Microformats are a simple, standardised way of extending the language of the web (HTML) to imitate existing standards (for example, vcard, atom, etc.). Webpages which use Microformats can then be parsed and exported for use within other applications.

Microformats were first announced over two years ago and since then have gained massive traction as developers simply started modifying their existing infrastructure to include this extra data. The tech industry major players all agree on the importance of Microformats. At Mix06, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates stated “We need Microformats”. Since then, Yahoo! has integrated Microformats in to literally millions of pages. Yahoo! Local supports hCards, hCalendars and hReviews and Yahoo! acquisitions Flickr and Upcoming support hCards and events respectively.

We understand the importance of Microformats here at Creation. Our profile pages contain hCards. Our hot topics, news articles and comments are all marked up with hAtom, which allows users to subscribe to these pages and their changes automatically.

All of our web packages contain Microformats to varying degrees. Each page on our packages uses the hAtom syntax and your company details are marked up as a hCard. If you use address module (available in GoActive packages and above), more information is added, including address and telephone number – this information can be exported to vCard-compatible address management tools, such as Outlook or Address Book for the Mac.

If you use or buy one of our web packages (or any custom website) you’ll understand the immediate advantages of Microformats this coming year. Browser manufactures are integrating features which will make interacting with Microformat-enabled websites a breeze. Look out for these features in the upcoming Firefox 3 and the next Internet Explorer.