This article is a reprint of an item that has been around since August, 2001, but the points are worth making again. But so - importantly - are the solutions. Most of the issues involve inaccurate metadata. This is why I advocate third party metadata, that is, metadata provided by neutral and qualified observers. Doctorow also points out that "schemas aren't neutral." Agreed, and this is why we should always allow data providers to select from a number of schemas. What Doctorow argues against is essentially what I also argue against: the illusion that one standard metadata set will put an end to the ambiguity and uncertainty of information on the web. It won't happen. But we can devise ways to adapt to it, just as humans have been doing for millennia.
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