Hello Ontolog people:
Thank you for inviting me to the summit, which was very
educational. I learned a lot, which I tried to reflect in the keynote at the
end
http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/work/OntologySummit2007/workshop/gruber-social-web-keynote_20070424.ppt
The process of drafting a framework document, socializing
it, and then trying to collaboratively write a "communiqué"
was also educational.
As a follow-up, I have created an experiment that attempts
to continue the intellectual progress we have made while trying a new way of guiding
and capturing progress. I created a page on the Ontolog wiki called OntologyDistinctions,
which is an experiment in collaboration and intellectual dialog. It poses the question,
"Can a group of people who care passionately about the
definition of a word or concept collaborate effectively via a wiki on a
description of what it is?"
If you are a builder or user of ontologies that could be shared
on the Internet, I invite you to participate in this experiment. I have
posted seven distinctions that seem to me to be the points of disagreement in the
conversation so far. In the wiki page, your opportunity is to add your stance
under those points that you care about, or add some more distinctions and positions
under them.
http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?OntologyDistinctions
The result will be peer-produced, semistructured document that
chips away at what we mean by what we do, from multiple perspectives, in a
principled and constructive form.
Enjoy,
tom