Tagging the Hand that Feeds You

May 30, 2006

Presenters: Erick Collier, Chris Heuer, Beth Kanter, Marshall Kirkpatrick (moderator)

Notetaker: Alexandra Krasne

Key issues, changes and trends

•   Tagging = user-applied metadata applied to any online artifact with a URL, anything that has a web address you can use any number of systems to apply metadata.On the organizational side we have information coming from, lists, bookmarking, inbox, but the user gets overwhelmed. The browser is not a good place to store resources.

Successful tools and techniques

•        Ways to implement tagging: learn how, have a "playshop" and invite users. Then install helper applications on browser to add tags. Need a tagging policy at your nonprofit, standardized tags, willingness to experiment. Tags add a bit of structure, enhance productivity and save time, having things available all the time, not having to forward email. We can refind stuff online later. Promote to wider audience. "TagSpaces" make meaning for people so it's easier to self identify.  Segment the population. Follow as a city, an organizer, participant. It's not about trying to overwhelm. Create a pattern other people can follow. Can use your RSS feed aggregator to pull in.Many sites create feeds based on tags. You can subscribe to a feed from Flickr contains photos tagged with the term protest and receive updates. Saved searches to monitor a tag or term in the blogosphere. 

Keys to success

•        How to search: think about it as if you had already written it. Take a phase out and search for it. Apply same logic to tag search.To share or find info, you can subscribe to someone's tag stream or tag it yourself. Serendipity lets us wander through people's tag streams.

Examples, websites cited:

Furl
del.icio.us (nptech tag)
Desktop aggregator: FeedDemon, Newzcrawler, NewFire (for Macs)
Bloglines, Google Reader, MyYahoo
BrainJams
Ask.com
Social software weblog
Surf
Itags.net

Impact/applicability to social change
•       Tags add a bit of structure, enhance productivity and save time, having things available all the time