Re: Uploading the Semantic Web into Google Base?

Chris Bizer wrote:
> 

snip

> 
> It's strange that there hasn't been too much discussion in the Semantic Web
> community about Google base yet. Should we be happy, that Google provides us
> with a fast repository and a nice search interface? Or should we be critical
> because a single company is trying to gain a dominant market position by
> building a single central Web data repository? Should we be happy that
> Google is promoting the idea of publishing structured information on the
> Web? Or should we be critical to their (over-)simplification of the RDF data
> model?
> 

My opinion, FWIW:

a.  We should be happy that Google provides us with a fast repository 
and a nice search interface (especially if we can get access to the 
data).  Any usage of any part of this technology should be encouraged.

b.  No point in being critical.   Google already *had* a central Web 
data repository.  All they're doing is adding structured data to it, and 
doing it in a "distributed" way (by asking everyone to contribute to 
it).  This seems a reasonable variant of the basic SW idea.  The fact 
that it is centrally *stored* should be just a technicality, provided 
the data is freely accessible.  Regarding the "single company" issue, 
Google *is* a single company, and they've made a decision independently 
to build this repository of structured data.  What else could they do? 
Other companies are free to join the fun if they want.  If they don't, 
and think that this is merely a Quixotic effort on Google's part, I'll 
root for Google.

c.  We should be *very* happy that Google is promoting the idea of 
publishing structured data on the Web (maybe this will prod others into 
taking this more seriously than they are now).

d.  Whether or not Google is *over*-simplifying the RDF data model will 
work itself out in practice.  Google is building a user base.  As usage 
increases, if that user base wants more functionality than they're 
getting from what Google provides, the functionality will be extended.

--Frank

Received on Monday, 5 December 2005 16:10:41 UTC