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Version: 0.2
Contact: Daniel Goldshlack and Paul Pritchard, mBLAST
Updated: Mar 29, 2006
1 Overview
The objective of mBLAST's Event Extensions is to define the extensions necessary to describe an event, such as a conference, trade show, seminar, workshop, or exposition. The extensions define attributes that are unique to events and are not contained in standard RSS or Atom feeds, such as event type, start date, and end date.
While mBLAST prefers ATOM feeds because of the ATOM standard's ability to support extensions, we can also accept the same extensions inside RSS feeds.
Event Extensions extend the Atom 1.0 specification:
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4287.txt
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-atom10.html
1.1 Namespaces and Version
The XML namespace URI for the XML data format described in this specification is:
http://www.mblast.com/events/0.2
In this spec, the prefix "event:" is used for the namespace URI identified above. For example:
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
xmlns:event="http://www.mblast.com/events/0.2">
1.2 Notational Conventions
In this document, the key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
All date/times values MUST conform to the "date-time" production in [RFC3339]. In addition, an uppercase "T" character MUST be used to separate date and time, and an uppercase "Z" character MUST be present in the absence of a numeric time zone offset.
2 Usage of standard ATOM elements
2.1 <atom:title> element
The title element should contain the title for the event.
2.2 <atom:subtitle> element
The subtitle element should contain the subtitle for the event.
2.3 <atom:link> element
The link element should contain the URL for the event.
2.4 <atom:summary> element
The summary element should contain a summary or abstract for the event.
2.5 <atom:content> element
The content element should contain the full description of the event. While the atom:summary is a short abstract about the event, the atom:content element can contain a longer, more detailed description of the event.
3 Extensions
3.1 <event:type> element within <entry>
The event:type element is very important because it determines which of the other elements are required for the entry. This element is a child of the entry element. This is a REQUIRED element for all events.
The following event types are supported:
| Event Type |
Description |
| Forum/Association/Standards Body Meeting |
This is typically a regularly occurring meeting of the membership, committees, or Board of a group which represents an industry in some fashion. It is usually a working meeting, as opposed to a Trade Show.
Note that some events classify themselves as a "forum" to designate a gathering of people to discuss elements of a topic. In this situation, if such an event is not part of an organization that represents an industry or group, this "forum" event is better designated as a "Summit". |
| Conference Call |
This is a audio, video, and/or Web conference session in which more than two parties are expected to take part. |
| Summit |
This is a meeting where people go to discuss a particular item or topic, and is composed mostly of meetings to analyze those issues as a whole. This is similar to a workshop, but the workshop is generally a smaller and more tactical meeting. |
| Tutorial |
This is a how-to event where something is explained in detail in a teacher/student type setting. A Tutorial is similar to a Seminar, but is generally more how-to, while a Seminar is more generally focused. |
| Conference |
This is a larger collection of tutorial, seminar, workshop and other similar sessions that seek to educate and discuss a broader topic than each of these individually discuss. Collectively, these individual sessions help progress the larger issues of the conference. |
| Seminar |
This is a one way learning event where something is explained in a teach/student type setting. A Seminar is similar to a Tutorial, but a Seminar is more generally focused, while a Tutorial is more how-to in focus. |
| Roadshow |
This is usually a multi-location event that takes a particular topic and possibly demonstrations/exhibitors and 'goes on the road' to showcase it. |
| Workshop |
This is a small gathering of people designed to train or progress discussion about a specific topic. It is usually a working meeting where the emphasis is on reaching a particular conclusion or base level of knowledge. |
| Bird-Of-A-Feather Session |
This is typically a small event where users who share common problems or issues meet to discuss and advance their knowledge. |
| User Group Meeting |
This is an event where users of a common product, service or other similarity can get together to discuss their usage of the product. Often these are sponsored by a vendor but can also be independently run. |
| Exposition |
This is a very exhibitor-focused meeting where the topic at hand is shown, demonstrated or otherwise exhibited. It may be accompanied by workshops, a conference or other session-oriented meetings. It is similar to a Tradeshow, but bigger and more general. |
| Tradeshow |
This is a demonstration and exhibition-focused event where the topic is shown and demonstrated. It is similar to an Exposition, but smaller and more focused. |
| Webcast/Live Webinar |
This is an on-line event that is designed as a largely one-way teacher/student environment where a topic is being communicated to a larger group than in a one-on-one call or training session. This is presented live. |
| Webcast/On Demand Webinar |
This is an on-line event that is designed as a largely one-way teacher/student environment where a topic is being communicated to a larger group than in a one-on-one call or training session. This is a stored webcast that is available on request by clicking on the correct link on the site. In this context, it's like a stored on-line tutorial. |
We understand that these definitions overlap somewhat. In some
cases, the distinctions between types are a little bit arbitrary. The term used for a particular event
is usually the term that is preferred by the event organizer, rather than any specifically-defined
and accepted event terminology. Since some publishers will organize their presentation of events based on these
categories, you should consider which class of events that you want your event to be grouped with. For instance, while
an event organizer might call an event a "Forum", this term is most frequently used for industry standards and advocacy bodies.
