XmlDotGov

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The purpose of http://xml.gov is to "facilitate the efficient and effective use of XML through cooperative efforts among government agencies".

The purpose of this page is to provide background on something that xml.gov wants and which may be of interest to Meatballers, and a related concept I've called one-hypertext in a nod to OneText. For further discussion, I recommend going to OneHyperText.

Recently, XmlDotGov's OwenAmbur? sent me an email:

: "I'll be especially interested to hear any thoughts you may have on how XML might be used to assist those with common interests to structure their outputs more effectively toward commonly desired outcomes."

After a brief exchange, his interest broadened to:

: input or proposals, relevant to xml.gov, about any of:

Development of VoluntaryConsensusStandards
Collaborative web spaces
XML
Intersections between the above

The canonical case he quoted was enabling multiple government agencies, that have previously agreed that they should develop an XML DTD to share information, to efficiently and effectively develop that DTD via a web site.

I am convinced that a Wiki, or something like it, could help. In particular, I have settled on the following position: for the early, informal, and dynamic parts of a consensus building process, and inputs, a Wiki would fit better than anything else I know, and for the later, formal, static parts of a consensus building process and outputs, a Wiki won't provide enough structure.

The conceptual framework Owen suggested is a OneText (the formal agreement between parties that is the main output from the GettingToYes consensus building method). Building on this metaphor, I thought it made sense to introduce the term OneHyperText to represent a transfer of this method to the web. I look forward to your comments on that page!

More of OwenAmbur?'s own words in his first email to me:

: 1) How can we best use the xml.gov site not only to foster the sharing of highly pertinent explicit knowledge (records) but also to facilitate the "meetings of the minds" (tacit knowledge) required for effective coalescence around "voluntary consensus standards"? (Reference OMB Circular A-119 http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a119/a119.html.)

: 2) Can you help us understand the potential and prospective means of establishing xml.gov as an online exchange (marketplace) for the services required to generate consensus and, ultimately, the *acquisition* of consensus -- as the essence of "governance" in a "free" society?

In a more recent email, he added:

: Ralph, a couple days ago an "XML wiki" search of Google only turned up some broken links. (That's a records management issue.) However, just now it turned up http://classic.zope.org/pipermail/zope-announce/2000-May/000161.html, leading to http://www.zope.org/Wikis/zope-xml/VisionStatement.

: I don't have time to follow up on it right now, but to the degree that others may wish to help draw the connections to the requirements for the efficient and effective development of xml.gov domain http://xml.gov/, I will be all ears.

XmlDotGov

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