Jaye Lapachet

Knowledge Manager, San Francisco, Calif

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Portfolio

Social Metadata Application

I recently attended a few sessions of the COVID-19 Virtual Conference: Understanding the Data Landscape. It was a conference focused on the sharing of COVID-19 data and information. A lot of the discussion was about the explosion of information as scientists race to find out more about the virus and search for a cure. I was invited by my friend Natalie who was presenting. In her session on resource sharing, I brought up the point about Social Metadata Application. If I had been in the same room, I would have gotten blank stares, but in a Zoom room, I got dead silence so I had to explain.

Social Metadata Application is a feature in some catalog/Intranet/repository systems. It, obviously, depends on the UI and permissions.

Simply, Social Metadata Application allows users to apply terms (or metadata or hashtags) to records in a repository. Before you get upset about data integrity and taxonomic integrity, this is not a permanent change to records. The terms a users adds reside in the user’s account and are layered on top of the official record like a filter. They only show up to the user and to administrators. Other users would not be able to see my additions unless the terms were normalized into the official repository taxonomy or the user gave permission for others to see them.

From a user perspective, this is a way for users to create collections of their own using their own terms. Records in a database take on more meaning to a user when thee user can creatte a collection relevant to their interests or research. The way users organize information is useful to them, so having this feature makes them come back for more. Making Social Metadata Application a usable feature creates the opportunity for more people to have a say in the terms that are being used.

From a professional’s perspective, seeing the metadata users apply can inform changes to the official taxonomy. Seeing users use terms that may be slang or unfamiliar to the taxonomist, can help a taxonomist provide alternatives to the official terms and enrich the taxonomy. User metadata normalized for use in the official taxonomy  makes  the terms available to other users official and  enriches the entire repository. Also, administrators can see what collections users are forming. Seeing the different ways people interact with the repository can inform new options of marketing the collection or new ways of thinking about the data. For example, scientists can be informed when research articles are grouped in a way that suggests additions to the research.

Adding Social Metadata Application to the feature set can be the third metadata layer. First, machines scan the repository and create a list of most used terms. Second, the taxonomist goes through the machine’s list to normalize it, create alternate terms and make a usable taxonomy. Finally, with user input, the taxonomy can help disseminate the information in the repository farther. Additionally, things like bias can be minimized when more terms are offered up from different perspectives.

The UI must have the capability to allow users to add metadata in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the repository. Permissions must be set correctly and staff must schedule time to review the terms being added.

Such a feature requires added code, but could expand the usability of a repository.

This entry was posted in 2020 and tagged Conferences, Metadata on September 29, 2020 by Jaye Lapachet.

Post navigation

← Easy Knowledge Management SLA Conference 2020 →

Recent Posts

  • Money and KM
  • VoC and KM: the Good, Bad & Ugly
  • Methods for Capturing Tacit Knowledge
  • Offboarding as a KM Activity
  • Reboarding as KM Activity

Recent Comments

  • Deb Hunt on Offboarding as a KM Activity

Tags

  • Best wishes
  • Business
  • Conferences
  • Content Management
  • Info News
  • Information Reuse
  • Innovation
  • Knowledge Management
  • Law Firms
  • Metadata
  • Onboarding
  • SLA Annual 2020
  • Technology
  • Various & Interesting
September 2020
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« Feb   Oct »

Archives

  • November 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • September 2022
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • February 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015

Categories

  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2022
  • 2024

Contact Me!

I'd love to work with you!
Get in touch at:
jlapac [at] gmail [dot] com

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Proudly powered by WordPress