ReadWriteWeb

We've covered Linked Data - a W3C specification for publishing structured data - frequently at ReadWriteWeb. We've covered its importance, its growth and various projects and tools taking advantage of it. But what about tools to actually get your hands dirty and work with it yourself?

RDF is one way of using Linked Data. Michele Pasin, a researcher and Web developer at the Centre for Computing in the Humanities has created a list of resources for Python developers working with RD - including Python libraries, tutorials and Python friendly RDF triplestores.

At the Semantic Technology conference in San Francisco last week, I met up with two W3C representatives to discuss the current state of the Semantic Web - a Web of added meaning and structured data. W3C, the World Wide Web Consortium, is the official standards organization of the Web and is led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. I spoke with W3C Semantic Web Activity Lead Ivan Herman and W3C eGovernment Interest Group leader Sandro Hawke.

The main takeaway from the conversation was the rapid adoption of RDFa, by big commercial companies such as Facebook and Best Buy. It's come as a "very pleasant surprise" to Ivan Herman.

Editor's note:This guest post was written by Aaron Strout and John Cass, two marketing professionals who are monitoring how the semantic web will help companies and marketers help consumers.

What is the semantic web, you wonder? Don't worry, you're not alone. The term "semantic web," or "Web 3.0" as some folks have started calling it, means different things to different people. In this post, we'll clarify what it is and why we think it will play an important role in the world of marketing.

In this article, we'll analyze the trends and technologies that power the Semantic Web. We'll identify patterns that are beginning to emerge, classify the different trends, and peak into what the future holds.

In a recent interview Tim Berners-Lee pointed out that the infrastructure to power the Semantic Web is already here. ReadWriteWeb's founder, Richard MacManus, even picked it to be the number one trend in 2008. And rightly so. Not only are the bits of infrastructure now in place, but we are also seeing startups and larger corporations working hard to deliver end user value on top of this sophisticated set of technologies.