Abstract
A folksonomy is a type of distributed classification system. It is
usually created by a group of individuals, typically the resource
users. Users add tags to online items, such as images, videos, bookmarks
and text. These tags are then shared and sometimes refined. A general
review of social bookmarking tools, one popular use area of folksonomies,
was given in the April edition of D-Lib 1. In the article the
authors elaborate on the approach taken by social classification
systems and the motivators behind tagging. They write, "...tags
are just one kind of metadata and are not a replacement for formal
classification systems such as Dublin Core, MODS, etc.... Rather,
they are a supplemental means to organise information and order
search results."
In this article we look at what makes folksonomies work. We agree
with the premise that tags are no replacement for formal systems,
but we see this as being the core quality that makes folksonomy
tagging so useful. We begin by looking at the issue of "sloppy tags",
a problem to which critics of folksonomies are keen to allude, and
ask if there are ways the folksonomy community could offset such
problems and create systems that are conducive to searching, sorting
and classifying. We then go on to question this "tidying up" approach
and its underlying assumptions, highlighting issues surrounding
removal of low-quality, redundant or nonsense metadata, and the
potential risks of tidying too neatly and thereby losing the very
openness that has made folksonomies so popular.
Links and resources
Tags
community