On Saturday February 28th, we’re going to be holding a special event here at Freebase HQ in San Francisco. Our “Build a Base” event is a chance to learn about Bases, one of the core features of Freebase.

From the Freebase website:

A base is a new type of website that anyone can build using the free, open data in Freebase. It is a place to organize and share collections of information about a particular subject, like San Francisco, American Comedy, or The Smurfs.

Bases can encompass many things, but they all share common characteristics:

• They are structured. Unlike wikis, which focus on text articles, bases focus on structured information, like facts, figures, and lists of things. This means the information in a base is easy to sort, filter, query, mash up, and export to other applications.
• They are open. Anyone can build and contribute to a base, so the content grows and improves over time. You can start with something fun and easy, like a list of cartoon robots or dive bars in San Diego. As more people visit your base and add items of their own, the information grows. Soon the base becomes a great resource for fans, enthusiasts, and information seekers around the globe.
• They are free. Bases are free to make and free to reuse. Anyone can use the data from a base in their own website or application, as long as they provide proper attribution back to the Freebase community.

You can see some of our featured bases on the Explore page or in the posts about bases right here on our blog.

If you’d like to learn how to create an effective base, and get some hands-on help setting one up, then our “Build a Base” event is for you.

The details, in brief:

Build a Base event
Saturday February 28th, 2pm-5pm
Freebase HQ (@ Metaweb Technologies, 631 Howard St, San Francisco)

Because of the hands-on nature of this event, numbers are strictly limited and you must register to attend.