Using "Forum" to describe this event instead of "Summit" would cause the event to be grouped together with monthly standards body
meetings, which probably would not meet the objectives of your marketing efforts.
In all instances, the publishers who receive event feeds from mBLAST retain editorial purview and can change any and
all data.
3.2 <event:organizer> element within <entry>
The event:organizer element contains information about the primary Event Organizer. The entry element MUST NOT contain more than one event:organizer element.
3.2.1 <name> element within <event:organizer>
The name element contains the name of the event organizer..
3.2.2 <uri> element within <event:organizer>
The uri element contains the uniform resource locator for the main web page of the event organizer.
3.3 <event:sponsor> element within <entry>
The event:sponsor element contains information about one of the organizations which is sponsoring the event. The entry element MAY contain any number of event:sponsor elements.
3.3.1 <name> element within <event:sponsor>
The name element contains the name of the sponsor.
3.3.2 <uri> element within <event:sponsor>
The uri element contains the uniform resource locator for the main web page of the sponsor.
3.4 <event:contributor> element within <entry>
The event:contributor element contains information about one of the organizations which is contributing to, or collaborating on, the event. The entry element MAY contain any number of event:contributor elements.
3.4.1 <name> element within <event:contributor>
The name element contains the name of the contributor..
3.4.2 <uri> element within <event:contributor>
The uri element contains the uniform resource locator for the main web page of the contributor.
3.5 <event:abbreviation> element
The abbreviation element may contain an abbreviation of the event's name.
3.6 <event:startdate> element within <entry>
The event:startdate element contains the start date of the event. Note: when specifying the the date but not the time, use 12:00:00Z for the time part of the element, as in this example:
<event:startdate>2006-03-15T12:00:00Z</event:startdate>
3.7 <event:enddate> element within <entry>
The event:enddate element contains the end date of the event. For events that are one day in duration, the end date would match the start date.
3.8 <event:duration> element within <entry>
The event:duration element containsthe durating of the event, in minutes. Note: this will replace <event:enddate> for some event types.
3.9 <event:venue> element within <entry>
The event:venue element contains the venue of the event. Venue is the name of the building (convention center, meeting hall, hotel, etc.) where the event is held. For example: Moscone Center.
3.10 <event:location> element within <entry>
The event:location element contains the location of the event. Location is the geographical area where the event is held (such as the city, state/province, and country). For example, San Francisco, California, US.
3.11 <event:phoneinfo> element within <entry>
The event:phoneinfo element contains the phone number or call-in information.
3.12 <event:logolink> element within <entry>
The event:logolink element contains a URL for the event's logo.
3.13 <event:callforspeakers> element within <entry>
The event:callforspeakers element contains information about the time period during which the event organizer asks for speaker proposals for the event. This is appropriate for some event types. The entry element MUST NOT contain more than one event:callforspeakers element.
3.13.1 <startdate> element within <event:callforspeakers>
The startdate element contains the open date for the Call for Speakers timespan of the event.
3.13.2 <enddate> element within <event:callforspeakers>
The enddate element contains the close date for the Call for Speakers timespan of the event.
3.13.3 <uri> element within <event:callforspeakers>
The uri element contains the uniform resource locator for a web page containing further information on the Call for Speakers timespan of the event.
3.13.4 <docuri> element within <event:callforspeakers>
The docuri element contains the uniform resource locator for a document (such as a Adobe PDF or Microsoft Office file) which describes the Call for Speakers timespan of the event.
3.14 <event:callforpapers> element within <entry>
The event:callforspeakers element contains information about the time period during which the event organizer asks for paper proposals to be presented at the event. This is appropriate for some event types. The entry element MUST NOT contain more than one event:callforpapers element.
3.14.1 <startdate> element within <entry>
The startdate element contains the open date for the Call for Papers timespan of the event.
3.14.2 <senddate> element within <entry>
The enddate element contains the close date for the Call for Papers timespan of the event.
3.14.3 <uri> element within <entry>
The uri element contains the uniform resource locator for a web page containing further information on the Call for Papers timespan of the event.
3.14.4 <docuri> element within <entry>
The docuri element contains the uniform resource locator for a document (such as a Adobe PDF or Microsoft Office file) which describes the Call for Papers timespan of the event.
3.15 <event:keywords> element within <entry>
The event:keywords element contains a list of keywords for the event. Keywords or tags associated with the event can be included in this element. The list of keywords should be separated with commas.
4 Event Types and their Fields
In this section, we list which event extension elements are appropriate for each event type, and also which of these elements are required for the event type.
