how-to-start-a-new-microformat

The New Microformat HOW-TO

This HOW-TO provides a step-by-step tutorial in the process of creating a new Microformat from beginning to end.

Step 1: Determine if a New Microformat is Needed

Time Commitment: 1-2 weeks

In many cases, a new Microformat is not needed. Microformats are meant to be combined with one another, therefore most problems can be solved by combining a number of Microformats. Here is a step by step guide to determining if a new Microformat is needed:

1. Create a Problem Statement
   1. The Problem Statement is a very specific paragraph that outlines the problem that you are trying to address. If you need an example of an initial problem statement, one can be found here: hAudio Problem Statement. Once you have finished your problem statement, proceed to the next step.
2. Apply pre-existing Microformats to your Problem Statement
   1. There is a large list of Microformat specifications, drafts and exploratory discussions that could be applied to your Problem Statement. Make sure to check the list and see if your problem can be solved using a combination of the pre-existing Microformats. If you have not found a combination of Microformats that can address your problem statement, proceed to the next step.
3. Ask the microformats-new mailing list for guidance
   1. There are a number of people that have been active in the community for a long time. If you have done the first two steps and you still think that your problem is not being addressed by the Microformats community, ask the microformats-new mailing list. Make sure to include your Problem Statement and let the list know that you are considering creating a new Microformat to address the issue. Be ready for a variety of answers - the community rarely agrees when a new topic arises. It may take a bit of discussion to determine if a new Microformat is needed.

Step 2: Gather Examples and Similar Projects

Time Commitment: 2-4 weeks

If several people on the microformats-new mailing list have stated that they are interested in working on your problem statement, the next step in the process is to gather examples.

1. Gather example URLs
   1. Example data that is published that matches your problem statement. If you are attempting to come up with a new image metadata Microformat, for example, you would collect website URLs that publish image metadata (such as Flickr).
2. Gather example file formats
   1. File formats that match your problem statement. Similarly, if you are attempting to come up with a new image metadata Microformat, you would collect file formats that are capable of encapsulating image metadata (such as as the EXIF file format).
3. Create and populate the examples page
   1. You will want to create an examples page on the wiki. For example, if you are gathering image metadata examples, you could name the page image-metadata-examples. Place all example URLs into this page. For more guidance, take a look at the audio-info-examples page.
4. Create and populate the formats page
   1. You will want to create a formats page on the wiki. For example, if you are gathering image metadata formats, you could name the page image-metadata-formats. For more guidance, take a look at the audio-info-formats page.

Step 3: Analyze the Examples for Common Attributes

Time Commitment: 3-6 weeks

Microformats are based on sound research, logical analysis and thorough vetting of the data that you have gathered. This is one of the most tedious parts of the process, and if you do not perform a thorough job at this stage, it will come back to bite you.

1. Determine common properties
   1. It is important to define and keep track of common properties found throughout the process. If you were analyzing image metadata, for instance, you would probably define the title, summary, formatted name, and publish date properties. The list will grow as you perform more analysis. Make sure to clearly define each common property so that others will know what you mean in your analysis. For an example of defining common properties, here is the definition for the audio-info title common property.
2. Analyze each example URL
   1. Once a set of common properties have been defined, start analyzing each example URL that you have collected. Note which common properties are published on each page. You will have to add common properties to the list as you find new trends while analyzing your data. Here is an example of how you can document this analysis on the wiki: audio-info analysis documentation
3. Analyze each format
   1. Perform the same type of analysis that you performed on the example URLs on the file formats and other semantic formats you have gathered.