Google Base is now available
Sometime back, there was talk of Google Base, a databas-ish product coming from Google. Let me let a summary from their blog explain it…
Rather than impose specific schemas and structures on the world, Google Base suggests attributes and item types based on popularity, which you can use to define and attach your own labels and attributes to each data item. Then searchers can find information more quickly and effectively by using these labels and attributes to refine their queries on the experimental version of Google Base search.
From what little I’ve had the chance to browse, this looks interesting for site owners and for web browsers. For example, I just did a test browse for non-profits, then refined in the next step by locality, then refined again with community serverice and volunteering and wound up with 2 entries placed on a local map.
I think it gives an interesting way to drill down for information without searching if you browse the pre-ordered categorys. This may have some interesting implications….
I’ll try to type more when I’ve had a chance to look further.
Sunbelt is talking about it too…. of course, at this point I think half the web is…
PCWorld techblog has some good thoughts on this.