|
Author: Sam Vaknin Article source: http://samvak.tripod.com/. Used with author's permission.
The Internet is too rich. Even powerful and sophisticated search engines, such as Google, return a lot of trash, dead ends, and Error 404's in response to the most well-defined query, Boolean operators and all. Directories created by human editors - such as Yahoo! or the Open Directory Project - are often overwhelmed by the amount of material out there. Like the legendary blob, the Internet is clearly out of classificatory control. Some web sites - like Suite101 - have introduced the old and tried Dewey subject classification system successfully used in non-virtual libraries for more than a century.
Books - both print and electronic - (actually, their publishers) get assigned an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) by national agencies. Periodical publications (magazines, newsletters, bulletins) sport an ISSN (International Serial Standard Number). National libraries dole out CIP's (Cataloguing in Publication numbers), which help lesser outfits to catalogue the book upon arrival. But the emergence of new book formats, independent publishing, and self publishing has strained this already creaking system to its limits. In short: the whole thing is fast developing into an awful mess.
http://www.doi.org/
Resolution is one solution.
Resolution is the linking of identifiers to content. An identifier can be a word, or a phrase. RealNames implemented this approach and its proprietary software is now incorporated in most browsers. The user types a word, brand name, phrase, or code, and gets re-directed to a web site with the appropriate content. The only snag: RealNames identifiers are for sale. Thus, its identifiers are not guaranteed to lead to the best, only, or relevant resource. Similar systems are available in many languages. Nexet, for example, provides such a resolution service in Hebrew.
The Association of American Publishers (APA) has an Enabling Technologies Committee. Fittingly, at the Frankfurt Book Fair of 1997, it announced the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) initiative. An International DOI Foundation (IDF) was set up and invited all publishers - American and non-American alike - to apply for a unique DOI prefix. DOI is actually a private case of a larger system of "handles" developed by the CNRI (Corporation for National Research Initiatives). Their "Handle Resolver" is a browser plug-in software, which re-directs their handles to URL's or other pieces of data, or content. Without the Resolver, typing in the handle simply directs the user to a few proxy servers, which "understand" the handle protocols.
The interesting (and new) feature of the system is its ability to resolve to MULTIPLE locations (URL's, or data, or content). The same identifier can resolve to a Universe of inter-related information (effectively, to a mini-library). The content thus resolved need not be limited to text. Multiple resolution works with audio, images, and even video.
The IDF's press release is worth some extensive quoting:
"Imagine you're the manager of an Internet company reading a story online in the "Wall Street Journal" written by Stacey E. Bressler, a co-author of Communities of Commerce, and at the end of the story there is a link to purchase options for the book.
Now imagine you are an online retailer, a syndicator or a reporter for an online news service and you are reading a review in "Publishers Weekly" about Communities of Commerce and you run across a link to related resources.
And imagine you are in Buenos Aires, and in an online publication you encounter a link to "D-Lib Magazine", an electronic journal produced in Washington, D.C. which offers you locale-specific choices for downloading an article.
The above examples demonstrate how multiple resolution can present you with a list of links from within an electronic document or page. The links beneath the labels - URLs and email addresses - would all be stored in the DOI System, and multiple resolution means any or all of those links can be displayed for you to select from in one menu. Any combination of links to related resources can be included in these menus.
Capable of providing much richer experiences then single resolution to a URL, Multiple Resolution operates on the premise that content, not its location, is identified. In other words, where content and related resources reside is secondary information. Multiple Resolution enables content owners and distributors to identify their intellectual property with bound collections of related resources at a hyperlink's point of departure, instead of requiring a user to leave the page to go to a new location for further information.
A content owner controls and manages all the related resources in each of these menus and can determine which information is accessible to each business partner within the supply chain. When an administrator changes any facet of this information, the change is simultaneous on all internal networks and the Internet. A DOI is a permanent identifier, analogous to a telephone number for life, so tomorrow and years from now a user can locate the product and related resources wherever they may have been moved or archived to."
