Tom:
Excellent comments.
Also, the report makes no mention of spam. If you were around for the early days
of web search, you remember that webmasters/authors could add keywords (tags) to
their page in the meta tag field. It was called the meta keyword tag. Well,
after a couple of years it was abused so much that the engines pay no attention
to it.
On ResourceShelf, yesterday Dan Giancaterino and I shared several comments about
the report. Almost all of them in line with what you shared.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2007/01/31/survey-american-tagging/
Btw, almost every report talks about Dewey and classification and like you point
out subject headings and classification are two related but separate issues.
Plus, other controlled vocabs and classification schemes exist.
Also, these comments are about tagging for the masses. Tagging for your own use
(personal information management) or in a small group is another matter all
together. It often works very well.
Btw, on a related note, user reputation tool abuse or "gaming" is an issue for
all sites that have these features. On eBay, where you can vote for a merchant
(timely, bad shipping, etc) a new report from UC-Berkeley talks about how this
system is being "gamed."
See:
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2007/01/11/research-trust-in-online-reputation-tools-using-ebay/
cheers,
gary
Quoting Thomas Kaun <tomkaun@GMAIL.COM>:
> Interesting report, Richard, but it's also very easy to make light of the
> Dewey Decimal or any other system of arranging materials without thinking of
> HOW that materials (books and other physical items) would be arranged if not
> in some orderly fashion. Tagging is already here in libraries (check out the
> Ann Arbor Public Library <http://www.aadl.org> for some interesting goings
> on. Find a record and click on "Card catalog image." You can add your own
> notes!)
> What's interesting in the report to me is the response to the question:
> "Does tagging create problems?" The response included the following: "Tags
> work because they're so simple, but because they're so simple, they can be
> ambiguous." The English language is notorious for being ambiguous and that's
> why information professionals have worked for years developing "controlled
> vocabularies" to help overcome the ambiguity. Nobody has the perfect answer
> (both Sears and LC subject headings are far from perfect) but I think
> subject headings do help.
> Anyway, I think bringing up the Dewey Decimal system in this context is a
> bit of red herring. In a library we use classification systems to arrange
> items on the shelf. In the catalog (and on the Internet) we use subject
> headings, keywords, tags or anything else we can think of to help users find
> the information they need. This is library science 101.
> Tom Kaun
>
> On 2/2/07, Richard Trzicky <Dick_Trzicky@gilbert.k12.az.us> wrote:
> >
> > Netters--
> > Check out this Pew report (pdf file) on Tagging. You may have to copy and
> > paste the url into the browser--not sure if it will come over hot linked.
> >
> > Richard Trzicky
> > Teacher-Librarian/Department Head
> > Highland High School Library
> > 480.813.0051 ext. 4343
> > fax 480.507.1412
> > dick_trzicky@gilbert.k12.az.us
> > ----- Forwarded by Dick Trzicky/GUSD on 02/02/07 08:07 AM -----
> >
> > --
> Thomas T. Kaun
> Library Media Teacher
> Bessie Chin Library @ Redwood High School
> 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939
> tomkaun@gmail.com | http://rhslibrary.org
>
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--
Gary D. Price, MLIS
Librarian
Director of Online Information Resources, Ask.com
Editor, ResourceShelf and DocuTicker
Gary Price Library Research and Internet Consulting
Visit ResourceShelf and Docuticker
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