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There has never been a better time to develop and use web sites. The data on the web is generally better presented, more accessible, and easier to find than ever before. This is down to more responsible web development using web standards, better support for those standards in browsers, and exciting new advances such as Microformats.

Microformats are a method of defining and describing (X)HTML data so that is easily machine readable as well as human readable, making it more powerful. For example, you could use the hCard Microformat to mark up personal details on your web site, and then use a simple program to create a business card from that data, and transfer it to your e-mail program, address book, or mobile phone.

What's even better is that you don't need anything proprietary or complicated to use Microformats. All you need to do is add extra semantics to your (X)HTML via existing means such as specialized IDs and classes. They are already in use on the web, through sites like Flickr, Upcoming.org, and Yahoo, and software such as WordPress and Text Pattern.

In this book, noted web developer and long time WaSP member John Allsop teaches all you need to know about the technology: what Microformats are currently available and how to use them; the general principles of how they work, so you'll be able to understand and use future Microformat; how to use Microformats with web sites and software that already support them; and how to create your own. The focus is kept on practical examples as much as possible throughout.

The end of the book features a chapter full of anecdotes from many professional web designers and developers already using Microformats in their work today--what worked, what didn't, things to watch for--so you can learn from their experiences.

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