From Lorelle on my exploration of context-based tagging:
What do you think of that? It made me a little ill, and confused, but then I realized that for this blogger, blogging is a pure emotional release and tagging is just one more way to express emotion.
and
While there are a few in there that make sense, what about the other ones? The one word tags related to her post content about tagging with emotions. The rest have NOTHING to do with the content. Sure, maybe the content of the overall site, but not the post itself. I believe she thinks of these as tagging easter eggs.
and
This is a very good point because it puts a human face back onto the process. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t work. Look at her tag she’s nuts. There is only one post, hers. How do you connect with others if there are no other posts in your tag category? Clearly, not a hot tag topic.
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Okay. This kind of thing makes me hanker for the blog days of old where I could simply say: you're out of your mind; who died and made you god of tags?
But civility is the new black, and bloggers are the new civil, so I'll try to keep my thoughts on this post within the parameters of accepted online discourse.
AS IF.
Excuse me, but one person's "reckless" use of technology is another's innovation. To put it a different way, no one ever came up with something new by following all of the rules, honey.
Allow me take these three points one by one -- I'll try to explain what's wrong with them:
1) Blogging is not a "pure emotional release" for me. Blogging is not pure, you see. It's a messy, dirty, sweaty activity when done right. Slather and lather. And some funk too.
If you read me, you'll see what you see in every good blogger: TEXTURE.
Textures are important in all human communication. The opposite of textured prose is monotone, lifeless, flat prose. So too with technology. While Web 2.0 is an unfolding of so many beautiful species of life, each blossom unique and tremendous on its own, mashups help us go beyond, become more than, create something other than, achieve texture. Mashups are proof that the world is not black and white, either or, this or that, yours or ours. It's ours AND yours. It's this AND that.
In fact the best thing about online publishing is that it is not either or, but both and. Same with my blog, thanks for asking.
2) "The rest have nothing to do with CONTENT": Good! My content has to do with content, and you might know that the word itself is a bit of a sore subject around these parts. Or, you might not. As for believing that I see tags as easter eggs? I'm not even sure how to answer that. Easter eggs? Hop?
3) As for the "she's nuts" tag, assuming that because I am the FIRST to use the tag that I will be the last is short sighted. Someone will always tag first. If I'm the first tagger for 3440 terms, all the better. Good for me. Remember me when I'm gone. Ha! It doesn't mean that no one will ever write about someone who's one quarter short of a gumball and be glad to find me waiting there.
The biggest misperception of this post regarding my take on tagging is that I'm advocating one way of tagging. I'm not--I want more. I WANT a way to tag contextually. And if that takes a separate search/tag tool, then shut up and build me one. Otherwise, I'll do it with what I've got. Either way works for me. I'm not sorry if it doesn't work for you.
When Technorati first launched, I blogged about wanting a way to find blogs based on their emotional context, not just topical content. I'll look for the post to see if I can find it, but I think I made it in comments. If it was your blog, let me know. I'd like to find it.
Tags: tags, tagging, technorati, black and white thinking, she's nuts, pissed off = Powered by Qumana
