Tagging: An Organization Scheme for the Internet

Marijke A Visser

doi:10.6017/ital.v29i1.3156

Abstract

How should the information on the Internet be organized? This question and the possible solutions spark debates among people concerned with how we identify, classify, and retrieve Internet content. This paper discusses the benefits and the controversies of using a tagging system to organize Internet resources. Tagging refers to a classification system where individual Internet users apply labels, or tags, to digital resources. Tagging increased in popularity with the advent of Web 2.0 applications that encourage interaction among users. As more information is available digitally, the challenge to find an organizational system scalable to the Internet will continue to require forward thinking. Trained to ensure access to a range of informational resources, librarians need to be concerned with access to Internet content. Librarians can play a pivotal role by advocating for a system that supports the user at the moment of need. Tagging may just be the necessary system.

Highlights

How should the information on the Internet be organized? This question and the possible solutions spark debates among people concerned with how we identify, classify, and retrieve Internet content
Who will organize the information available on the Internet? How will it be organized? Does it need an organizational scheme at all? In 1998, Thomas and Griffin asked a similar question, “Who will create the metadata for the Internet?” in their article with the same name.[1]
Given new classification tools available on the Internet, the time is right to reassess traditional models, such as controlled vocabularies and taxonomies, and contrast them with folksonomies to understand which approach is best suited for the future

Summary

Introduction

How should the information on the Internet be organized? This question and the possible solutions spark debates among people concerned with how we identify, classify, and retrieve Internet content. Internet users actively participating in and shaping the online communities are, perhaps unintentionally, influencing how those who access information via the Internet expect to be able to receive and use digital resources. By positioning themselves to lead the future of information organization, librarians will be able to select the best emerging Web-based tools and applications, become familiar with their strengths, and leverage their usefulness to guide users in organizing Internet content.

Results

Conclusion