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MyBlogLog hCard & vCard: More Microformats, More Portable Data

Those of you that follow MyBlogLog on Twitter got an early preview of a new feature the MyBlogLog team rolled out today.  (To badly paraphrase Ferris Bueller, "If you aren't on Twitter, I highly recommend setting an account up.  It is so choice.")

So, what's new?  MyBlogLog has added the ability to quickly add your contacts and other MyBlogLog members to your address book.  Simply click the new hCard or vCard icon that is displayed on each member's profile page (see screen shot at right) to get started.

So, why two icons?  Today, most users will likely want a standard vCard -- the white icon on the left.  This should automatically open your default address book application (Outlook, Thunderbird, Address Book on Mac, etc.) and prompt you to add the new contact.

Many advanced users have setup custom processing in their browser for hCards and will prefer to use that format -- linked by the green icon on the right.

What's more, hCard is a microformat.  Like the other microformats we have added to MyBlogLog recently -- XFN and Rel=me -- hCard makes it easier for members to use their MyBlogLog information at other services around the internet.  As the hCard wiki entry says, "hCard enables applications to retrieve information directly from web pages without having to reference a separate file."

But wait, their more...  The MyBlogLog team has incorporated member's privacy settings directly into the hCards/vCards.  If a member chooses to share their email address and phone number only with their contacts, the information will only be included on the hCard/vCard when clicked on by their contacts.  Everyone else (and other services online) will only receive the public information the member has shared.

Finally, the team wants to thank Chris Messina for his continued help in getting MyBlogLog microformatized (new word?) and even more open.  You rock!