Is Google Hijacking Semantic Markup/Structured Data? by Barbara Starr.
From the post:
On December 12, 2012, Google rolled out a new tool, called the Google Data Highlighter for event data. Upon a cursory read, it seems to be a tagging tool, where a human trains the Data Highlighter using a few pages on their website, until Google can pick up enough of a pattern to do the remainder of the site itself.
Better yet, you can see all of these results in the structured data dashboard. It appears as if event data is marked up and is compatible with schema.org. However, there is a caveat here that some folks may not notice.
No actual markup is placed on the page, meaning that none of the semantic markup using this Data Highlighter tool is consumable by Bing, Yahoo or any other crawler on the Web; only Google can use it!
Google is essentially hi-jacking semantic markup so only Google can take advantage of it. Google has the global touch and the ability to execute well-thought-out and brilliantly strategic plans.
Let’s do this by the numbers:
- Google develops a service for webmasters to add semantic annotations to their webpages.
- Google allows webmasters to use that service at no charge.
- Google uses those annotations to improve the search results it provides users (for free).
Google used its own resources to develop a valuable service for webmasters that enhances their websites and user experience with Google, for free.
Perhaps there is a new definition of highjacking?
Webster says the traditional definition includes “to steal or rob as if by hijacking.”
The Semantic Web:
Highjacking
(a) Failing to whitewash the Semantic Web’s picket fence while providing free services to webmasters and users to enhance searching of web content.
(b) Failing to give away data from free services to webmasters and users to those who did not plant, reap, spin, weave or sew.
I don’t find the Semantic Web’s definition of “hijacking” persuasive.
You?
I first saw this at: Google’s Structured Data Take Over by Angela Guess.