Copyright 2007 Digital Enterprise Research Institute. All rights reserved.

www.deri.ie

Finding experts using Internet-based discussions in online communities and associated social networks

John BreslinDigital Enterprise Research Institute

National University of Ireland, Galway

john.breslin@deri.orghttp://sw.deri.org/~jbreslin/

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The aims of SIOC

• To “semantically interlink online communities”• To fully describe the content and structure of discussion

sites• To create new connections between online discussions• To browse connected posts and channels in interesting

ways• To overcome a chicken-and-egg problem with the

Semantic Web

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Community users in the SIOC-o-sphere

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SIOC and FOAF, SKOS

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Alice is looking for expertise in rain clouds

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Alice knows Bob who has photos about clouds

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Alice finds Caroline who writes about rain clouds

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Alice finds another expert Eric on that board

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Alice finds a related mailing list and more people