Microformats are a simple, open-standard way to embed machine-readable information within existing web content. This information can be harvested by search engines, web crawlers, browser extensions, and mobile apps, enabling them to process and present the data to users in innovative and useful ways. The concept gained prominence in the mid-2000s as an accessible approach to semantic web technologies, allowing content providers to add meaningful structure to their web pages without requiring complex and costly semantic markup. By using simple HTML markup, microformats enable the creation of rich, interactive applications and enhance the ability to connect with other online services. Some of the most popular microformats include hCard, which represents business cards and contact information, and hCalendar, which marks up events and appointments. These microformats allow users to seamlessly integrate event data into their digital calendars or contact lists with minimal effort. They also form the basis for geographic meta-data, like geotagging, which enables location-based services and mapping applications to identify and utilize the data.
