An Embarrassment of Riches - Part I

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

---

Lesson #6: Six Simple Steps to Writing Magnetically Charged Email Messages!

If you remember, the majority of people (i.e., 68%) need... Read More

E-Power The E-zine Advantage

"Regular communication with your customers is essential to your success."... Read More

Who Should Offer an Ezine?

If you are a professional, consultant, coach, speaker, seminar leader,... Read More

7 Benefits Of Using Newsletter Templates

1. Time saver. To get going make a quick visit... Read More

21 Questions to Ask Any List Service Before You Sign on With Them

If you publish an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine," you'll need... Read More

What Every Ezine Owner Should Know About Unsold Ad Space

The deadline approaches and your ad STILL has not sold.... Read More

Top 3 Steps to Success Building the Relationships

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More

The Sticky Issue of E-zine Schedules

While many new e-zine publishers are anxious about developing good... Read More

You Can Develop An E-zine Even If You Dont Enjoy Writing!

Do you know that many business owners market their businesses... Read More

I Finally Discovered The Secret To FREE Content No One Else Has!

There are many tips and techniques to increase your search... Read More

Newsletters ? Keeping Your Customers Informed

Many businesses use email newsletters to introduce themselves to new... Read More

Writing Effective Newsletters

It's obvious but true that your newsletter can only be... Read More

Email Newsletters: Privacy and Unsubscribing

As you likely know from personal experience, the value of... Read More

Search Engines Can Be The Online Writers Best Friend

It's an exciting time for online writers, with a wide... Read More

The End of Email, Ezines and Online Marketing?

Ok, it's time to bring out my soapbox.Something has been... Read More

Why Arent You Writing Ezine Articles?

I'm amazed!Everywhere I go on the Web, people are desperately... Read More

10 Valuable Tips For Ezine Publishers

1. Write your own articles.Your articles will give you an... Read More

Explode Your Business

You can make a decent income selling products and services... Read More

Location, Location, Location

The first thing you should consider in advertising is the... Read More

10 Winning Ezine Publishing Tips

1. Share your personality with your subscribers. Your subscribers are... Read More

Why Dont My Subscribers Listen to Me?

I received a very good question from a subscriber and... Read More

How To Write Effective Ezine Ads... And Then Some

When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake... Read More

The Disintermediation of Content

Are content brokers - publishers, distributors, and record companies -... Read More

7 Ways You Can Make a Huge Impression With Your Ezine Welcome Message

Many times I receive a Welcome Message from someone after... Read More

Newsletter Software

Newsletter SoftwareWhat types of newsletter software can I use to... Read More

Start Your Own Ezine Newsletter & Profit!

The information listed here is worth more than gold. if... Read More

Ebook Rebranding - The New Ebook Marketing Power?

Well, it is definitely yes!In the early day of internet... Read More

Medium and the Message

A debate is raging in e-publishing circles: should content be... Read More

Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author

My story is that an author who'd done online writing... Read More

Email Filters Catch Dolphins Along With Sharks

What's the point in spending hours preparing a newsletter, message... Read More

American OverDrive - LCDs in LDCs

OverDrive - an e-commerce, software conversion and e-publishing applications leader... Read More

Are We Dating or Married?

You've convinced me that I want to sign up for... Read More

Finding the GOLD with Ezines and Google!

HiHow'd you go with your product search?Here's another way to... Read More