Tantek Çelik<p>🎂 Congrats <a class="" href="https://microformats.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@microformats.org</a> on 20 years! <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/microformats20" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">microformats20</span></a><br><br>Even after 20 years, people keep discovering new ways of using <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/microformats:" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">microformats:</span></a><br>* <a class="" href="https://artlung.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@artlung.com</a>: "WML, WAP, & Microformats Demo!" (<a class="" href="https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux</a>)<br>> Because WML elements may have the class attribute<br>Originally posted 2025-06-18: <a class="" href="https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513</a><br><br>That adds to the list of languages with working microformats examples:<br>* HTML — modern, unversioned as well as every version since HTML4<br>* HTML3 — see <a class="" href="https://microformats.org/wiki/html3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://microformats.org/wiki/html3</a><br>* SVG — see <a class="" href="https://microformats.org/wiki/svg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://microformats.org/wiki/svg</a><br>* XHTML — every version, 1.0, 1.1, 2.0<br>and now also:<br>* WML — <a class="" href="https://microformats.org/wiki/wml" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://microformats.org/wiki/wml</a><br><br>Literally any HTML-like or XML-like language that has a space-separated class attribute can work with microformats.<br><br>In constrast, every alternative to microformats (most now defunct) required adding new attributes, or worse, entirely new elements, which meant revising every language one at a time (or use of fragile XML Namespaces), resulting in supporting only 1-2 languages at most (HTML and XHTML) in practice, and nothing else.<br><br>Re-using the "class" attribute based on the existing footpath that web designers made for encoding additional semantics into their HTML, and the similarly extensible "rel" attribute, was one of the best design decisions in any extension format ever.<br><br>After 20 years, microformats continue to serve as another example of “loosely joined” approaches being more adaptable, reliable, resilient, and longer lasting than “tightly coupled”.<br><br>More microformats 20th anniversary posts from the <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">indieweb</span></a> personal sites (via <a class="" href="https://stream.indieweb.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://stream.indieweb.org/</a>)<br>* <a class="" href="https://manton.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@manton.org</a>: "It’s the 20th anniversary of the launch of <a class="" href="http://microforrmats.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">microforrmats.org</a>!" (<a class="" href="https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html</a>)<br>* ... hashtag your post <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/microformats" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">microformats</span></a> or <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/microformats20" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">microformats20</span></a> and <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/federate" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">federate</span></a> (using <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/Mastodon" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">Mastodon</span></a> or any compatible <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/fediverse" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">fediverse</span></a> server etc.) or webmention this post!<br><br><a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/20thAnniversary" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">20thAnniversary</span></a> <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/smallPieces" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">smallPieces</span></a> <a class="" href="https://indieweb.social/tags/looselyJoined" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span class="p-category">looselyJoined</span></a><br><br>Previously, previously, previously:<br>* <a class="" href="https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond</a><br>* <a class="" href="https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse</a><br>* <a class="" href="https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org</a></p>