Semantic Web In Action – Apture

David Kuhta — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:57:28 +0000

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):

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.