RE: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/Semantic Desktop link?) from ProjectParadigm-ICT-Program on 2010-12-02 (semantic-web@w3.org from December 2010)

From: ProjectParadigm-ICT-Program <metadataportals@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 08:56:24 -0800 (PST)
To: pavithra_kenjige@yahoo.com, Martin Hepp <martin.hepp@ebusiness-unibw.org>, leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com, Afraz Jaffri <afrazjaffri@hotmail.com>
Cc: melvincarvalho@gmail.com, juanfederico@gmail.com, semantic-web@w3.org, Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@w3.org>
Message-ID: <578194.5740.qm@web113818.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
End-users, consumers or whatever label you place on the people who utilize ICT equipment and tools, whether for entertainment, work or otherwise determine which technology to use, and are the final decision-makers in finding new ways of using technologies or accepting or rejecting them.

ICT companies must be continuously on the lookout for user trends.

While future forecasters and technology trend gurus may tell us the future of new technologies (I still laugh, when I remember the fuss about ISDN twenty-five years ago), and marketing and advertising agencies try to get a hold and fix on user technology acceptance trends, consumers and end-users have a mind of their own.

And sometimes there a factors that can cause a gradual paradigm shift.

Take for example the gradual introduction and widespread acceptance of open source software and license based UNIX flavors in academia. And what about the Cathedral and the Bazaar essay.

The semantic web is all about sophisticated technology and undoubtedly very useful.

In the end nothing beats intuition, experience and having a knack for analyzing how users come to make their decisions on which technologies to embrace.

I joined several open discussion groups in apparently totally unrelated areas, like anthropology and social sciences to get a different perspective on human behavior of the end-user and consumer.

It has forced me to throw out quite a few preconceived notions as a technically inclined person about how technologies are used.

There is no black and white or even gray areas in the discussion about the acceptance of technologies linked to the semantic web.

Only a lot of human behavior factors that we are only recently beginning to grasp.

So while I agree with Pavithra I must also agree with Afraz.

While it certainly does not make applying semantic web technologies any easier, it does make it more challenging and exciting.

Milton Ponson
GSM: +297 747 8280
PO Box 1154, Oranjestad
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
Project Paradigm: A structured approach to bringing the tools for sustainable development to all stakeholders worldwide by creating ICT tools for NGOs worldwide and: providing online access to web sites and repositories of data and information for sustainable development

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.


--- On Thu, 12/2/10, Afraz Jaffri <afrazjaffri@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Afraz Jaffri <afrazjaffri@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/Semantic    Desktop link?)
To: pavithra_kenjige@yahoo.com, "Martin Hepp" <martin.hepp@ebusiness-unibw.org>, metadataportals@yahoo.com, leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com
Cc: melvincarvalho@gmail.com, juanfederico@gmail.com, semantic-web@w3.org, "Tim Berners-Lee" <timbl@w3.org>
Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 4:19 PM




Your analysis of the IT landscape in many companies is somewhat optimistic i fear...

http://www.dilbert.com/2010-12-02/

Afraz

Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 07:24:13 -0800
From: pavithra_kenjige@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/Semantic   Desktop link?)
To: martin.hepp@ebusiness-unibw.org; metadataportals@yahoo.com; leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com; afrazjaffri@hotmail.com
CC: melvincarvalho@gmail.com; juanfederico@gmail.com; semantic-web@w3.org; timbl@w3.org


Even though I agree with "providing solution"  not technology names is the approach ...
Technology consumers or businesses are technology savy in the internet age.   They do know lot more than technology folks like them to, unless the businesses have a CIO or CTO with music or art major.    In that case, they are very nice, logical but need you to just provide solutions ..   

Your argument is like saying a person who is looking to buy an automobile for commute do not know anything about brands, make or models.   Such statements by large not true in USA,  many people know the exact kind, of automobile they like to buy or need before going to a car dealer.. 

People are on social networking sites and connect everywhere.   Even remote farm lands in third world countries know how
 to use technologies to gauge weather, rainfall and soil conditions, using thier mobile apps. 

I would give more credit to businesses advanced countries and their knowledge of technology and provide a solution, but with some explanation of the underlying technology architecture and benefits and limitations..

Regards,
Pavithra 





--- On Thu, 12/2/10, Afraz Jaffri <afrazjaffri@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Afraz Jaffri <afrazjaffri@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/Semantic   Desktop link?)
To: martin.hepp@ebusiness-unibw.org, metadataportals@yahoo.com, leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com
Cc: melvincarvalho@gmail.com, juanfederico@gmail.com, semantic-web@w3.org, timbl@w3.org
Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 9:48 AM




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Just my 2p worth...

