This is in response to the following question I was sent offline:
"Folksonomy seems to be the best environment for very large heterogeneous information sources without clearly defined boundaries of subject. This allows for a bottom up approach which in turn allows for a democratic tagging system using the language of the user.
Taxonomy exists for information sources that are less dynamic and more able to be caged for a longer period of time. This is more autocratic but, when people are using the sight for quickly finding answers rather than for discovery and surfing.
If a website contains a small repository of structured directory type listings data which people are generally not browsing then a traditional taxonomy is the right approach - when we introduce editorial from our mags or other sources then a folksonomy comes into its strength. Is this the common way of thinking?"
Hi D: in terms of organising information and 'publishing' it as an information resource then current models are still around taxonomy (or more progressively ontology) alongside search engine powered keyword search.
I dont know of anyone yet who has let a user tagging environment prevail as the primary information architecture in a directory or search engine. However tagging is a user centred approach to gathering metadata to imprpove search engine indexing and as directories increase their repositories of information it could supplement author and editorial tagging.
Enterprises are starting to apply user tagging as way to organise and support search for information on intranets and networks and this work tells us there is a LOT to learn about user tagging behaviour before we would let users loose on a commercial site!
User tagged information appeals because peer to peer networking and recommendation is a key physchological driver in our decision making...I want this book because my friend says it's good...I want that dvd because Amazon tells me that other people who bought the same dvd as me bought that one too..I want to view this page on the web because another user who is interested in the same things as me has tagged it and that tag recommends its value as a source...
Even without going the whole user tagging route, formal taxonomy and navigation scheme could easily be supplemented with features to allow users to save their favourites or recommend a link, or rate a link - although this might conflict with an advertising revenue based model.
www.trexy.com is a neat BETA site with a new slant on folksonomy teamed with search the search - allowing users to search and follow the search trails others users have left behind.
See my delicious links for some more vital reading http://del.icio.us/NOAGENDA/Folksonomy
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