The annotations can be thought of as being applied on a layer on top of the existing resource. Any particular annotation layer is visible to users who share the same annotation system and can remain transparent to all others.
A Web annotation system is a type of Social Software tool and could play a role in the Semantic Web vision.
Annotations can be used, for example:
- to rate a Web resource (by its usefulness, user-friendliness, suitability for viewing by minors)
- to improve or adapt its contents by adding/removing material
- as a Collaborative tool: e.g. to discuss the contents of a certain resource
- as a medium of artistic or social criticism, by allowing Web users to reinterpret, enrich or protest against institution or ideas that appear on the Web
Some web annotation designs aspire to transform the whole Web into a Wiki by allowing annotation of any Web resource.
Web annotation systems are typically designed as part of standard Web Browser s. Those currently in release and under development (several are incompatible with web standards and some are domain-specific) include:
- Annosource : A prototype application based on an annotation server to customise content to match individual user’s needs, preferences and interests. Currently under development at La Trobe University , Australia.
- Annotate is a free web-based annotation program to create dynamic annotations for interactive teaching files and presentations.
- Annotate the Web for Firefox browser, currently in alpha testing.
- Annotea Ubimarks for Mozilla browsers
- Annotea for the W3C 's Amaya browser.
- Annoty/eLAWS Web Service-based system.
- Annozilla for Mozilla browsers.
- AKTive Media : AKTive Media is an ontology based cross-media annotation (Images and Text) system. Our goal is to automate the process of annotation by suggesting knowledge to the user in an interactive way while the user is annotating and hence minimizing user effort. The system actively works in the background, interacting with web services and queries our central annotational store to look for context specific knowledge.
- DashNote for Web Annotation and Rich Bookmarks (Firefox and Internet Explorer). Does not require client-side installs, just a bookmarklet.
- Diigo for highlighting text & posting sticky notes on webpages
- Doodle Remote Tagging, Storage, Retrieval and Display of User Annotations within a Browser Environment. This is a toolbar for firefox browser.
- Fleck Use Fleck to add stick-it notes to webpages and share these with other people. Firefox Add-on ( download ) and Explorer Extension , Bookmarklet AND Web Based service for zero friction usage.
- E-Marked Commercial highlighting and annotation system.
- JumpKnowledge (jkn.com) is a free, web-based, cross-browser, registration-optional web page annotation tool. JKN supports: Frameset , secure webpages (https), multi-page, and password-protected web pages ( with optional FireFox extension ) See example on Wikipedia
- Marginalia Adds text highlighting and margin note capabilities to web applications. Open sourced and JavaScript-based; works with Firefox and Internet Explorer (no plug-in required).
- Onitix A web application that shows every page on the web together with a public discussion page. No registration needed. Does not require any client-side installs. ( see example on Wikipedia - not compatible with Firefox,Netscape-based browsers or Opera) -->
- Protonotes Easy to use web annotation targeted to user interface prototype development. AJAX based. No plug-in, bookmarklet or installation required.
- ShiftSpace - an extendable Firefox based open-source platform for metaweb applications such as sticky notes, highlights, imageswap and sourceshift.
- Stickis with toolbars for Firefox and IE.
- TafAnnote is a research prototype that supports web page annotation and currently under development at Toulouse University , France .
- Warichu for social annotation, bookmarking and researching ( download ). Formerly diginote, allows users to add annotations to pages for both public and private use.( see example on Wikipedia )
- Wikalong for Firefox
- World Forum service is currently unavailable -->
- YAWAS Yet Another Web Annotation System. Light-weight, JavaScript, IE-specific but has been ported to Firefox.
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