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Is XFN (XHTML Friends Network) still in use?


For starters, I understand what is the use of XFN for blogs. I see it being used in every WordPress theme. It makes sense.

But, is it still in use? http://gmpg.org/xfn/11 is showing no documentation. This page is empty. I had to access this page from archive.org.

Why is gmpg.org no longer maintaining this XFN page? Is it moved to somewhere else?


Solution

  • The XFN link types are listed in the Microformats wiki: existing rel values

    This wiki page is the canonical source of link types allowed in W3C’s HTML5 (and later). However, the current REC (HTML 5.2) links to a specific section on that page, while the XFN link types are listed in another section. It’s not clear if only the link types in this linked section are valid in HTML.

    I have no insight whether gmpg.org is still maintained. But the status of this site shouldn’t affect the use of XFN. The definitions are known, the link types are listed in the relevant Microformats page, and countless sites use it.