The Need For A Tagging Standard

John Carmichael writes "Tags are everywhere now. Not just blogs, but famous news sites, corporate press bulletins, forums, and even Slashdot. That's why it's such a shame that they're rendered almost entirely useless by the lack of a tagging standard with which tags from various sites and tag aggregators like Technorati and Del.icio.us can compare and relate tags to one another. Depending on where you go and who you ask, tags are implemented differently, and even defined in their own unique way. Even more importantly, tags were meant to be universal and compatible: a medium of sharing and conveying info across the blogosphere — the very embodiment of a semantic web. Unfortunately, they're not. Far from it, tags create more discord and confusion than they do minimize it. I have to say, it would be nice to just learn one way of tagging content and using it everywhere.""

The other option

[T-Ranger]

Is not to tag everything like 13 year old cheerleaders.

I Completely Agree...

[setirw]

Which is why I tagged this article with "njkewjdkewd."

Hyphens.

[caluml]

I must say that the Slashdot way of tagging irks me. I think tags should have hyphens between words, much like they do in their "from the the-slow-down dept". Makes it more readable.
Any-tagging-stuff-I-have-to-write-will-use-hyphens as who knows what analbum is?

Re:One Key Point

[Qzukk]

Obviously we have to find the lowest common denominator between all the different tagging systems.

I propose that we standardize the following tags:
thissux
omgthisrox
That should cover 100% of the content in a manner that everyone can relate to.

itsatrap

[transporter_ii]

You're never going to get everyone to agree on a set of appropriate tags.

Then how come everyone on here has agreed on a handful of standard tags:

itsatrap

fud

haha

stupid

?????

transporter_ii

tagging

[AcidLacedPenguiN]

and here I thought the standard for tagging was for the first person to agree or disagree with the headline, then the next has to immediately disagree with the first person. 5 minutes down the line if no one has added another tag, the third must disgree with BOTH the first and the second poster. Finally, a serious slashdotter will show up to add a relevant tag, followed by the oh so frequent itsatrap and slownewsday tags.

Re:Don't agree

[dsginter]

Some ideas for tag standards:

<yes>
<no>
<maybe>
<haha>
<evil>
<spam>
<cow boyneal>
<firstpost>

Re:Don't agree

[pipatron]

<itsatrap>
<fud>
<notfud>

Re:I'm fired, aren't I?

[Frnknstn]

"buzzword" is a term used by cynical people trying to sound important.

Patent Tagging

[JediHomer]

Someone should patent tagging, license it out for a small cost and enforce a standard...

Re:I'm fired, aren't I?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Cynical" is a term used by anal-retentive people trying to sound wise.

Argh

[eMbry00s]

I think by "blogosphere", you really mean "internet".

Re:The other option

[archen]

omg.ponies

Re:itsatrap

[Pink Tinkletini]

Um, no. I don't care what the FAQ says; "!itsatrap" is hard to distinguish from "itsatrap." Maybe it works in monospaced code, but not so well in proportional font.

People who insist on sticking to the fucking rules are the number one problem facing today's society, methinks.

Re:Don't agree

[ArsonSmith]

You forgot to close them all

</yes>
</no>
</maybe>
</haha>
</evil>
</spam>
</cow boyneal>
</firstpost>

Re:I Completely Agree...

[KincaidKMF]

How random... I was looking through tagged articles for more information about the "New Journal for Keeping Every Word a Just and Defined Kooky Emphasis While Describing" and popped over here. And all this time I thought tags were working.

Re:Automatic tagging

[carpeweb]

go looking for 'category 12233242' to find 'academic humor'.

Isn't this recursive?

My moment of realization

[wraithgar]

I think for me the moment I realized that the idea of tags needed a little bit of work was the day I saw them on Amazon.com. I was viewing a product there, and it had been tagged "Presents for Jim".

Re:Don't agree

[ravenlock]

You closed them in the wrong order, so I guess the rest of the conversation is no longer valid. :)

Re:Don't agree

[deesine]

Why mess things up with weird and unintuitive arrangements?

Why are trying to take away my job?