OPEN GROUPS

Draft List of Potential Metadata Fields to Describe Online Groups

Below is an exhaustive list of POTENTIAL metadata fields.  The idea is to list everything possible or desired and then determine what is realistic and essential.

Please keep in mind that Open Groups is a completely opt-in directory system for public groups only.  Most online groups are private and would not use the Open Groups system.

Some fields are completely subjective requiring the online community manager to complete and others could be generated automatically by group software compliant with the Open Groups open standard.  Models for frequent updating of directory information, collection/sharing and syndication of the directory data for use by portals and other sites are under consideration.

The first draft of this page focused on e-mail lists, this version attempts to cover all forms of ongoing online communities.  Please send your comments - harsh criticism or praise encouraged - to <opengroups@publicus.net>.

Open Groups
Draft Metadata Fields 2.0
April 1, 2000
Copyright 2000 Steven Clift on behalf of Open Groups
All Rights Reserved
 

Group Description
- Name
- Short title
- Short description
- Full description
- WWW site group address
- Language
- Moderated/unmoderated
- Keywords
  + Topical
  + Audience focus/target
  + Geography (see below)
- Registered Open Groups Unique Keyword Name Space
  (Topic.Audience.Geography)

Primary Group Format
- E-mail list
- Web forum
- Newsgroup
- Real-time chat
   + Text
   + Graphical (Avatars)
   + Audio
   + Video
- Annotation group
- Other
- Secondary group forum formats used
- General Group Content
  + Announcements
  + Mostly announcements
  + Balanced announcements and discussion
  + Mostly discussion
  + Discussion

Group Details
- Group manager(s)
  + Manager name
  + Manager e-mail
  + Place e-mail on Opt-in OG Announce E-list
  + Manager home page
  + No Manager
  + Optional additional contact details
  + Additional managers
- Sponsoring entity name
- Sponsoring entity web address
- Sponsoring entity type (legal owner)
  + Individual
  + Corporation
  + Government
  + Educational
  + Non-Profit/NGO
  + Other
  + No Legal Owner
- Copyright holder of online group generated content
  + Content copyright owned by sponsoring entity
  + Content copyright shared with participant authors
  + Full content copyright retained by participant authors
- Geography
  + Country
  + State/Province
  + City
  + Postal Code
  + Group geographic focus area
    - Global
    - World region name
    - Country name
    - State/Province/Region name
    - City/town/locality name
    - Estimated longitude/latitude epicenter
- Membership
*Only public forums are included in Open Groups
  + Open, membership open to all
  + Closed, approval required
  + Membership requirements or qualifications
  + Member profiles/introductions web site address
  + Cost
  + Members as of X date
- Time Estimates
  + Estimated time required per week for minimum participation
  + Estimated time suggested per week for full participation
  + Summaries available
- Participation rules and guidelines URL
- Participation legal terms of agreement URL
- Privacy policy URL
  + User information use matrix ...
- Age Appropriateness
  + All ages
  + Age emphasis range
  + Restricted age range access
  + Adult supervised/monitored
  (Check with GetNetwise for scales)
- Ratings (?) (10 is best)
  + Independent rating scale - 1 to 10
  + Participant comment file
  + Signal to noise ratio estimate - 1 to 10
  + Style Scale - 1 (Flame Fest) to 10 (Civil, Polite Discourse)
- Library catalog subject heading
- Technical
  + Group software
  + Server address
  + Message exchange status (future)
- Dates
  + Start date
  + End date
  + Last open groups meta file update
  + Automated open groups file update date/time stamp
- Traffic Statistics
  + Total number of group messages since start date
  + Total number of messages last calendar month
  + Total number of messages last calendar year
  + Unique posters last calendar month, ratio to members
  + Unique posters last year, ratio to members
  + Average replies per subject thread
  + Average number of messages each day
  + Average number of messages each week
  + Date of last post
  + Readership estimates by members
  + Readership estimates by non-members
- Archive
  + Archive, public
  + Archive, restricted to members
  + Archive site location
  + Archive dates
  + No archive
- Syndication (Redistribution/External Archive Policies)
  + Open - Two-way
  + Open - One-way archive
  + With Permission Only
     - Permission Contact
  + Not allowed
  + Syndication standards supported
  + Syndication stream address
- Related Groups
  + Same site/sponsor
  + External
- Open Groups Assigned Unique Serial Number
 

E-mail List Specific
- Commands to e-mail address
- Subscribe command
- Unsubscribe command
- Digest option full text command
- Digest option summaries/subject lines command
- Message submission address
*Spam control measures will require limited access (full access may required some form of membership in Open Groups and license restrictions on harmful or negative use) to directory information that could be used for automated harvesting of e-mail list addresses that may lead to unsolicited bulk e-mail.
- News group gateway
- Web forum gateway

News Group Specific
- News group hierarchy
- News group hierarchy contact information
- E-mail list gateway
- Web forum gateway

Web Forum Specific
- General site listing - OR -
- Specific ongoing topic/threaded sub-group
- Threaded format
- Linear format
- Features list
  + Need to list out core features
  + etc.
- E-mail message receipt options
- E-mail posting options
- E-mail list gateway - two-way
- News group gateway - two-way

Chat Room Specific
- Chat Server Software
- Room Channel
- Time used/open  (i.e. Always, Mondays at X:XX time UTC, etc.)


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