> CC: melvincarvalho@gmail.com; juanfederico@gmail.com; semantic-web@w3.org; timbl@w3.org
> From: martin.hepp@ebusiness-unibw.org
> To: metadataportals@yahoo.com; leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com
> Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 12:23:01 +0100
> Subject: Re: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/Semantic  Desktop link?)
> 
> My definite advice would be to avoid the words "semantic", "ontology",  
> "linked data", "reasoning", "artificial intelligence", "triple", and  
> "RDF" in any pitch. Marketing in theory and practice has taught for at  
> least 50 years that the needs of customers should be the starting  
> point and the centerpiece of any business, and NOT what technology or  
> skills you have.
> 
> 99% of the Semantic Web pitches I have seen try to sell a technology  
> and not a solution to a problem. They start from their worlds
 and not  
> from the worlds of their potential customers. Starting with your  
> technology approach and then inventing a problem may work in academia  
> and may be sufficient for acquiring research grants, but it will not  
> work in the marketplace.
> 

+1

In the commercial world, we sell *solutions* to business problems. It is often of no interest to the client how that solution is implemented as long as the requirements are fulfilled. If Linked Data is the best means of implementing the solution then fine - go build it. If not, you are certainly not able to ram a technology down people's throats, it just doesnt work.

Afraz

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_______________________________________________________________________ 

Afraz Jaffri 

Semantic Web SME |
Business Technology Consulting 

   

Capgemini UK | Birmingham 

Tel.: +44 870 904 3819 –
Int.: 700 3819 

www.capgemini.com 

People matter, results
count. 



 


> I recently listened to a startup pitch in the context of GoodRelations:
> 
> Me: What's your key innovation?
> They: "We are 100 % semantic"
> 
> ;-)
> 
> As for the semantic desktop application, my main questions would be :
> 
> 1. What expertise do you have in HCI? Can you an develop Apple-quality  
> user interfaces, engineered to perfection, scientifically validated to  
> meet the cognitive skills and work patterns of users? All underlying  
> RDF technology is irrelevant if the GUI is not as good as that of an  
> iPhone etc. And that is a skill completely separate from the  
> "semantic" sphere, and it will be a key requirement for success. You  
> can likely not outsource it to a contracted interface designer.
> 
> 2. How likely is it that your approach can be perfectly integrated  
> into the top 3 operating systems
 and top 10 application software  
> packages, in particular OS X, Windows, MS Office?
> 
> It does not matter whether anybody, however famous, endorses your  
> product. Amazon, Google, eBay, Twitter, and Facebook all made it  
> without such endorsement.
> 
> 
> Martin
> 
> PS: Two book recommendations:
> 
> Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian: Information Rules,. A Strategic Guide to  
> the Network Econonomy
> Oz Shy: The Economics fo Network Industries
> 
> PS: Note that Hal Varian is Chief Economist at Google
> 
> 
> On 01.12.2010, at 13:57, ProjectParadigm-ICT-Program wrote:
> 
> > If you want to pitch the semantic web, have a look at the following  
> > news article:
> > http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11797840
> >
> > 23 November 2010 Last updated at 09:32 GMT. Why the future of search 
 
