The notion of allowing access to your website content and data via API's and other machine readable means is well embedded in geek circles. This presentation aims to look at the non-technical reasons why these approaches are a good idea, arguing that it is time for Machine Readable Data (MRD) approaches to be better communicated to content owners, budget holders and other non-technical stakeholders.

1. don’t think websites: think data
[ the surprising conclusions of someone
who prefers content to technology ]
www.slideshare.net/dmje

2. actually, the
real title is this:
>
ten reasons why you should pay attention to the geeks
because actually they have something quite important
to say which us non-geeky people should be listening to

3. (you wouldn’t have come along if I’d said that before)

4. first, the geek snigger test

5. hardcore geek
http://xkcd.com/327/

6. amateur geek
http://www.neologies.net/2007/03/html-tattoo.html

7. (awake?)
http://boingboing.net/2006/11/02/hilarious-piechartvi.html

8. what will you come away from this talk with?

9. I want to:
1. Convince you that good content is
content that has been set free
2. Demonstrate 10 reasons why
machine-readableness is a good thing
3. Give you 5 ideas about how do “do it”
4. Not be technical*
* depending on the outcome of the geek snigger test

10. ...simple, really.

11. consider the value of locked-in content

12. http://www.ucas.com/instit/i/h60.html
locked in = single purpose
single purpose = waste
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/events.aspx
http://unicorn.lib.ic.ac.uk/uhtbin/opac/webcentral
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=8727

13. why are we here?
“..[to decide] the next steps
that need to be taken to
ensure the sustained
integration of digitised
content into research and
education ”

14. Catherine Grout, jdcc09:
“content needs to
be made available
quickly, easily, and
in a way that suits
individual needs”

15. and the answer is...?

16. microformats
API RDF
OpenSearch
RSS
actually, it’s these: machine-readability
RDFa
REST
JSON iCal

17. (i.e. stuff that a computer can
get at when it comes to your site)

18. “machine readable” is a bit of a mouthful, so how about..
MRD:
“machine readable data”

19. purists might argue with this
but we're going to ignore them

20. browsers (therefore people) read html
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
<div class="mxb">
<h1>John Simpson: Secret
voices of the new Iran</h1>
<p>John Simpson reporting
from Tehran before his visa
ran out on Sunday...
</div>
</td>
</tr>

21. non-browsers read non-html
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title> John Simpson: Secret
voices of the new Iran </title>
<link>http://bbc.co.uk/.../</link>
<description> John Simpson
reporting from Tehran before
his visa ran out on Sunday...

22. microformats
API RDF
OpenSearch
RSS
these things are the non-html bit
RDFa
REST
JSON iCal

23. geeks are signed up to MRD

24. the importance of this isn’t immediately clear
and certainly hasn’t been well communicated

25. now is the time to convince the non-geeks
that they should invest* in these approaches
* attention, not necessarily money

26. ten reasons to stop thinking websites
...and start thinking data

27. 1: content is still king, and always will be

28. MRD is a content concern, not a technical one

29. 2: re-use is not just good, it's essential

31. 3: life is easier when you (everyone) can get at your data
"wouldn't it
be great if..."

32. archive?
...?
run a report?
make it pretty?
re-purpose? make it more searchable?
have a mobile version?
run a kiosk? build a widget?

33. 4: content development is cheaper

34. launchball
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/launchball

35. 5: things get more visual

36. http://visibletweets.com/

37. seattle public library: http://bit.ly/Bmc8N

38. 6: taking content to users, not users to content

39. your content on other sites

40. 7: it doesn’t have to be very hard

42. 8: you can't hide your content

43. http://developer.yahoo.com/yql
http://hoard.it

44. Thanks to Tony Hirst: http://bit.ly/8zwEn

45. 9: we really is bigger and better than me

46. positive externality
“
next up are the Network Effects.
here’s a classic example: the more
people who own telephones, the
more useful they become.
There is a *positive externality* - a
user doesn’t intend for their phone
to create value for others, but it
does
”
46

47. 10: traffic

48. but how?
48

49. if you love it, set it free
(you lost control anyway)

50. don’t ever stop thinking users

51. microformats
API RDF
OpenSearch
RSS
start small
RDFa
REST
JSON iCal

52. always think: “what if...?”
52

53. never, ever procure technology again
without asking: “where is the [API]?”...

54. the takeaway thought
At some point in the future, you’ll
want to do “something else” with
your content. Right now, you have
no idea whatsoever what that thing
is.
These techniques allow you to make
a worthwhile investment in a future
no-one can know.

55. thanks for listening
mike.ellis@eduserv.org.uk
twitter.com/m1ke_ellis
electronicmuseum.org.uk
www.slideshare.net/dmje

56. thanks to these people, too
abstract http://www.flickr.com/photos/toxi/292509986/
empty room http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkmoose/2355080489/
answer http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrs_logic/3320303076/
components http://www.flickr.com/photos/storm-crypt/2078500698/
sea http://www.flickr.com/photos/ezioman/410307927/
destroy purists http://www.flickr.com/photos/apeology/2335392254/
print screen http://www.flickr.com/photos/p1r/1351558354/
bad communication http://www.flickr.com/photos/shelleygibb/3372412222/
pay attention http://www.flickr.com/photos/subliminal/511527000/
ten http://www.flickr.com/photos/spilt-milk/164145237/
content http://www.flickr.com/photos/p373/2537069802/
re-use http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusq/3032678489/
just relax http://www.flickr.com/photos/victornuno/205239817/
cheap http://www.flickr.com/photos/project-404/142767581/
visual http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielaguilar/2967187605/
crowd http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalieye/3265551769/
simple http://www.flickr.com/photos/martynf65/3494532917/
hidden http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiggywinkle/54801422/
social network http://www.flickr.com/photos/gustavog/4557105/
traffic http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwudi/268382948/
free birds http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankloohuis/468320896/
freedom http://www.flickr.com/photos/josefgrunig/1732787905/
night fight http://www.flickr.com/photos/strocchi/295280599/