02.02.07
28% of Web Users Play Tag
A new report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 28% of online users have tagged something and some point somewhere. For these users, a tag allows them to classify information in their own way – these tags together are referred to as a folksonomy (as opposed to a rigid taxonomy). From the report:
Tagging is gaining prominence as an activity some classify as a Web 2.0 hallmark in part because it advances and personalizes online searching. Traditionally, search on the web (or within websites) is done by using keywords. Tagging is a kind of next-stage search phenomenon – a way to mark, store, and then retrieve the web content that users already found valuable and of which they want to keep track. It is, of course, more tailored to individual needs and not designed to be the all-inclusive system that Melvil Dewey tried to create with his decimal-based scheme for cataloguing library materials.
Personally, I love del.icio.us because it allows me to associate web pages with helpful ‘clues’ to remind me of their relevance. I may not remember a URL, but I will remember that cool page is under my ‘Design’ tag.
Do you tag? And if so, where?