FAQs

About the MessageML Forum
What is the MessageML Forum?
What are the goals of the MessageML Forum?
Who are the members of the MessageML Forum?
Where did MessageML come from?
How do I become a member of the MessageML Forum?

About the MessageML Specification  
What is the MessageML SmartMessage specification?
How is MessageML different than XML?
How is MessageML different than B2B XML dialects like cXML and BizTalk?
How is MessageML different than task-oriented XML dialects like SynchML, VoiceXML, NewsML, or OpenTravel.org?
How is a MessageML different than WAP?
Where can I get the specification?
Is MessageML secure?
How do I develop MessageML applications and services?


About the MessageML Forum

Q: What is the MessageML Forum?
A: The MessageML Forum is an industry initiative that was established to promote and develop an XML-based electronic messaging standard.

Q: What are the goals of the MessageML Forum?
A: The goals of the MessageML Forum are to (1) develop and promote a new, open SmartMessaging email standard, (2) build a cross-industry, open environment where industry input drives the specification progress, and (3) support the development of MessageML-based applications and services.

Q: Who are the members of the MessageML Forum?
A: The MessageML Forum currently is assembling a leadership group of founding members. For more information on becoming a founding member, contact us.

Q: Where did MessageML come from?
A: The idea for MessageML spawned from the intellectual property and products developed by Centerpost Corporation. Centerpost, in helping corporations communicate with their customers with XML, realized the potential of a ubiquitous standard that could operate seamlessly between organizations and individuals, and thus helped found MessageML to attain this goal.

Q: How do I become a member of the MessageML Forum?
A: Fill out the registration request form here. Once you have completed the form, an officer will contact you about joining the Forum.

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About the MessageML Specification

Q:What is the MessageML SmartMessage specification?
A: The MessageML SmartMessage specification is the standard being developed by the MessageML Forum working group. It is an XML messaging vocabulary that enables a rules-based messaging platform to processes messages based on the meaning of their content.

Q: How is MessageML different than XML?
A: MessageML is a based on XML. MessageML’s messages, stylesheets, and transformations are all authored in XML. The MessageML dialect of XML is designed to facilitate the movement of information between corporations and individuals. In addition, MessageML defines a number of other rules, such as security and transport protocols.

Q: How is MessageML different than B2B XML dialects like cXML and BizTalk?
A: MessageML is a dialect of XML that facilitates automated communication between companies and people, whereas B2B XML dialects facilitate automated communication between companies and other companies. For example, MessageML defines tags like "urgency" and "formatting styles" which are necessary for messaging with people but not between companies. Or, for example, MessageML allows the sender to completely self-describe the messaging stream on the fly, also important in scenarios where a corporation has thousands of infrequent, loosely coupled electronic interactions with its customers.

Q: How is MessageML different than task-oriented XML dialects like SynchML, VoiceXML, NewsML, or OpenTravel.org?
A: These dialects enable the precise description of the XML content, whereas MessageML enables precise description of how to handle and process the XML content. MessageML compliments all task-oriented XML dialects in that it can make them come alive and dynamically move out of custom software solutions, and instead move from person-to-person or company-to-person as a "Payload" of a SmartMessage.

Q: How is a MessageML different than WAP?
A: MessageML and WAP compliment each other. WAP is fundamentally a "pull" technology like web browsing, whereas MessageML is fundamentally a "push" technology like electronic mail.

Q: Where can I get the specification?
A: The specification can be downloaded from the resources section of the MessageML Forum’s web site.

Q: Is MessageML secure?
A: The MessageML SmartMessage specification defines many different aspects of messaging security beyond what email easily provides today, including authenticating message senders using digital certificates, encrypting the wire using SSL, minimizing message hops on the Internet using HTTP as a transport, and restricting the source of messages by publishing valid sending sources.

Q: How do I develop MessageML applications and services?
A: The MessageML site contains resources to encourage development of SmartMessage applications including a detailed specification, whitepapers, samples, and an interactive message board.

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