I have started some serious work on the xSiteable Publishing Framework which combines a lot of things I've been working on for the last few years. This is a framework that's been brewing for quite some time, and hence I've decided to can the xSiteable project as a stand-alone thing; the good stuff developed for xSiteable version 0.95+ will be part of this new framework. Here is the rundown;

• Support for DocBook documents, xSiteable templates and content, MARC XML (which is exciting to all the librarians out there!), and Topic maps (using CSXTM).
• Conversion tool : MARC XML to Topic maps which I'm personally very excited about. I have basic support already finished.
• Small-scale cache machine support for PHP (and Java, C# and Python close behind) making it really scalable and flexible.

The most important and exciting part of this framework is that I can now create fully dynamic sites based on sets of MARC XML records. The project that triggered this is a smaller folklore project where I was handed a set of MARC XML records with annotations. Not only can I now display info about this set, but show off the synergetic effects of putting them into a Topic maps instead of a traditional RDBMS. My prototype is looking really good, and I'll share more info here as I go along.

For librarians : If anyone wants to join me in my quest for a MARC XML => Topic maps brigde, please drop me a line. What is needed the most is an MARC compatible ontology.

Another excelent article found through Column Two by Jerry Ash of kwork.org talks about something essential missing from KM's core strategies;

After a two-year review of literature written by the best thinkers in the Knowledge Management (KM) field, I kept thinking something important was missing.

There seemed to be a gap somewhere in the emerging jargon, the theories, the strategies. It finally came to me. Communication. How strange.

Food for thought.

Again, clever boy James Robertson of Column Two has produced an excelent whitepaper called Where is the knowledge in a CMS? outlining where the actual knowledge resides in a Content management system.

Also, from the announcement, he points to two related articles;

Losing sight of the content in a CMS

Why spend millions on managing content that no-one understands or needs? This article provides tips for getting the best value out of your business content.

Using usability to direct KM systems

KM has much to learn from usability, which can provide many useful starting points for structuring and managing KM projects.

This is all interesting stuff, and one that really inspires my current research for creating a Topic maps based content management system; when people add or edit information, where in the CM system are these changes reflected? In James' whitepaper I find that the approach of the CM system is pretty traditional, which I also think is the purpose of it, so while not adding to a revolution in how Knowledge management is or should be done, it certainly points us in important directions.

Stumbled upon this site through some weblog I cannot remember, and found it both insightful, personal and humours. A must read.

Steve Pepper of Ontopia has written the paper "Curing the Web's Identity Crisis" which deals with the idea of identity on the net and how it revolves around the Resource Description Framework of W3C.org.

It is a most interesting paper that anyone with an interest in a semantic web should read. It of course promotes Topic maps as a solution.

I snapped up this excelent article through Column Two;

Making a Taxonomy for your company or area of expertise can be very political. The way information is organized helps define the information.