Product Data Project - Invitation

[pricethat]

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I would like to start a project which of course like others is a benefit to me and of course will be to anyone else. It is of course the product data issue that resounds like echos in this place.

I would like to make an open project called the PDP project or similar in which to create standards in the way product information is categorised and exchanged. I know a lot of people have a lot of opinions but i have an amazing amount of experience when it comes to product data and data exchange.

The project i expect will take around 2 years to get to a release stage and of course will be on a completely volunteer basis for those that want to join me in creating a panel. It shouldnt be too labour intensive though certainly something for the thinking man or woman.

I have some sponsorship and like all standards such as ONIX etc there should be a good level of commercial business that is attracted through operating an open free standard.

So, to sum up what im about to start or would like to..

To create a universal international standard for the categorisation and distribution of product information. A standard incorporates existing standards from each industry and merges them into a wider scaleable definition.

As i say, its about two years of work from time to time, for it to work it has to be accepted, being free i think it would help a lot of new merchants and of course if wanted by affiliates then of course networks might have to consider using it as well.

Any networks that want to consider being on the panel would be greatly accepted. Once i got enough people then i would suggest some pool to collaborate ideas of what discussion tools to use and a basis in which to start open projects.

[accelerator]

Do you think that all networks would want an open standard?

I would imagine that most networks would be interested in pushing only their own standards for product feeds. If you had an open standard, a network client could easily jump ship to one of their competitors.

It would be great for us affiliates though.

Rgds

Accelerator

[pricethat]

To be honest i dont care whether they do or they dont, what makes a network unique is how good one is over another but there is an unlimited amount of uses for such a standard outside affiliate marketing but also inside it is well.

For example for affiliates it gives us a central model to map networks data to, it also allows for much greater connectivity with other applications and the ability to further much more intelligent marketing tools.

Of course if networks get behind it then fair enough but its not essential, the ONIX book data standard would be a good display of that. literally a few years on and its now probably the most popular standard and receives funding from the people who use it who want it developed further.

But i do take your point entirely

Having a standard doesnt mean it has to be used, but for companies that do want to have a standard model to use to develop further applications or even just database designs to go make their own custom applications makes it so much easier.

[drivetowin]

I wish you all the best with it but my personal view is that I'm likely to achieve solo manned spaceflight before it happens.

To develop a common standard for data interchange in one industry is hard enough - to develop a common standard which is going to be able to incorporate retail, travel, financial, gambling etc etc is going to be nigh on impossible - it will take thousands of man hours of negotiation to agree a standard and then and only then you've got to persuade people to start using it.

I'm not saying it cant be done but I just hope you're prepared for a very long very hard uphill slog.

I dont doubt you have a lot of experience, but please dont use superlatives like 'amazing' - if I knew the extent of your experience I may well be impressed but I sincerely doubt that I would be amazed.

[accelerator]

pricethat

I agree with what kbudden is saying, in that generally in life it is a real struggle (and costs a lot of time, effort and money) trying to get people to agree on anything. Ask yourself the question "What's in it for you?". If you are good at data processing, I think that gives you a competitive advantage in the affiliate space, as you will be able to make bigger, better, more automated affiliate sites. By spending a lot of your time introducing standards, you will be making it easier for your competition to make sites as good as yours. Why would you want to do that?

I have not tried it yet, but wouldn't XSLT allow you to transform any feed to your own standard anyway?

Rgds

Accelerator

[eskimo]

As useful as a consensus driven standard is, they are always vunerable to big players developing their own standards, which can then by adopted by others.

[pricethat]

Partly two reasons, even if data was so perfect, correct models, makes and recognised category structures etc then theres still the people that are able to do things with it and people that are not able to do things with it.

For those that can it ups the game, I agree with Kbudden, its going to take many thousands of hours, as i said i predict two years.

My own personal benefit is that i get to design a database structure like no other, one that can handle incorporate retail, travel, financial, gambling etc but from another perspective it would allow me to develop applications that are completely unthinkable at the moment (a bit like making a proper price comparison site using only affiliate data feeds )

Yes its probably near on impossible, but then so was everything else that was made and im game if other people are.

We need a panel of people, not so much workers, but thinkers, people with many years experience in product data or its uses within marketing. At first there needs to be clear definition of what we are trying to do, why, the benefits to marketing in general and also the real benefit to the people that use it from day to day.

I think realistically i would need to start with at least a panel of 10 people in a discussion forum, using proper project software, and an open public forum as well to collect view and opinions. I cant see this being as impossible as you would think, with every project i have ever done i have always looked on the net to see if there is an appropriate standard to use and studied the benefits, you would be suprised how many do.

It would be a pleasure to have you on that panel Keith, your conservative judgements would be well placed in discussion

[getvisible]

Keith - it's precisely because its difficult is why it should be done!

[drivetowin]

Lee - I'm not saying it shouldnt be done - just that its an awful lot of work.

I'd certainly be willing to cast a critical eye over what was proposed (and I mean critical in a constructive sense) but wouldn't want to have to commit to regular participation - with new projects I already have in the pipeline for 2006 I simply wouldnt have the time to give to full participation to give it justice.

[Mogga]

Ah you're after the input a software engineer needs to produce the right bit of kit.

I don't know much about product feeds but I do get the feeling the more people can use them then the less advantage there is to doing so.

[accelerator]

It would allow me to develop applications that are completely unthinkable at the moment (a bit like making a proper price comparison site using only affiliate data feeds

I am interested in developing a price comparison site using the current xml product feeds available. Can anyone confirm that the best way to do this would be to use XSLT to transform the various feeds into a uniform XML source that could be used to drive my site?

Many thanks

Accelerator

[accelerator]

Can anyone confirm ..... please?

[accelerator]

Anyone?

*tumbleweeds*

[pricethat]

Accelerator,

With reference to making a price comparison site all i can say is dont bother unless your in for a really really long haul which of course is not really part of this thread. But to answer, Generally you would decide what structure you want your product tables to have, what fields of information you want to record and then go about importing the information you can find into those fields. Having said that, the whole thing is much harder than this would seem.

Also, if you had to ask that question to begin with then its unlikely that you will be able to succeed in doing so to begin with.

Mogga, to a certain degree you are correct mogga, but only in relation to the uses of product data feeds as you see them now. But we are not just talking about affiliate data feeds, we are talking about product feeds for many other uses as well.

Kbudden, a critical eye once in a small while would of course be welcomed ;-)

[accelerator]

Also, if you had to ask that question to begin with then its unlikely that you will be able to succeed in doing so to begin with.

Now that sounds like a challenge!

*Googles XSLT*

Rgds

Accelerator