Web annotation
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A Web annotation is an online-annotation associated with a Web resource (typically an HTML page). By using a Web annotation system a user can add, modify or remove information from a Web resource without actually modifying the resource itself.
The annotations can be thought of as being applied on a layer on top of the existing resource. Any particular annotation layer is visible to users who share the same annotation system (how???) which represents a Web resource transparently, without modification and can remain transparent to all others (???again please explain).
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How Web annotations work
In Annozilla Web annotations are stored as RDF on a server, using XPointer to identify the region of the Web document being annotated.
Uses of Web annotations
A Web annotation system is a type of Social software tool.
Annotations can be used, for example:
- to rate a Web resource (by its usefulness, user-friendliness, suitability for viewing by minors)
- to improve or adapt its contents by adding/removing material
- as a collaborative tool: e.g. to discuss the contents of a certain resource
- as a medium of artistic or social criticism, by allowing Web users to reinterpret, enrich or protest against institution or ideas that appear on the Web
Web annotations have the potential of transforming the whole Web into a Wiki by allowing at least virtual (and therefore unlimited and concurrent/alternative) editing of any Web resource.
Web annotation systems
Web annotation systems are being developed as part of standard web browsers. The ones currently under development are:
- Annozilla (http://annozilla.mozdev.org/) for Mozilla browsers.
- Annotea (http://www.w3.org/2001/Annotea/) for the W3C's Amaya browser.
- Wikalong (http://www.wikalong.org/) for Firefox
- Annoty/eLAWS (http://sourceforge.net/projects/annoty/) Web Service-based system.
- E-Marked (http://www.e-marked.com/) Fully featured easy to use commertial system.
- AnnoSource (http://http://matchbox01.cs.latrobe.edu.au/annosource/) Currently under development at La Trobe University, Australia. Aims to increase content access features of annotations