A twist on traditional Semantic Web Technologies, OpenAmplify looks to go beyond simply data categorization or classification and strike at the heart of what content means. By its own definition, “OpenAmplify is a web service that brings human understanding to content.” In doing so, it decodes the linguistic structure of content and returns the embedded topics, brands, people, perspectives, emotions, actions and timescales. OpenAmplify provides a unique tool and resource to the Semantic Web community.

So What Does OpenAmplify do?

Put simply, Amplify Meaning.  OpenAmplify identifies the parts of speech in text and captures indicators of emotional meaning. By utilizing OpenAmplify, text can be analyzed from a semantic standpoint while retaining the ability to look at meaning of the underlying content.

How Does OpenAmplify Work?

OpenAmplify analyzes text content from any source using language processing technology and returns different ‘signals‘ in an XML structure.

5 different text analyses exist to chose from individually, but the option to amplify text using all analyses is available as well.

Analyses of the text include:

• The Topic Analysis – Which returns topical signals including a positive or negative perception (polarity) and degree to which guidance is sought (guidance).
• The Action Analysis – Which returns signals related to actions detected in the text including the likelihood of the action being taken (decisiveness), degree to which guidance is sought (guidance) and time when the action might take place (temporality).
• The Style Analysis – Which returns stylistic signals indicating how elaborate and decorative the linguistics are (flamboyancy) as well as the degree to which the text invokes slang vocabulary (slang).
• The Demographic Analysis – Which returns the likely age, gender and education level of the text’s author or audience.
• The TopicIntentions Analysis – Which  reports topics with associated action signals (A hybridization of Topic and Action).

Upon submission, OpenAmplify returns an XML structure, denoting an amplification of the content corresponding to the desired analysis.

How Can OpenAmplify Help Me?

OpenAmplify provides a tool and resource for both individuals and corporations.

Distinct uses for OpenAmplify include:

• Online Advertising – By enabling advertisers, publishers and ad networks to monitor brand safety, reputation management, targeting and SEO online through real-time content analysis in XML structure which can be dynamically incorporated and acted upon.
• News Analytics – By providing a qualitative data component, generated from precision amplification of topic representation, to a quantitative news flow.
• Blog post-tagging and comment analysis – By providing feedback for content generators on the tone and structure of their language and writing style, bloggers can know how to tag their posts and how readers perceived it via comments.

How Do I use OpenAmplify?

However you want! Currently OpenAmplify hosts an OpenAmplify repository of applications built by the OpenAmp Team and community users. Two Notable applications include: TweetyPants and the OpenAmplify Gmail Add-On (which requires Grease Monkey).

To use OpenAmplify for a personal web service like the Gmail Add-On or a Drupal plugin, you will need to:

1. Join the OpenAmplify community.
2. Go Edit Profile, and copy your OpenAmplify API Key to enter in any OpenAmplify applications of your choice.

Note: OpenAmplify provides 1,000 free “transactions” per day, once you’ve registered for your free API key. This proves generous enough for the average user. A premium service is available to individuals and organizations looking for responses in excess of that.

Can’t find that perfect tool to meet your text amplification need? Amp it yourself!

OpenAmplify offers a wide range of tutorials and developer resources. ranging from code samples, tutorials, and documentation to help you construct that perfect application. I’m currently developing a free OpenAmplify WordPress plugin for semantic tagging and linguistic text feedback, so if your a WordPress blogger, hold tight, there’s a solution in the works!

In A Nutshell

All in all, OpenAmplify is pretty unique in its construct and contribution to the Semantic Web.  The vast array of solutions and web applications it offers are powerful. Furthermore, interface with an API offers the web community a sure fire way to amplify content as best they see fit. If your looking to take your content generation and analysis to a whole new level and see what it really means, give it a try.

OpenAmplify is ready for you, Loud and Clear.

So today I wanted to take a look into a Semantic Web Technology that is invading the blogosphere, Apture.  Apture is a free web service that allows for the integration of multimedia and links within published content, such as to dynamically create a new layer of user experience and interaction.  But what does that really mean? Apture essentially provides another method of communication.

So what can you integrate with Apture?

Well some things are better left done than said (click on the links):

• Documents
• Images
• Video
• Maps
• Audio
• References
• People
• News Articles
• Links to Websites
• All of The Above

Apture even assists in embedding content directly into the content:

How does Apture work?

Apture does all this by dynamically aggregating information from 50+ sources including:

• Documents: SlideShare, Google Books, and Scribd
• Images: Flickr, Yahoo Image Search, Wikimedia Commons, and Bing Image Search
• Video: YouTube, Reuters, Truveo, Dailymotion, Hulu, Comedy Central, ESPN, and Metavid
• Maps: Google Maps
• Audio: National Public Radio
• References: Wikipedia, Amazon, CrunchBase, U.S. Congress, and IMDB
• People: Twitter, LinkedIn, and U.S. Congress
• News: Daylife, Reuters, Guardian, NYTimes, Washington Post, and BBC News

How Can Apture Help My Site?

For the publisher, Apture elimates much of the fieldwork in searching for relevant content and media, and reduces it to a concise search for a relevant term. Furthermore, Apture works not only on WordPress but on other blogging platforms as well, notably: Typeface, Ning, Drupal, Blogger, and Movable Type.

How Do I Use Apture?

The first step is to goto the Apture site and download the plugin (WordPress users can also install the plugin directly from the backend of their blog after a quick search for ‘Apture’).  For your first use, after installing and activating the plugin, you’ll be prompted to create an account with Apture.  After logging in and linking your domain to your site, the dynamic fun begins.  Two new buttons will appear in the “upload/insert” section of the visual editor for your posts:

• Add Apture Link 
• Add Apture Embed

Clicking on either of these (While having text selected for ‘Add Apture Link’) brings up the Apture editing  hub allowing you to search for a term and adding your content accordingly :

After selecting the relevant content, click “Create Embed” and bam! your done.  Check out your post on the frontend and enjoy the fact that users aren’t being led away from your site every time you want to provide them with external content

In A NutShell

A free service with the capabilities of a premium plugin, Apture offers rapid integration of content and creates another layer of user experience that can be rivaled.  Coupled with the large array of contents feeding the apture search, you’ll be sure to find that perfect media complement to your own content.

Looking forward to hearing how Apture is enriching the way you post!