The IDF provides a limited, text-only, online demonstration. When sweeping with the cursor over a linked item, a pop-down menu of options is presented. These options are pre-defined and customized by the content creators and owners. In the first example above (book purchase options) the DOI resolves to retail outlets (categorized by book formats), information about the title and the author, digital rights management information (permissions), and more. The DOI server generates this information in "real time", "on the fly". But it is the author, or (more often) the publisher that choose the information, its modes of presentation, selections, and marketing and sales data. The ingenuity is in the fact that the DOI server's files and records can be updated, replaced, or deleted. It does not affect the resolution path - only the content resolved to.
Which brings us to e-publishing. About The Author
Sam Vaknin is the author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" and "After the Rain - How the West Lost the East". He is a columnist in "Central Europe Review", United Press International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.
His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com
Keeping Your Customers through Loyalty Marketing
What exactly is the best-kept secret behind incredibly successful businesses? Is it keeping up with the trends? Having an excellence workforce who will make sur...
Ten Soul-Tending Principles for Women
Ever feel restless and unsure what help your soul needs? Take some time out of your busy life to implement one or more of these simple, yet effective, ways to ...
Second Fiddle
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 25, 2004 I have been seeing a married man for the past nine months. He is unhappy but says he is not ready to l...
Very Old Secret To Melt The Heart Of Your Beloved
My Dear Lover,
Escaping The Clutter Trap™ - 5 Steps For Increasing Productivity And Decreasing Stress
ESCAPING THE CLUTTER TRAP™- 5 Steps for Increasing Productivity and Decreasing Stress
Some Changes Make A Big Difference!
When it comes to diabetes, small changes can make a big difference -- even in the middle of an epidemic that currently affects more than 2 million Americans and...
Weight Loss - Make a Significant and Lasting Lifestyle Change
Losing weight can make a significant and life altering change in how we live our everyday life. After losing weight many people experience better sleep pattern...
Getting The Golf Ball In The Air With Physics
If you think physics is difficult then all you need to do is to understand how physics is applied to your golf swing to simplify it for you.
Its Easy to Create Melody!
Describes an easy approach to melody making using simple means.
How Many Salespeople Should I Hire?
Building a large sales team is key to growing sales. Find out exactly how many salespeople you need to achieve your goals.
Googling for Love
Google: (GOO.gul) v. To use an Internet search engine such as Google.com to look for information related to a new or potential girlfriend or boyfriend. Have yo...
Acne And Stress
Michael Raetford's article "Acne And Stress" explains in great detail how to prevent stress with regards to acne.
15 Important Credit Card Terms to Consider Before Applying for a Credit Card!!
A credit card is a form of borrowing that often involves charges. Credit terms and conditions affect your overall cost.
So it's wise to compare terms and fees b...
Joint Custody: 10 Strategies for Co-Parenting with an Uncooperative Ex
Many single parents are sharing custody of their children with angry, bitter or wounded exes. This article shares 10 practical and easily implemented strategie...
Buy A Home After A Disaster With Government Help
Find out if you can benefit from mortgage loan programs where the government helps back the loan.
Create An Article Reference Box That Calls To Readers
With less than five lines to play with, an article reference
box needs to be creative, tight, and include just the right
mix of information that gets the reader...
Resell Rights Power
The Quickest Way To Have A Product To Sell On The Internet...
Keeping Discus Fish Disease Free
How to keep your discus fish disease free and have them looking healthy
Lead Poisoning in Environment and Our Children
One of the most important toxins in the environment is lead and this is something children can be vulnerable towards.
Oil Painting Tips for Beginners
Oil painting can be quite challenging in the beginning. This article provides beginners with some basic techniques.
Why Holding A Vision Magnetizes Great Achievement
The vision we hold in our mind's eye determines our destiny. Greatness starts with creating a lofty ideal. Success comes with persisting and acting on that vi...
Making Sense of Credit Card Fees
In addition to the APR (annual percentage rate) and the finance charges, most credit cards have a number of 'fees' associated with their use. Some fees are unav...
Tenants in Common (TIC)
Tenants in Common is a way of sharing ownership of property among two or more people. Each tenant holds an undivided interest in the property, and each tenant m...
MLM Leads - The Top 15 MLM Lead Companies in Network Marketing
What are the top 15 MLM lead companies that REALLY deliver what they promise? After 7 months of research, we have found them! Read on!
|
Print this page