A thread on Semantic HTML has inspired a number of interesting questions, and spawned some interesting directions.

The thread was kicked off by Yannis, who asks

The word semantic has many different meanings for different people. Have you got your own definition and meaning? Have you got your own rules about semantics that you follow?

A great question, it’s followed by some excellent posts, which ask a number of other questions.

What is semantically rich HTML? How well does it work with SEO, with standards?

Should a logo be placed within a <h1> element on each page of your site?

How do search engines interpret a horizontal rule <hr> element?

Is “semantically rich HTML” more structure, and less semantics?

Does semantic markup even matter if a page displays correctly in a browser, and is getting indexed?

What is the best approach to take with <h1> elements from an accessibility stance?

Where will Microformats and HTML 5.0 take us in terms of semantic meaning?

Should you have more than one <h1> element on a page?

How might a search engine use “Document segmentation based on visual gaps” and the semantics of a page to recognize that different parts of a page cover different topics?

If you have some thoughts about Semantic HTML, please jump aboard the thread, and post your questions, or your answers, or both.