Here’s another go at explaining what Content Labels are. I’ll start by explaining what problem is being solved and then talk about how to accelerate the process of getting mass adoption by building an ecosystem.

Steve Clayton, Microsoft UK Partnerships CTO sums up what we’re doing quite nicely on Facebook.

Had a great chat with Paul Walsh this morning – he has some cool shit going on with Segala that need to be more widely seen!

What problem are we solving?

When conducting a search on the Web, search engines such as Google only display the title and description of Web sites. They do this by displaying the title as a hyperlink, followed by the description of the site. Search engines don’t provide information about the suitability of content to individuals.

What type of information about the suitability of content are users likely to demand in the future?

1. Parents will want to know which Web sites are appropriate/inappropriate for their children in their particular country
2. Disabled users will want to know which sites comply with specific W3C Web accessibility guidelines, to enable them browse the Web in comfort. This is now a legal requirement in countries such as the UK, US, Canada and Australia
3. Some users will want to know which sites have been independently verified by a medical authority so they can trust information which helps them make important decisions
4. Users (e.g. bloggers and journalists) may wish to know which sites permit them to reuse content such as copy, images and video
5. Consumers may wish to only buy from Web sites with privacy statements or follow a code of conduct for e-commerce.

Content Labels enable all of the above

1. Based on the Semantic Web, a Content Label is a file that contains metadata
2. Web site owners use Content Labels to promote their conformance and/or commitment to industry standards and codes of conduct
3. Content Labels are more flexible than any other solution. It is possible to make assertions about an entire Web site or specific Web pages. That is, pages abc are child friendly but the rest of the sites isn’t and the entire site is accessible apart from pages xyz. SSL and current identity certificates don’t support this level of flexibility
4. Search engines and browsers read Content Labels in order to provide more information about the suitabilty of content.

Reasons why mass adoption should be seamless

1. Content Labels (POWDER) will soon become a ratified W3C standard (hopefully by September 2007)
2. Content Labels is going to be proposed as a replacement for PICS; the outdated solution adopted by Internet Explorer today
3. Current implementations of trust use proprietary technology, prohibiting scalability across the entire Web. Why? Well, because unless Web site owners implement their solution and users download/use their plug-in or client software, you won’t be able to see which Web sites should be trusted from search results. In my opinion, they all act like vertical entities without due consideration for each other to help get mass adopt for trust across the Web. Implementers include Netscape Navigator, VeriSign, McAfee SiteAdvisor and GeoTrust etc.
4. The W3C Mobile Web Initiative trustmark (mobileOK) will come in the form of a Content Label. This demonstrates that the W3C see the benefit in using Content Labels for making conformance claims to standards
5. Segala’s Semantic Firefox extension reads Content Labels and alters Google search results. It can even filter out sponsored links. Our extension is being endorsed and promoted by the W3C Semantic Web Education and Outreach (SWEO) Special Interest Group.

Segala is helping to build the ecosystem

1. Segala recently launched a global partner programme to audit and certify Web sites for Web accessibility standards compliance (soon mobileOK amongst other standards in the future)
2. Partners have already started to certify and label Web sites such as Tesco Personal Finance and St. Paul’s, demonstrating scalability at opposite ends of the tail
3. Segala is certifying technology and product providers as ‘Accessibility-ready’. That is, tools that build Web sites which are automatically compliant with specific accessibility guidelines
4. Segala has created ContentLabel.org to provide an independent framework that enables new industry best practices and codes of conduct to be created by anyone, any association or any government agency in any country. Anyone can create a new code by using the inbuilt wiki
5. Segala is almost finished the build of a system that will be white labeled for other trust(mark) providers, including the aforementioned above. Our technology can also be used by new trust providers that want to launch new standards and codes of conduct anywhere in the world
6. Segala is helping mainstream browsers and search engines to better understand ‘how’ to make the simple changes required. We are doing this by providing the Firefox extension and soon, Internet Explorer plugin.

We are delighted to partner with Segala as we believe the Segala Trustmark provides excellent, highly credible recognition based on stringent best practice for accessibility. I am confident that our clients who attain the Trustmark certification will benefit from it.

- Emma Kirk, Strategic Director

How to get your Web site certified and labelled

Contact Segala to have your Web site audit and certified. We will also provide the Content Label to ensure your Web site is highlighted in future search results.

How you can certify and label your clients’ Web sites

Join the Seagla-certified partner programme and we will provide you with all the required tools that will enable you to sell and provide Web accessibility services.

Check out what current partners have to say.

