I think a good start would be some sort of initiative to develop concrete stuff around schema.org. Apart from reviews and recipes being displayed slightly differently in search results there isn't much else to go on. And it doesn't really look all that exciting as it stands.
You can create custom Google search engines and select schema.org types in Advanced settings, example here:
http://is.gd/2CBiFV
It seems to be pretty effective - if I search for "Humphrey Spender" the Worktown site gives a good showing, though it's disappointing that this isn't shown as a gallery in the results.
Interestingly enough the Guardian seems to be using schema.org quite extensively. I did a search for "David Bailey" and found this page:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2012/jun/26/david-bailey-east-end-in-pictures
And the rich snippet validation for that page:
http://is.gd/2p1yla
I wonder if a museum slanted schema.org project would be a good candidate for Google Summer of Code?
Perry
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Ellis
Sent: 07 June 2014 10:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MCG] Briefing paper on schema.org
Hey Perry, Owen
This is great stuff - thanks for sharing. Really interested in how schema.org can be used for museums - and also how we can move it along so it becomes something that is considered whenever museum content is developed for the web.
Owen, the chap you know at Google could be a really interesting link - but how best to make things happen..?
cheers
Mike
_____________________________
*Mike Ellis *
Thirty8 Digital: a small but perfectly formed digital agency:http://thirty8.co.uk <http://thirty8.co.uk/>
* My book: http://heritageweb.co.uk <http://heritageweb.co.uk/> *
> Bonewell, Perry <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> 6 June 2014 11:02
> Not wanting to put my own work down but I think the fact that the site
> is fairly niche and is pretty much the only online collection of
> Spender's work on the web is a strong contributing factor re SEO :)
>
> That and nearly every page has his name on it :D
>
> But joking aside I don't think it will harm the results (and I'm sure
> I can make improvements).
>
> Importantly it is pretty easy to implement. Obviously events and
> review schema mark up is highly visible in search results already.
>
> I'm holding out for the day when my image thumbnails start showing up
> too (and I'm sure much more imaginative things than that)!
>
> Perry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Owen Stephens
> Sent: 06 June 2014 10:49
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MCG] Briefing paper on schema.org
>
> Thanks Perry - really interesting.
>
> What use is made of schema.org by the search engines is difficult to
> tell. Conversations with staff at the Wellcome Library suggested they
> saw an increase in page views after implementing schema.org markup and
> I note that the Bolton Worktown site is pretty successful in terms of
> search engine results (search for 'Humphrey Spender' has it 3rd in
> Google and 1st in Yahoo) - but impossible to know how far the
> schema.org markup impacts that - especially in comparison to other SEO.
>
> In terms of improving markup - I think this is something that is worth
> a broad discussion - if search engines are to make use of this type of
> markup there is clearly some advantage to museums establishing common
> approaches. I know Dan Brickley who works for Google on this is
> interested in this area and I think would be willing to contribute to
> a discussion about the best approaches.
>
> Owen
>
> Owen Stephens
> Owen Stephens Consulting
> Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone: 0121 288 6936
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
> This e-mail and any attached files are confidential and may also be
> legally privileged. They are intended solely for the intended
> addressee. If you are not the addressee please e-mail it back to the
> sender and then immediately, permanently delete it. Do not read,
> print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it. This e-mail may be
> monitored by Bolton Council in accordance with current regulations.
> This footnote also confirms that this e-mail message has been swept
> for the presence of computer viruses currently known to Bolton
> Council. However, the recipient is responsible for virus-checking
> before opening this message and any attachment. Unless expressly
> stated to the contrary, any views expressed in this message are those
> of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of
> Bolton Council. http://www.bolton.gov.uk
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
> Owen Stephens <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> 6 June 2014 10:49
> Thanks Perry - really interesting.
>
> What use is made of schema.org by the search engines is difficult to
> tell. Conversations with staff at the Wellcome Library suggested they
> saw an increase in page views after implementing schema.org markup and
> I note that the Bolton Worktown site is pretty successful in terms of
> search engine results (search for 'Humphrey Spender' has it 3rd in
> Google and 1st in Yahoo) - but impossible to know how far the
> schema.org markup impacts that - especially in comparison to other SEO.
>
> In terms of improving markup - I think this is something that is worth
> a broad discussion - if search engines are to make use of this type of
> markup there is clearly some advantage to museums establishing common
> approaches. I know Dan Brickley who works for Google on this is
> interested in this area and I think would be willing to contribute to
> a discussion about the best approaches.
>
> Owen
>
> Owen Stephens
> Owen Stephens Consulting
> Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone: 0121 288 6936
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
> Bonewell, Perry <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> 6 June 2014 10:29
> Hi Owen, thanks for the this.
