“The actual observed working structure of the organization is a multiply connected "web" whose interconnections

evolve with time. In this environment, a new person arriving, or someone taking on a new task, is normally

given a few hints as to who would be useful people to talk to. Information about what facilities exist and how to find

out about them travels in the corridor gossip and occasional newsletters, and the details about what is required to be done spread in a similar way. All things

considered, the result is remarkably successful, despite occasional misunderstandings and duplicated effort."

“The actual observed working structure of the organization is a multiply connected "web" whose interconnections evolve with time. In this environment, a new person arriving, or someone taking on a new task, is normally given a few hints as to who would be useful people to talk to. Information about what

facilities exist and how to find out about them travels in the corridor gossip and occasional newsletters, and the details

about what is required to be done spread in a similar way. All things considered, the result is remarkably successful, despite

occasional misunderstandings and duplicated effort."

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web (1989)

What was TBL actually proposing?

What was TBL actually proposing?“A web of linked notes”

What was TBL actually proposing?“A web of linked notes”

AND“a linked information system will allow us to see

the real structure of the organization in which we work”

Later, TBL clarified:“There was a second part of the dream […] we could then use computers to help us analyze it,

make sense of what we're doing, where we individually fit in, and how we can better work

together.”

…and then, after 20 years or so…

…and then, after 20 years or so…Yahoo and Google allow websites to embed semantic data to enrich their search results

(2009)

ANDFacebook launches Open Graph to let apps tell

stories on Facebook. (2010)

AND OF COURSEYammer launches Open Graph to let work apps

tell stories on Yammer. (2011)

What is the problem all these smart people are trying to solve?

What is the problem all these smart people are trying to solve?

Applications can’t understand external data.

So, apps became information silos.

Even at work.

What happens now?

What happens now?• Users collaborate using unstructured data

(email and Yammer).• No viable way to connect the conversations to

the relevant external objects.• Users have to manually create context using

concepts like topics, tags, folders, groups, etc.

Why us?

Facebook is making it work by:1. Creating incentives for developers

(distribution).2. Making it easy for developers to adopt it

(embedded Like and Semantic Web MVP).3. Using objects to drive social interactions.

“In many companies, shared objects such as projects and tasks would seem to be the only reason that a given set of people collaborate. We might even go so far as to say that work objects define the workplace’s network of

relationships.”Lawrence Coburn