4.1 Forum/Association/Standards Body Meeting, Summit, Tutorial, Conference, Seminar, Roadshow, Workshop, Bird-Of-A-Feather Session, User Group Meeting, Exposition, Tradeshow
| Field name |
Notes |
| <title> |
Required |
| <subtitle> |
|
| <event:organizer> |
|
| <event:sponsor> |
|
| <event:contributor> |
|
| <event:abbreviation> |
|
| <content> |
|
| <event:startdate> |
Required |
| <event:enddate> |
|
| <event:venue> |
|
| <event:location> |
|
| <event:phoneinfo> |
|
| <summary> |
Required |
| <link> |
|
| <event:logolink> |
|
| <event:callforspeakers> |
|
| <event:callforpapers> |
|
| <event:keywords> |
|
4.2 Conference Call
| Field name |
Notes |
| <title> |
Required |
| <subtitle> |
|
| <event:type> |
Required |
| <event:organizer> |
|
| <event:sponsor> |
|
| <event:contributor> |
|
| <event:abbreviation> |
|
| <content> |
|
| <event:startdate> |
Required |
| <event:duration> |
|
| <event:venue> |
|
| <event:location> |
|
| <summary> |
Required |
| <link> |
|
| <event:logolink> |
|
| <event:keywords> |
|
4.3 Webcast/Live Webinar
| Field name |
Notes |
| <title> |
Required |
| <subtitle> |
|
| <event:organizer> |
|
| <event:sponsor> |
|
| <event:contributor> |
|
| <event:abbreviation> |
|
| <content> |
|
| <event:startdate> |
Required |
| <event:duration> |
|
| <summary> |
Required |
| <link> |
|
| <event:logolink> |
|
| <event:keywords> |
|
4.4 Webinar/On Demand Webinar
| Field name |
Notes |
| <title> |
Required |
| <subtitle> |
|
| <event:organizer> |
|
| <event:sponsor> |
|
| <event:contributor> |
|
| <event:abbreviation> |
|
| <content> |
|
| <event:startdate> |
Required |
| <event:duration> |
|
| <summary> |
Required |
| <link> |
|
| <event:logolink> |
|
| <event:keywords> |
|
5 Examples
Please use these examples to understand the use of the event extensions.
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
xmlns:event="http://www.mblast.com/events/0.2"
xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.example.com">
<id>http://www.example.com/feeds/events.atom</id>
<title>Example Events Feed</title>
<updated>2006-03-15T12:00:00Z</updated>
<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml"
href="http://www.example.com/feeds/events.atom"/>
<entry>
<id>
http://www.example.com/presentations/page333-123456.asp
</id>
<event:type>Roadshow</event:type>
<title>2005 Mobile Devices Roadshow</title>
<subtitle>Roadshow Event</subtitle>
<link href="/presentations/page333-123456.asp" />
<updated>2006-03-15T12:00:00Z</updated>
<summary>This is a a roadshow event.</summary>
<event:organizer>
<name>
Mobile Devices Magazine
</name>
<uri>
http://www.example.com
</uri>
</event:organizer>
<event:startdate>
2006-01-08T12:00:00Z
</event:startdate>
<event:enddate>
2006-01-08T12:00:00Z
</event:enddate>
<event:callforspeakers>
<event:startdate>
2005-12-01T12:00:00Z
</event:startdate>
<event:enddate>
2005-12-31T12:00:00Z
</event:enddate>
<event:uri>
http://www.example.com/2006callforpapers.asp
</event:uri>
</event:callforspeakders>
</entry>
<entry>
<id>
http://www.example.com/presentations/page333-112233.asp
</id>
<event:type>
Conference Call
</event:type>
<title>
Audio Mixers Association
Conference Call
</title>
<subtitle>
Weekly Conference Call
</subtitle>
<link href="/presentations/page333-112233.asp" />
<updated>2006-03-15T12:00:00Z</updated>
<summary>This is a meeting entry</summary>
<event:startdate>
2006-02-17T08:00:00Z
</event:startdate>
<event:duration>120</event:duration>
<event:phoneinfo>
888-123-1234 (conf. id 102291)
</event:phoneinfo>
</entry>
<entry>
<id>
http://www.example.com/presentations/page333-846273.asp
</id>
<event:type>
Forum/Association/Standards Body Meeting
</event:type>
<title>
The Passive Optical Network Engineering Forum
</title>
<link href="/presentations/page333-846273.asp"/>
<updated>
2005-12-01T12:00:00Z
</updated>
<event:location>
San Francisco, California, US
</event:location>
<summary>
The first Forum meeting of the Passive
Optical Network Engineers.
</summary>
<event:startdate>
2006-01-15T12:00:00Z
</event:startdate>
<event:enddate>
2006-01-17T12:00:00Z
</event:enddate>
</entry>
</feed>
6 Licensing Information
mBLAST's copyrights in this specification are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (version 2.5). To view a copy of this license,
please visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/.
As to software implementations, mBLAST is not aware of any patent claims it owns or controls
that would be necessarily infringed by a software implementation that conforms to the specification's
extensions. If mBLAST later becomes aware of any such necessary patent claims, mBLAST also agrees to
offer a royalty-free patent license on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions to any
such patent claims for the purpose of publishing and consuming the extensions set out in the specification. |
