What is the SIOC-o-sphere?

Hi all -

I just want to give an introduction to new list members regarding SIOC, 
the (Semantically-Interconnected Online Communities) project [1], lead 
by DERI at NUI Galway. I know Uldis has given a brief overview in his 
hello message... Basically, what SIOC is is an open specification for 
describing communities using online discussion forums / blogs / mailing 
lists / etc., leading to what some may term distributed conversations 
and channels (see discussion clouds picture at [2]). At the moment, 
online communities are islands that are not well interlinked, and the 
SIOC ontology has been proposed to not only link these communities but 
to leverage data in ways that were previously unknown.

We know that Web 2.0 applications such as blogging and wikis have become 
very popular and at the same time have created an interconnected 
information space (through the “blogosphere” and inter-wiki links). 
Also, the Semantic Web is increasingly aiming at applications areas, and 
can help address certain boundaries that Web 2.0 applications are 
experiencing in terms of information dissemination and automation (e.g. 
semantic blogging, semantic wikis, etc.). So far, it is probably fair to 
say that the Semantic Web effort has been mainly towards producing 
standards and recommendations that will interlink applications, and Web 
2.0 was about providing collaborative user applications - these are not 
mutually exclusive as many Web 2.0 applications can and will use 
Semantic Web technologies to great benefit (see our recent tutorial on 
Semantic Web 2.0 at [3]).

If the blogosphere is the interconnected world of weblogs, and the 
boardscape is the world of message boards, the "SIOC-o-sphere" can be 
thought of as the combination of these and other spheres of discussion 
(Usenet, mailing lists, image gallery discussions, event chats, etc.). 
Just as the blogosphere has become a proving ground for Web 2.0 
applications, we envisage the siocosphere and its interconnected 
representation of all Web-based community discussions as being a bridge 
from Web 2.0 to the Semantic Web.

The initial version of our SIOC specification was released some time 
ago. It can be used in conjunction with other RDF formats such as FOAF 
and SKOS (see the picture of overlaps at [4]). In terms of producing 
metadata, we've started with SIOC exporters for open-source discussion 
systems such as WordPress, Drupal, dotClear, and more are on the way (I 
started the phpBB one last week). You can also represent mailing lists 
in SIOC using the SWAML system.

While there are many (useful) classes and properties in SIOC, it can 
essentially be boiled down to: Users create Posts that are contained in 
Forums that are hosted on Sites, e.g.

Site -> host_of -> Forum -> container_of -> Post -> has_creator -> User

Posts have reply Posts, and Forums can be parents of other Forums.

I know it's difficult to get a good feeling for what SIOC is from a mail 
message, but we have some presentations [5] in PDF or video format that 
may help explain things graphically, and I am looking forward to your 
inputs and of course continued SIOC interest via SWEO.

Thanks,

John.
--
[1] http://sioc-project.org/
[2] http://sioc-project.org/node/139
[3] http://sw.deri.org/~jbreslin/presentations/20060526a.pdf
[4] http://sioc-project.org/node/158
[5] http://sioc-project.org/presentations

-- 
Dr. John Breslin
DERI, NUI Galway
http://sw.deri.org/~jbreslin/
john.breslin@deri.org

Received on Thursday, 21 December 2006 15:59:24 UTC