> > is social
> > By Mark Ward Technology correspondent, BBC News
> >
> > In my humble opinion there are three ways to enhance web search, one  
> > is by user profiling, which tries to pigeonhole users by predefined  
> > templates and web usage behavioral statistics.
> >
> > The second is by use of semantic web technologies which search for  
> > semantically linked content.
> >
> > The third is by defining search based on culture, cultural behavior,  
> > or more particularly group behaviors based on commonly shared  
> > values, needs or other criteria.
> >
> > The obvious linkup of Bing and FaceBook and the intention of Google  
> > to invent an improved social search will have to rely on a mix of  
> > all three technologies.
> >
> > Which brings us back to the original thread
 of the Semantic Desktop:  
> > it needs to incorporate some of this cultural modeling, or in its  
> > bare essence modeling of peer groups and social network and  
> > professional network structures.
> >
> > And I definitely would not want to pitch S.E.M.A.N.T.I.C. as proposed.
> >
> > Milton Ponson
> > GSM: +297 747 8280
> > PO Box 1154, Oranjestad
> > Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
> > Project Paradigm: A structured approach to bringing the tools for  
> > sustainable development to all stakeholders worldwide by creating  
> > ICT tools for NGOs worldwide and: providing online access to web  
> > sites and repositories of data and information for sustainable  
> > development
> >
> > This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and  
> > intended solely for the use of the
 individual or entity to whom they  
> > are addressed. If you have received this email in error please  
> > notify the system manager. This message contains confidential  
> > information and is intended only for the individual named. If you  
> > are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute  
> > or copy this e-mail.
> >
> >
> > --- On Tue, 11/30/10, Juan Sequeda <juanfederico@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > From: Juan Sequeda <juanfederico@gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: How to pitch the semantic web (was: is there a Enquire/ 
> > Semantic Desktop link?)
> > To: "Melvin Carvalho" <melvincarvalho@gmail.com>
> > Cc: "Leo Sauermann" <leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com>, "ProjectParadigm- 
> > ICT-Program" <metadataportals@yahoo.com>, "SWIG" <semantic- 
> > web@w3.org>, "Tim
 Berners-Lee" <timbl@w3.org>
> > Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 10:20 PM
> >
> > How have you pitched this to?
> >
> > Does it work?
> >
> > Juan Sequeda
> > +1-575-SEQ-UEDA
> > www.juansequeda.com
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 1:11 PM, Melvin Carvalho <melvincarvalho@gmail.com 
> > > wrote:
> > Acronym
> > =======
> >
> > I have come up with the following acronym: S.E.M.A.N.T.I.C. to
> > describe what I see as the 8 big components of the Semantic Web.
> >
> > The URI is the value proposition because Universality leads to
> > interop.  Interop will provide huge value to both end users and
> > businesses.  A good company will be able to capture some of that
> > value.
> >
> > In each case I've added an early
 adopter.
> >
> >
> > The 8 Components of the SEMANTIC Web
> > =====================================
> >
> > Social - MySpace
> >
> > Entertainment - YouTube
> >
> > Markets - Ebay
> >
> > Access (inc. mobile access) - Microsoft
> >
> > Nearby Services (geo / local etc.) - data.gov.uk
> >
> > Trust - Verisign
> >
> > Information Management - Google
> >
> > Currencies - PayPal
> >
> >
> > Interop
> > =======
> >
> > Two case studies to note cover more than one aspect, show the power of
> > interop.
> >
> > - Facebook, a basic social solution with a basic trust system adds
> > more value then each individually.
> >
> > - Zynga a basic social system with a basic
 entertainment system gets
> > you from 0 to 5 billion in 3 years
> >
> > That's what you can do with some mild interop with 2-3 out of the 8  
> > components.
> >
> > The Sem Web has the potential to give us 8/8 if we all work together
> > to make great solutions in each field.  The good news is that we're
> > underway in each area.  I think it has started to happen, 2011 I see
> > the first demos springing up, and growing to a much more collaborative
> > effort going forward.
> >
> > We need to specialize but also work together.  In this way, the Web
> > gets better, and everyone wins.
> >
> >
> > On 22 November 2010 17:42, Leo Sauermann <leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com>  
> > wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > well there is David Siegel and "PULL", which is a kind of
 "marketing
> > > brochure" for the semantic web (and more, including David, but  
> > that is fine
> > > with me).
> > > http://thepowerofpull.com/pull/blog
> > > http://vimeo.com/16248196 - not the quality of a TED talk, but  
> > aiming
> > > towards it... do we have better videos?
> > >
> > > and it seems he gets a lot of keynotes from it, which is also fine.
> > > so these keynotes may be the ad videos we need.
> > >
> > > We had these discussions within the W3C Semantic Web Education and  
> > Outreach
> > > Interest Group (SWEO) when I was there. The point back then was:  
> > the W3C
> > > communications team *could* do some videos and publicity, but in  
> > general the
> > > W3C policy is to spend the money on standardization, not  
> >
 advertisments.
> > >
> > > This W3C policy is of course thwarted by the funny example of
> > > dataportability.org who (I follow them since years) spend all the  
> > budget on
> > > marketing ;-) and they get good coverage and have good explanation  
> > of their
> > > ideas.
> > >
> > > Perfect Future to pitch the Semantic Web:
> > > The marketing power of dataportability and the standardization  
> > process of
> > > W3C.
> > >
> > >
> > > Well, I am not pitching the semantic web anyway, this is well done  
> > by the
> > > LOD crowd and the data.gov crowd excellently. I only have to pitch  
> > semantic
> > > pim, and to make it as well as David Siegel or the DataPortability  
> > folks, I
> > > would need a 24/7 job to
 just pitch and pitch and write books and  
> > give
> > > keynotes and travel and... :-|
> > >
> > > best
> > > Leo
> > >
> > > It was ProjectParadigm-ICT-Program who said at the right time  
> > 22.11.2010
> > > 17:29 the following words:
> > >
> > > ...
> > >
> > > As for quantum mechanics and string theory, at least these have  
> > had popular
> > > science programs on TV in the US and UK try to convey in the  
> > simplest
> > > possible terms what these theories are all about.
> > >
> > > The semantic web has yet to get the same coverage.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Leo Sauermann, Dr.
> > > CEO and Founder
> > >
> > > mail: leo.sauermann@gnowsis.com
> > >
 mobile: +43 6991 gnowsis
> > > http://www.gnowsis.com
> > >
> > > helping people remember,
> > >
> > > so join our newsletter
> > > http://www.gnowsis.com/about/content/newsletter
> > > ____________________________________________________
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> 
>
Received on Thursday, 2 December 2010 16:57:00 UTC