[Web4lib] Lists versus Tags design idiom

Walker, David dwalker at calstate.edu
Tue Mar 25 11:38:38 EDT 2008


> David, How do you see Del.icio.us?
 
I see it as being kind of an odd-ball, actually, only because it's implemented via a browser plugin, while I'm hoping for design examples within a website itself.
 
BTW, Tim, after I sent the question to the list, I stumbled across your blog post on tagging in Amazon and LibraryThing [1].  Very interesting!  
 
It's one of the few times I've seen someone in libraries pointing out that HOW you implement a feature is just as important as WHAT you implement -- which I think we need more of, frankly, since there's a lot of hype and unfortunately now I think a bit of buzzword compliance surrounding Web 2.0 in libraries.
 
--Dave
 
[1] http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2007/02/when-tags-works-and-when-they-dont.php
 
 
-------------------
David Walker
Library Web Services Manager
California State University
http://xerxes.calstate.edu

________________________________

From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of Tim Spalding
Sent: Mon 3/24/2008 11:13 AM
To: Roy Tennant
Cc: web4lib
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Lists versus Tags design idiom



I think that qualifies as a library site. Maybe either you or he meant
the opposite?

I think it's an open question whether in-library tagging can be made
to work. I don't see PennTags as proving that at all. Most of the
benefits of tagging require and all of the problems are much reduced
by pure scale, and PennTags has never achieved that. I wonder if
lists-less powerful but more readily understood by many-might be
better.

Roy, how have lists on WorldCat gone? I haven't seen much mention of
them since they debuted.

David, How do you see Del.icio.us? That seems like search, save and
tag to me. It's not all on one contained service, of course.

Tim

On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 1:39 PM, Roy Tennant <tennantr at oclc.org> wrote:
> Sure thing, PennTags:
>
>  http://tags.library.upenn.edu/
>
>  Roy
>
>
>
>
>  On 3/24/08 10:15 AM, "Walker, David" <dwalker at calstate.edu> wrote:
>
>  > Hey All,
>  >
>  > I have a metasearch application [1] with a 'save record' feature.  Right now,
>  > I'm working on giving our users a mechanism to organize those saved records.
>  >
>  > I'm leaning towards using a tagging idiom in the interface [2], but have some
>  > lingering doubts. I've noticed, for example, that tagging is most often
>  > implemented for sites in which the user *generates* the content (e.g., blogs,
>  > flickr).  While sites that allow you to search and save records usually employ
>  > a list metaphor (e.g., amazon [3], istockphoto).
>  >
>  > Anyone have a good example of a (non-library) site that allows you to search
>  > and save things, and then *tag* them?
>  >
>  > --Dave
>  >
>  > [1] http://xerxes.calstate.edu <http://xerxes.calstate.edu>
>  > [2] mock-up: http://walkertr.csusm.edu/download/saved-records.jpg
>  > <http://walkertr.csusm.edu/download/saved-records.jpg>
>  > [3] Amazon apparently has a tagging mechanism, too, but it's rather (to me)
>  > obscurely implemented.
>  >
>  > -------------------
>  > David Walker
>  > Library Web Services Manager
>  > California State University
>  > http://xerxes.calstate.edu <http://xerxes.calstate.edu>
>  >
>  >
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