappointmentneeded/walkincentres/walkincentreservices.cmsx">What services does a Walk-in Centre offer?</a>

Possible solution (tentative class-names):

<a class="question answer-at" href="/england/noappointmentneeded/walkincentres/walkincentreservices.cmsx">What services does a Walk-in Centre offer?</a>

More about this possible solution:

(FAQ-LIST)

<ul class="faq-list">

<li><a class="question answer-at" href="faq1.htm">What are the microformats?</a></li>

<li><a class="question answer-at" href="faq2.htm">Who can use the microformats? </a></li>

<li><a class="question answer-at" href="faq3.htm">How can we use the microformats? </a></li>

</ul>

(FAQ-PAGE)

<div class="faq">

<h1 class="question">What are the microformats?</h1>

<p class="answer">Microformats are an implementation...</p>

</div>

(FAQ-NAVIGATION-MENU)

<ul class="faq-navigation">

<li><a href="faq1.htm" class="faq-previous question answer-at">What are the microformats?</a> (Previous in faq-list)</li>

<li><a href="faq3.htm" class="faq-next question answer-at">How can we use the microformats?</a> (Next in faq-list)</li>

</ul>

hFeed

FAQs could be marked up as, or using a variant of, hAtom, with the question being the entry title and the answer the content. Andy Mabbett

hfeed (hAtom) is a good candidate, however, one thing is lacking...the key concept of a q/a. The value of a q/a format is for agregating questions and answers. If hAtom can indicate that it's contents are q/a it would be perfect. Taylor Cowan

See also

• question-answer-examples
• question-answer-formats