Tagging
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Definition
In the context of Web 2.0, Tagging means sticking keywords to something (a resource link, a web page, a picture, ...)
Usage
Tagging is used in many social software applications.
E.g.
- to manage one's own digital artifacts and links
- to allow people to share links (social bookmarking) and artifacts.
- to link people with same interests
- to calulate recommendations for a product (e.g. like Amazon does with keywords describing books)
Why does it work
Firstly, it's easy for users. In contrast, filling in metadata forms is time-consuming, boring and difficult.
Second, metadata are ridid and don't work in the real world. An object is not always either of type 1 or type 2, but can be both or in between.
Metrics and visualization techniques can put some "order" into a big "tag soup" (e.g. see tag clouds.
Discussion
- some people hate metadata (DSchneider does because it's too much work)
- some people hate tagging (DSchneider does because within large crowds some people may unintentionnally or intentionnally use wrong tags, and because it'is also some work.
Links
Examples
- Mike Malloch's del.icio.us tags on social bookmarking (very useful)
References
- A cognitive analysis of tagging, (or how the lower cognitive cost of tagging makes it popular)
- Vuorikari, Riina (2005), Social networking software and e-portfolios foster digitallearning networks, Special Insight Reports, European Schoolnet. HTML
- Vuorikari, Riina (2005), Innovation Brief: Can personal digital knowledge artefact's managment and social networks enhance learning ? PDF