Imagine you're at a party with people you don't know and you walk into the following conversation (a terrific summary by Peter Van Dijck, btw). You listen politely, not wanting to interrupt, all the while wondering "Just what in the hell are you people talking about?"

To a newcomer, we must seem like blind men describing an elephant, debating the semweb's essential nature from our differing vantage points, but rarely addressing the most basic questions: what is the Semantic Web and why should anyone care?

If you're new, and you're nodding your head, hoping someone will put the pieces together in an understandable way, I'd start with the Scientific American article. It paints a nice picture, though it gets steep at times. There's also a good introduction in Spinning the Semantic Web, but it's clearly aimed at technologists. Again, we need a better whirlpool rap.

So, starting simply, without assuming any technical foundation, I'll attempt in the next few posts to explain clearly what we're talking about and why people should care. If I'm successful, we can send links to our family and friends so they can figure out, finally, just what we're up to.