Test drive #6 - Folksonomies & Tagging

Hi blog,

PERSONAL

Well, here's starting the last of part A of Test drive Licence 2 - must be the last person to finish it!

PROFESSIONAL

SOCIAL BOOKMARKING - Basically it's about developing traditional bookmarks tied to one computer into a method that allows them to be accessed from anywhere.

The term TAGGING means creating a categorisation which allows you, like an unstructured LCSH, to associate keywords with online content like webpages, pictures etc.

Since there are a mind boggling 15 billion web pages the old way of bookmarking them is now obselete - the social bookmarking DOESN'T USE A BROWSER. Instead it uses an SB SITE - del.ic.ious is a popular one.

Common Craft explains the social aspect - the bit they would like the best - to be social and share with colleagues so that everyone can benefit from each other's choice of sites. This sort of networking is essential where professionals need an information network without actually meeting each other.

PROCEDURES

At the social bookmarking site you have chosen it is necessary to add a couple of important buttons to your browser which includes the tag process. Once that is achieved it is a matter of finding bookmarking sites with tags and then be social and share them.

PROS AND CONS
Seems all good. A little effort for a lot of benefit particularly for a specialised professional like a language or TESOL teacher. I found the declicious tasty book marks at the Sutherland Shire library too general and the subject based tag cloud from the National Library to be overwhelmingly huge.Throwing everything in couldn't be a good idea.

However, searching the Cleveland Public Library bookmarks under the nasty subject tag of GRAMMAR I found a brillian site for high school students - nice little interactive site with a growling bear.

Maybe bookmarking does work for public libraries which will always have a vast number of subjects.

Over and out for the last of Test Drive Licence part A.