Another Word For It Patrick Durusau on Topic Maps and Semantic Diversity

March 13, 2011

Zotonic – The Erlang CMS

Filed under: NoSQL,Zotonic — Patrick Durusau @ 4:25 pm

Zotonic – The Erlang CMS

From the documentation:

The Zotonic data model has two tables at its core. The rsc (resource aka page) table and the edge table. All other tables are for access control, visitor administration, configuration and other purposes.

For simplicity of communication the rsc record is often referred to as a page. As every rsc record can have their own page on the web site.

Zotonic is a mix between a traditional database and a triple store. Some page (rsc record) properties are stored as columns, some are serialized in a binary column and some are represented as directed edges to other pages.

In Zotonic there is no real distinction between rsc records that are a person, a news item, a video or something else. The only difference is the category of the rsc record. And the rsc’s category can be changed. Even categories and predicates are represented as rsc records and can, subsequently, have their own page on the web site.

Interesting last sentence: “Even categories and predicates are represented as rsc records and can, subsequently, have their own page on the web site.”

And one assumes the same to be true for categories and predicates in those “own page[s] on the web site.”

Questions:

  1. What use would you make of a CMS in a library environment? (3-5 pages, no citations)
  2. What subject identity issues are left unresolved by a CMS, such as Zotonic? (3-5 pages, no citations)
  3. What use cases would you write for your library director/board/funding organization to add subject identity management to Zotonic? (3-5 pages, no citations)

It isn’t enough that you recognize a problem and have a cool solution, even an effective one.

That is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success.

An effective librarian can:

  1. Recognize an information problem
  2. Find an effective solution for it (within resource/budget constraints)
  3. Communicate #1 and #2 to others, especially decision makers

I know lots of people who can do #1.

A fair number who can do #2, but who sit around at lunch or the snack machine and bitch about how if they were in charge things would be different. Yeah, probably worse.

The trick is to be able to do #3.

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