Here’s another go at explaining what Content Labels are. I’ll start by explaining what problem is being solved and then talk about how to accelerate the process of getting mass adoption by building an ecosystem.

Steve Clayton, Microsoft UK Partnerships CTO sums up what we’re doing quite nicely on Facebook.

Had a great chat with Paul Walsh this morning – he has some cool shit going on with Segala that need to be more widely seen!

What problem are we solving?

When conducting a search on the Web, search engines such as Google only display the title and description of Web sites. They do this by displaying the title as a hyperlink, followed by the description of the site. Search engines don’t provide information about the suitability of content to individuals.

What type of information about the suitability of content are users likely to demand in the future?

1. Parents will want to know which Web sites are appropriate/inappropriate for their children in their particular country
2. Disabled users will want to know which sites comply with specific W3C Web accessibility guidelines, to enable them browse the Web in comfort. This is now a legal requirement in countries such as the UK, US, Canada and Australia
3. Some users will want to know which sites have been independently verified by a medical authority so they can trust information which helps them make important decisions
4. Users (e.g. bloggers and journalists) may wish to know which sites permit them to reuse content such as copy, images and video
5. Consumers may wish to only buy from Web sites with privacy statements or follow a code of conduct for e-commerce.

Content Labels enable all of the above

1. Based on the Semantic Web, a Content Label is a file that contains metadata
2. Web site owners use Content Labels to promote their conformance and/or commitment to industry standards and codes of conduct
3. Content Labels are more flexible than any other solution. It is possible to make assertions about an entire Web site or specific Web pages. That is, pages abc are child friendly but the rest of the sites isn’t and the entire site is accessible apart from pages xyz. SSL and current identity certificates don’t support this level of flexibility
4. Search engines and browsers read Content Labels in order to provide more information about the suitabilty of content.

Reasons why mass adoption should be seamless

1. Content Labels (POWDER) will soon become a ratified W3C standard (hopefully by September 2007)
2. Content Labels is going to be proposed as a replacement for PICS; the outdated solution adopted by Internet Explorer today
3. Current implementations of trust use proprietary technology, prohibiting scalability across the entire Web. Why? Well, because unless Web site owners implement their solution and users download/use their plug-in or client software, you won’t be able to see which Web sites should be trusted from search results. In my opinion, they all act like vertical entities without due consideration for each other to help get mass adopt for trust across the Web. Implementers include Netscape Navigator, VeriSign, McAfee SiteAdvisor and GeoTrust etc.
4. The W3C Mobile Web Initiative trustmark (mobileOK) will come in the form of a Content Label. This demonstrates that the W3C see the benefit in using Content Labels for making conformance claims to standards
5. Segala’s Semantic Firefox extension reads Content Labels and alters Google search results. It can even filter out sponsored links. Our extension is being endorsed and promoted by the W3C Semantic Web Education and Outreach (SWEO) Special Interest Group.

Segala is helping to build the ecosystem

1. Segala recently launched a global partner programme to audit and certify Web sites for Web accessibility standards compliance (soon mobileOK amongst other standards in the future)
2. Partners have already started to certify and label Web sites such as Tesco Personal Finance and St. Paul’s, demonstrating scalability at opposite ends of the tail
3. Segala is certifying technology and product providers as ‘Accessibility-ready’. That is, tools that build Web sites which are automatically compliant with specific accessibility guidelines
4. Segala has created ContentLabel.org to provide an independent framework that enables new industry best practices and codes of conduct to be created by anyone, any association or any government agency in any country. Anyone can create a new code by using the inbuilt wiki
5. Segala is almost finished the build of a system that will be white labeled for other trust(mark) providers, including the aforementioned above. Our technology can also be used by new trust providers that want to launch new standards and codes of conduct anywhere in the world
6. Segala is helping mainstream browsers and search engines to better understand ‘how’ to make the simple changes required. We are doing this by providing the Firefox extension and soon, Internet Explorer plugin.

We are delighted to partner with Segala as we believe the Segala Trustmark provides excellent, highly credible recognition based on stringent best practice for accessibility. I am confident that our clients who attain the Trustmark certification will benefit from it.

- Emma Kirk, Strategic Director, User Vision

How to get your Web site certified and labelled

Contact Segala to have your Web site audit and certified. We will also provide the Content Label to ensure your Web site is highlighted in future search results.

How you can certify and label your clients’ Web sites

Join the Seagla-certified partner programme and we will provide you with all the required tools that will enable you to sell and provide Web accessibility services.

Check out what current partners have to say.