XFN 1.1: A Guide to XHTML Friends Network Relationships

Understanding the XHTML Friends Network (XFN) 1.1 Profile

The XHTML Friends Network (XFN) is a vocabulary for representing relationships between people in HTML.Originally conceived as a way to enhance social networking on the web, XFN allows users to define the nature of their connection to others using specific “rel” attributes within HTML links. This document outlines the XFN 1.1 profile, detailing the various relationship types and their characteristics.

What is XFN and why Use It?

XFN, as described in HTML4 Meta data profiles, provides a standard method for communicating the nature of relationships between individuals online. By employing specific rel values, users can convey the depth and type of connection they share with others. This allows for richer social data and more meaningful connections within the digital space.

key Concepts

* Symmetry: A symmetrical relationship means if ‘A rel B’ is true, then ‘B rel A’ is also true. For example,if Alice is a friend of Bob,then Bob is generally a friend of Alice.
* Transitivity: A transitive relationship means if ‘A rel B’ and ‘B rel C’ are true, then ‘A rel C’ is also true.Such as, if Alice is a co-worker of Bob, and Bob is a co-worker of Charlie, then Alice is highly likely a co-worker of Charlie.
* Inverse: An inverse relationship defines how one relationship implies another in the opposite direction.For example, child and parent are inverse relationships.

Relationship categories and Definitions

XFN 1.1 categorizes relationships into several types:

1. Friendship: (Choose only one)

* contact: Someone you know how to get in touch with. Often symmetrical.
* acquaintance: Someone you’ve exchanged basic greetings with – a casual connection.Often symmetrical.
* friend: A close companion or buddy. Frequently enough symmetrical.

2. Physical:

* met: Someone you’ve met in person. Symmetrical.

3. Professional:

* co-worker: Someone you work with, or share an institution with. Symmetrical and usually transitive.
* colleague: Someone in the same field of study or activity. Symmetrical and often transitive.

4. Geographical: (Choose only one)

* co-resident: Someone you share a street address with. Symmetrical and transitive.
* neighbour: Someone who lives nearby. Symmetrical and often transitive.

5. family: (Choose only one)

* child: A person’s offspring (biological or adopted). Inverse is parent.
* parent: The parent of another person. Inverse of child.
* sibling: Someone you share a parent with. Symmetrical and usually transitive.
* spouse: Someone you are married to. Symmetrical, not transitive.
* kin: A relative – part of your extended family. symmetrical and typically transitive.

6. Romantic:

* muse: Someone who inspires you. No inverse.
* crush: Someone you have a crush on. No inverse.
* date: Indicates a romantic interest/relationship.

Where to Learn More

For a deeper understanding of XFN, refer to the resources provided:

* HTML4 definition of the ‘rel’ attribute: http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html#adef-rel

* XFN Home Page: https://iphoneaddict.fr/apps/reseaux-sociaux/

* XFN Introduction and Examples: https://iphoneaddict.fr/apps/reseaux-sociaux/intro

* XFN FAQ: https://iphoneaddict.fr/apps/reseaux-sociaux/faq

What is XFN and how can it be used to define relationships between people on teh web?

XFN 1.1: A Guide to XHTML Friends Network Relationships

XFN (XHTML Friends Network) 1.1 is a vocabulary for representing relationships between people in HTML and XHTML. While largely superseded by modern social networking platforms and dedicated social graph APIs, understanding XFN provides valuable insight into the early days of semantic web development and the desire for decentralized social networks. It remains relevant for those interested in web standards, microformats, and building interoperable web applications.

What is XFN and Why Was It Created?

Before the dominance of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the idea of a portable social network – one you owned and could take with you – was a compelling vision. XFN aimed to make this possible. Created by Tantek Çelik in 2003, XFN allowed web authors to embed relationship facts directly within thier webpages using standard HTML attributes.

The core principle was simple: use rel attributes on <a> (anchor) tags to define how you relate to other people on the web. this meant you could declare friends, colleagues, family, or any other relationship directly in your HTML, making it machine-readable.

Understanding the rel Attribute and XFN Values

The rel attribute in HTML is used to specify the relationship between the current document and the linked document. XFN leverages this attribute, assigning specific values to denote different types of relationships. Here’s a breakdown of common XFN relationship values:

* friend: A general social relationship. This is the most commonly used value.

* colleague: Someone you work with.

* contact: someone you have professional contact with, but aren’t necessarily friends or colleagues.

* family: A family member.

* met: Someone you’ve met, but don’t have a strong relationship with.

* acquaintance: Someone you know casually.

* trust: Someone you trust.

* hate: (Use with caution!) Someone you dislike.

You can combine multiple relationship values within a single rel attribute, separated by spaces. Such as: <a rel="friend colleague" href="http://example.com/john">John Doe</a> indicates that you are both friends and colleagues with John Doe.

Implementing XFN in Your HTML

Implementing XFN is straightforward.You simply add the appropriate rel attribute to the <a> tag linking to another person’s webpage.

Example:

I’m friends with Jane Smith and

work with David Lee.

this tells browsers and web crawlers that you have a “friend” relationship with Jane smith and a “colleague” relationship with David Lee.

XFN and Microformats

XFN is often considered a microformat – a simple, semantic way to add meaning to HTML. Microformats aim to make web data more easily parsable by machines, enabling better interoperability and data portability. XFN was one of the earliest and most successful microformats.

The combination of XFN with other microformats, like hCard (for representing people and organizations), created a powerful foundation for building decentralized social applications.

The Rise and Fall (and Potential Revival?) of XFN

While XFN gained traction in the early 2000s,its popularity waned with the rise of centralized social networks. Platforms like Facebook offered a more convenient and user-kind way to manage social connections, and their proprietary APIs became the dominant standard.

However, interest in decentralized social networking is experiencing a resurgence, driven by concerns about data privacy, platform control, and censorship.Technologies like ActivityPub and Solid are exploring new ways to build portable social graphs,and the principles behind XFN – semantic markup,interoperability,and user ownership – remain highly relevant.

Benefits of Using XFN (Even Today)

Even in a world dominated by large social platforms, there are benefits to using XFN:

* Semantic Web Principles: It reinforces the principles of the Semantic Web, making your website more machine-readable.

* Decentralization: It supports the idea of a decentralized social web, where users control their own data.

* Interoperability: It allows different websites and applications to understand and exchange social relationship information.

* Future-Proofing: While not widely used currently,the underlying principles of XFN could become more important as decentralized social networks gain traction.

* Enhanced SEO: while not a direct ranking factor, semantic markup can help search engines better understand the content on your page.

Practical Tips for Implementing XFN

* Use hCard: Combine XFN with hCard to provide complete information about the people you’re linking to. hCard provides details like name, email, and organization.

* Be Accurate: Only declare relationships that are genuinely true. Misrepresenting relationships can damage your credibility.

* Keep it Updated: As your relationships change, update your XFN markup accordingly.

* Validate Your Markup: Use a micro