Re: Schema.org

There are a couple of books about google that should be of interest:-
Here is one by Scott Cleland found at http://www.searchanddestroybook.com/
(Cleland was a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Information and Communication Policy. He has certainly caught the attention
of some eminent people e.g.
Phil Kerpen, chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition, Ben Edelman,
Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School ...)
"
This is the other side of the Google story—the unauthorized book that Google
does not want you to read. In *Search & Destroy*, Google expert Scott
Cleland, shows that the world’s most powerful company is not who it pretends
to be.
Google pretends to be a harmless lamb, but chose a full-size model of a
Tyrannosaurus Rex as its mascot. Beware the T-Rex in sheep’s clothing.
Google has acquired far more information, both public and private, and has
invented more ways to use it, than anyone in history. Information is power,
and in Google’s case, it’s the power to influence and control virtually
everything the Internet touches.
Learn how Google’s pervasive tracking and profiling destroys privacy and
individualism.

Discover how Google Inc. uses its “Don’t be evil” slogan to mask unethical
business practices.

Learn how Google’s market dominance and free products threaten competition,
innovation, job creation, and economic growth.

Discover how Google’s hidden political agenda threatens individual freedom,
democracy, and national sovereignty.

Understand the ramifications of Google imposing its radical values and
ideology on the world.
"
Well they want to sell the book!
But these last few bullet points apply to the internet generally and all
other computer mediated transactions to a greater or lesser extent.
Of course, if there is a company then it is possible to identify an agenda
with it.
We have to accept, and this must be part of the role of w3 if it has any
relevance, where we are now and that there are huge intrinsic tensions and
conflicts associated with computer mediated transactions (financial +
internet, the two inextricably bound).
Consider the sentence "Discover how Google’s hidden political agenda
threatens individual freedom, democracy, and national sovereignty." from
above quote.
I haven't read the book, and I am interested in researching these issues,
but my initial reaction is this.
1. At first the statement seems like preposterous hyperbole.
2. These are very serious issues to consider if taken at face value.
3. I am interested in the psychology of the entry point to the internet. It
no longer suffices to separate the technical from the psychological and all
that entails.
4. The internet is like another country, and, as soon as this is said, the
problems with it come into focus - cost of entry, border control,
governance, citizenship and last, but not least, economy.

Best,

Adam

On 7 June 2011 06:04, Bjoern Hoehrmann <derhoermi@gmx.net> wrote:

> * Juan Sequeda wrote:
> >I'm surprised nobody has started the discussion on the gran announcement
> of
> >Google, Yahoo and Bing on schema.org
>
> A friend of mine claimed to have had a look at the site and told me a
> joke about it. He said that the Terms of Service for the site say, by
> using the site you agree to be bound to terms the maintainers of it
> may come up with in the future, and that, if you want to use their
> schemas on your site in a fully conforming manner, and only then, and
> the maintainers may change what that means at any time without notice,
> you may be able to receive a license under terms that are not disclosed
> to do so, if a license might be necessary, which is also undisclosed.
> Now my friend does not read english very well, and certainly can't read
> english legalese, so I laughed about that a lot, as he could not have
> been serious about it.
> --
> Björn Höhrmann · mailto:bjoern@hoehrmann.de · http://bjoern.hoehrmann.de
> Am Badedeich 7 · Telefon: +49(0)160/4415681 · http://www.bjoernsworld.de
> 25899 Dagebüll · PGP Pub. KeyID: 0xA4357E78 · http://www.websitedev.de/
>
>