[Tagdb] Multi-Word Tags Vs Single Word Tags

[anand]

Joshua,

foremost in your structural and application decisions.  A Web
2.0application, which most tagging apps are, should be user-centric
above all
> to be successful.
>

I agree with you that the application must user-centric to be successful.
But if we look at it from the tagging perspective, then does not
multi-word/phrase tags loose the essence of a tag. Tags no longer retain the
social factor they had in single word tags. With single word tags people
rarely use multiple words like 'word1_word2' etc. For instance if I have to
tag a document with tags java and rmi, I would rarely go ahead and tag it as
'java_rmi' but rather I would tag it as 'java' and 'rmi'. I would use
'java_rmi' only incase the two words are inseparable and have no mean
indepently.

Now with multi-word tags users can use entire phrases like 'a trip to
london' to tag items which they would have tagged as 'london' 'trip' incase
of single word tags. This makes the tagged item difficult to discover,
making the tag and thus the user to tagged item relationship non-social
(quite opposite to what a tag is supposed to do).

Why dont we define a standard for tagging? It would facilitate many apps
utilizing tagging to become interoperable, laying down an architecture of
participation.

On 4/5/06, Joshua Lippiner <jlippiner at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Anand,
>
> I believe you need to allow a user-centric design to win out over
> system/developer needs.  If you are trying to develop a mass web 2.0consumer application, something beyond the scope of techies, I would
> strongly recommend that the user remains first and foremost in your
> structural and application decisions.  A Web 2.0 application, which most
> tagging apps are, should be user-centric above all to be successful.
>
> Just my 2 cents.
>
> -Josh
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* tagdb-bounces at lists.tagschema.com [mailto:
> tagdb-bounces at lists.tagschema.com] *On Behalf Of *anand
> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 04, 2006 11:48 PM
> *To:* tagdb at lists.tagschema.com
> *Subject:* [Tagdb] Multi-Word Tags Vs Single Word Tags
>
> Hey all,
>
> I have been working on a tagging system for one of my projects. Although
> we use multi-word tags I'm not quite enthusiastic about it. I see quite a
> few disadvantages from the system/developers perspective. But it does have
> advantages from the user POV (ease of tagging). Tagging has usually been a
> feature utilised by the so called tech junkies till of now. As you'll see
> that technical bookmarks  dominate in del.icio.us. Multi-word tags may
> attract the non geeks to use tagging.
>
> In the end I am still quite confused in deciding over the use of
> multi-words or single word tags.
> It would be great to hear out your perspective on the same.
>
> PS: By multiword tags i dont mean tags like 'london_trip' but rather the
> entire phrase as tags like 'trip to london'.
>
> - anand
>
>


--
- Andie
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