Semantic Web

"If HTML and the Web made all the online documents look like one huge book, RDF, schema, and inference languages will make all the data in the world look like one huge database"
Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web, 1999

Our guest speaker last speak gave us further insight on Semantic Web. The most interesting part of the presentation to me was popular choices for schemas that include:

-FOAF
-Creative Commons: (Embeds RDF in mbps)
-Music Brainz
-DC: Dublin Care
-RDF

Schemas are sometimes called vocabularies, and there are many many schemas!
We also discussed OWL and SPARQL.

SPARQL, is a query language and data access protocol for the Semantic Web. SPARQL is defined in terms of the W3C's RDF data model and will work for any data source that can be mapped into RDF.

OWL:• OWL stands for Web Ontology Language
• OWL is built on top of RDF
• OWL is for processing information on the web
• OWL was designed to be interpreted by computers
• OWL was not designed for being read by people
• OWL is written in XML
• OWL has three sublanguages
• OWL is a W3C standard

OWL is a part of the "Semantic Web Vision" - a future where:
• Web information has exact meaning
• Web information can be processed by computers
• Computers can integrate information from the web

http://www.w3schools.com/RDF/rdf_owl.asp

Wordia Video Preparation- Best practices for producing and distributing video on the Web

As far as quality is concerned, we can never achieve TV quality for web videos. This is mainly due to bandwidth limitations and the results of video compression.
In order to improve web video quality, there are certain procedures for the compression practices. As we know, Video can capture only two dimensions of the world. Therefore a certain percentage of quality of images and sounds will be lost as we cant capture all three dimensions. If we use a higher quality camera, we will be able to minimize the loss of quality. Additionally in order to deliver video on the web, compression is a necessity. This will reduce the data information and amount again, therefore having an impact on video quality. This is why proper compression needs to take place in order to keep a good quality in place at the same time.

According to our research we found out that there are two main types of web vidoes: streaming and progressive download.

This is the preferred method for larger files. The streaming is live and is delivered in realtime online. It takes less time to download and end users will not need to download the entire thing in order to view it.

With progressive downloads. we have to make sure of the type of internet connection that the end user will have to view the video. This method is not desirable for users with a smaller bandwidth. At the end of the day, a copy of the file will be copied in the users personal computer. Therefore with larger videos, this will take up a lot of space on the end user's side.

Midterm Exam: Web Analytics

I truly enjoyed researching Web Analtics! Please click on the following link to view my Midterm report.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21156317/7500-Midterm-Exam-Roya-Eidizadeh

Software as a Service

When you are so used to something that works really good for you, there really is no reason to look for new things out there, right? :)
Some like me would probably agree!
I don't think at this point it would be a good idea to create software that would beat Microsoft Office products. Everyone is so used to them and using anything else would be difficult to get used to!
I looked at Zoho and Google Docs tonight and do realize that there are some formatting features exist in Zoho for instance, that make life easier compared to using excel. I like how there are images in fields too in Google Docs !

Zoho or Google Docs? Both offer completely browser-based office applications like a word processor and spreadsheet, as well as communication tools like chat and email, as well as collaboration tools like project managers and wikis. In Zoho Spreadsheets are also relatively much better than Google spreadsheets with a lot of options.
I think that Zoho has more features than Google's offerings, but individual users are more likely to explore Google apps because they've already got a Google account for Gmail.

Something cool to keep in mind about both of these applications is that they don't require you to install anything on your computer except your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox etc.) All you need is an internet connection, and your browser!!!

Rich Media: Video Broadcasting on the web

Interesting Video!
Before the show even started, the first thing I noticed was the advertising. It is absolutely brilliant to advertise prior to the show that is being broadcast, because that is where the attention on the audience is. I have to admit that the commercials that come in the middle of the program are kind of annoying. But think of it this way...they are not as many as the actual commercials on T.V.
Streaming sites like Hulu, CBS, ABC, and others have proven that savvy audiences are turning to their computers for entertainment, and in a way that's profitable.I think that even though the shows are available at free cost to the end user, all of the advertisement would make up for any costs associated with video broadcasting on the web. If anything, it is extra money for the TV Station !!! So basically in simple terms, cable companies are losing here !

http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog

Rich Media

Due to the horrible flooding conditions in Atlanta, I was unable to attend class. Dr. Piercy mentioned that Rich Media was discussed.
I believe various websites were viewed in class as well that related to Rich Media.
So what is Rich Media? Rich media is an Internet advertising term for a Web page ad that uses advanced technology such as streaming video , downloaded applet s (programs) that interact instantly with the user, and ads that change when the user's mouse passes over it. For example:

* An ad for a Hollywood movie that inclues a streaming video sample of a scene from the movie
* A mouse cursor that is changed to an image on a particular Web site if the user requests it (for example, a cursor that changes to a tiny red question mark on a site like whatis.com)
* A standard-size banner ad that includes an inquiry form about ISDN installation, capturing the user's filled-in personal information, and telling the user they will be contacted by a company representative - all simply by interacting with an ad on an online publisher's Web page

Advertiser servers of rich media ads that use Java applets or components may also serve regular GIF images to people whose browsers don't support Java well.