>
> I've experimented with schema.org on a collections site:
>
> http://boltonworktown.co.uk/
>
> An example of a page that has the mark up (http://schema.org/Photograph):
>
> http://boltonworktown.co.uk/photograph/scout-parade-3/
>
> ...and the Rich Snippet test of the same page:
>
> http://is.gd/Zw2okj
>
> The site is built with WordPress and was *cough* relatively easy to
> embed if you are into tinkering with WP templates.
>
> I'm sure it's not best implementation (and I'd be glad of any guidance
> on ways to improve it).
>
> Having had this up and running for a couple of years now AFAIK Google
> doesn't make any use of the schema I've used as yet. I guess I'd be
> interested in hearing of what uses I can put this to.
>
> All the best
> Perry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Owen Stephens
> Sent: 06 June 2014 09:39
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MCG] Briefing paper on schema.org
>
> I thought this briefing paper from Phil Barker and Lorna Campbell at
> Cetis might be of interest
>
> Phil describes it as follows: ""What is schema.org?". We often find
> that when explaining the technology approach of LRMI [Learning
> Resource Metadata Initiative] we are mostly talking about schema.org,
> so this briefing, which describes the schema.org specification for a
> technical audience should be of interest to anyone thinking about
> implementing or using LRMI in a website or other tool. It should also
> be of interest to people who plan to use schema.org for describing
> other types of resource."
>
> You can download the briefing from
> http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2014/960
>
> I've seen schema.org being used by some digital collections including
> the Wellcome library, Cambridge University Digital Library, and Duke
> University digital library[1], and recommended it as one approach to
> making resources discoverable in the recent Jisc guide[2]
>
> I'd be very interested to hear if any museums are already using
> schema.org to either mark up general information (open hours,
> location, etc.) or their online collections.
>
> Owen
>
> 1.
> http://blogs.library.duke.edu/bitstreams/2014/03/27/schema-org-and-goo
> gle-for-local-discovery-some-key-takeaways/
> 2.
> http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/make-google-searches-work-for-you#schema
>
> Owen Stephens
> Owen Stephens Consulting
> Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone: 0121 288 6936
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
> This e-mail and any attached files are confidential and may also be
> legally privileged. They are intended solely for the intended
> addressee. If you are not the addressee please e-mail it back to the
> sender and then immediately, permanently delete it. Do not read,
> print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it. This e-mail may be
> monitored by Bolton Council in accordance with current regulations.
> This footnote also confirms that this e-mail message has been swept
> for the presence of computer viruses currently known to Bolton
> Council. However, the recipient is responsible for virus-checking
> before opening this message and any attachment. Unless expressly
> stated to the contrary, any views expressed in this message are those
> of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of
> Bolton Council. http://www.bolton.gov.uk
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
> Owen Stephens <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> 6 June 2014 09:38
> I thought this briefing paper from Phil Barker and Lorna Campbell at
> Cetis might be of interest
>
> Phil describes it as follows: ""What is schema.org?". We often find
> that when explaining the technology approach of LRMI [Learning
> Resource Metadata Initiative] we are mostly talking about schema.org,
> so this briefing, which describes the schema.org specification for a
> technical audience should be of interest to anyone thinking about
> implementing or using LRMI in a website or other tool. It should also
> be of interest to people who plan to use schema.org for describing
> other types of resource."
>
> You can download the briefing from
> http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2014/960
>
> I've seen schema.org being used by some digital collections including
> the Wellcome library, Cambridge University Digital Library, and Duke
> University digital library[1], and recommended it as one approach to
> making resources discoverable in the recent Jisc guide[2]
>
> I'd be very interested to hear if any museums are already using
> schema.org to either mark up general information (open hours,
> location, etc.) or their online collections.
>
> Owen
>
> 1.
> http://blogs.library.duke.edu/bitstreams/2014/03/27/schema-org-and-goo
> gle-for-local-discovery-some-key-takeaways/
> 2.
> http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/make-google-searches-work-for-you#schema
>
> Owen Stephens
> Owen Stephens Consulting
> Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone: 0121 288 6936
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
****************************************************************
website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
[un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
****************************************************************
This e-mail and any attached files are confidential and may also be legally privileged. They are intended solely for the intended addressee. If you are not the addressee please e-mail it back to the sender and then immediately, permanently delete it. Do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it. This e-mail may be monitored by Bolton Council in accordance with current regulations. This footnote also confirms that this e-mail message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses currently known to Bolton Council. However, the recipient is responsible for virus-checking before opening this message and any attachment. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Bolton Council. http://www.bolton.gov.uk
****************************************************************
website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
[un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
****************************************************************
