BusinessWeek on Tagging
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Written By Reprise Media | April 4, 2005 | Share This
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This BusinessWeek story is definitely not among the first with the scoop on tagging, but at least the perspective is fresh - the threat the tagging phenomenon may pose to search engines.
Some quick reasons why:
Tagging is growing at a phenomenal rate - Flickr’s got 420,000 subscribers, more 85,000 are using del.icio.us.
Search is not going away […]
This BusinessWeek story is definitely not among the first with the scoop on tagging, but at least the perspective is fresh - the threat the tagging phenomenon may pose to search engines.
Some quick reasons why:
- Tagging is growing at a phenomenal rate - Flickr’s got 420,000 subscribers, more 85,000 are using del.icio.us.
- Search is not going away any time soon, but as new alternatives for organizing and finding information arise search engine usage will diminish. Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution author Howard Rheingold says, “Search is no longer the only way to find things.”
- Search’s inability to differentiate results is creating both the problem and the opportunity - “python” can mean a programming language, a snake, or a British brand of humor. Tagging fills in the information gaps by organically creating the context ordinary search is lacking.
The article goes on to talk about some of the potential problems with tagging - overly broad or outright incorrect tags, tag spam, etc.
Steve Rubel has more, including some speculation as to whether or not Google and Yahoo! will get in on the game by enabling their users to categorize and share searches under specific tags. We’re betting yes. What do you think?
Topics: Tagging |