We set out in this series discussing how the Semantic Web relies upon markup languages that tag Web content so it is easier for machines to interpret. This can be accomplished in a number of ways including tagging content as structured data or linked data. The last article in this series provided an introduction to marking up your content as structured data using microformats.
Microformats are one of the standard markup formats used to create structured data. Like any markup language, they consist of tags and attributes that are used to “mark up” your Web content so that a search engine can recognize the content as structured data.
I was originally going to continue this series with an article about creating structured data using RDFa, but realized that there are so many great resources out there on microformats that I would hate to leave the topic without mentioning them.
Following is a list of tools and other resources that can help you mark up your content as structured data to prepare it for the Semantic Web.
Microformats templates
In the last article on using microformats to create structured data, I mentioned some tools that can help you generate your own structured content using microformats. Here are links to those and some additional templates:
Google microformats resources
Google is using structured data more and more in its search results. Here are some articles on how to prepare your content using microformats so Google will see your content as structured data and your site will come up higher in a Google search:
Microformats and WordPress
WordPress is a natural platform for taking advantage of structured data. Here are some resources that can help:
Microformats and Drupal
As an open-source CMS, Drupal is also a good candidate for taking advantage of microformats. Here are a couple modules that can help you mark up your data using microformats in Drupal:
Microformats and Web development
HTML5 is an exciting addition to the future of Web development. It’s being debated whether HTML5 should include microformats classes natively, but even if it does not, there are easy ways for you to add microformats to your own website. Here are some tools and resources that can help:
- Microformats and HTML5
- Sitepoint Article: Including Microformats in Web Development
- Oomph: Microformats CSS Toolkit
- Web Monkey: HTML5 and Microformats
Microformats and Firefox
One way you can see microformats in action is with Firefox add-ons:
Additional resources and articles
Here are some additional resources worth checking out if you want to know more about microformats and structured data:
- Open Graph Protocol
- Planet Microformats
- Sitepoint Microformats Reference
- Search Engine Journal Microformats Tutorial
- Net Tuts Microformats Tutorial
- Open Calais
The next article in this series will be on creating structured data using RDFa (really). Until then …
Article first published as Microformats Resources to Help Structure Your Data for the Semantic Web on Technorati.
In this series
Deltina Hay, a partner in Socialmedia.biz, is an author and educator who develops online curricula on social media and other Internet marketing topics. She also helps businesses prepare their content for semantic search and big data analysis. Contact her, follow her on Twitter and Google Plus, or leave a comment below.
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