Will Tagging Replace The Dewey Decimal System?
Feb 5, 2007 at 1:14pm ET by Chris Sherman
I’ve long held the view that while tagging can be useful for improving some types of searches, tagging also has problems that can inject noise or ambiguity and actually muddy search results. Nonetheless, tagging is clearly not a fad, and it may even eventually replace hierarchal indexing systems used by most libraries, according to new research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. According to the study, 28% of internet users have tagged or categorized content online such as photos, news stories or blog posts. On a typical day online, 7% of internet users say they tag or categorize online content. And tagging sites like Flickr and Del.icio.us are gaining in popularity, and are increasingly valuable as a source of traffic referrals for search marketers.
The Pew white paper also features an interview with David Weinberger, talking about why tagging is popular, and how systems can be put into place to mitigate the problems associated with tagging. The nine page paper is a useful read if you’re getting more involved with social search marketing activities.
Share, Bookmark & Discuss This Article
More:
Keep Updated: News Via Email | News Via RSS Feed | News Via Twitter
See more stories like this in the Members Library! Check out the Search Engines: Social Search Engines, Stats: Search Behavior sections of the Members Library where this story is filed. Members also get access to exclusive video content, a members-only weekly & monthly newsletter, plus more. Check out all the benefits!
2 COMMENTS ON Will Tagging Replace The Dewey Decimal System?
TOP STORIES
SEARCH NEWS BRIEFS
FEATURES & ANALYSIS
RECENT COMMNENTS
- m.orliac said " I agree, and giving priority to the "cool"factor is not going to help getting better search results "
- Buy Advertising said " I've been experimenting with the merger of advertising and entertainment. I think that it can be bot"
- nickstamoulis said " Wow, this is very interesting, I was not aware of the the Google Books case at all, I will be sure t"
FREE DAILY SEARCH NEWS RECAP!
Stay on top of all the search news with our daily summary, the SearchCap newsletter. View a sample ›
STAY CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.
SMX Web Site » | SMX Difference » | SMX News »
Join us at an upcoming SMX event:
- SMX Singapore - July 2-3, 2009
- SMX São Paulo - August 4-5
- SMX East - October 5-7, 2009
- SMX Stockholm - 12-13 October, 2009
- SMX Mexico - November 11, 2009
Learn more about search marketing with our free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site, Search Marketing Now. Upcoming online events include:
- How Large Offline Marketers Drive Superior Search Marketing Results - July 21, 2009
- Trademarks, Brand Terms and PPC Advertising: Updates You Must Know - July
22, 2009
- Attribution Management Buyers Guide - July 28, 2009
TRACK US SOCIALLY
- Wall Street Journal Recommended Reading
- Ad Age Power 150 Blog
- Technorati Top 100 Blog
- Techmeme Leaderboard Source
- Best Search Engine Community/Forum
Featured sites from our Blogroll
- Kelsey Group Blogs
- Googling Google
- Shimon Sandler - SEO Consultant
- Mediaweek - News
- The LinkedIn Blog
Get Your Search Engine Land
Premium Membership!
Become a premium member today and receive:
- Express commenting privileges & photo.
- Exclusive videos & newsletters.
- Discounts to our SMX conferences.
- Access to "How To" & Other Archives.
© 2009 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Google, Yahoo & Microsoft logos trademark respective companies and used with permission.
Whilst I have been “tagging” for what seems like forever I honestly can’t see it being a long term success story except for local search and photo sites.
approx 50% of my search traffic is to tag pages