Notes On Tagging
Snag. I’m relating a tagger to an item to a tag. What if there is no tag? What if I want to mark something, without tagging it? What if simply want to remember it?
Need to add that special tag type field, perhaps, and use the same table. Where do I attach notes then? Is there a separate association table? One that simply links tagger to item? Logically, tags would be attached to this association. Then when the association is for some reason deleted, all associated tags are deleted.
Or do I want to attach notes to the tag instead. The above mirrors del.icio.us, but I’m not building del.icio.us. I’d like to have someone say that this belongs in uptown for this reason, and in photographs for another reason.
The structure I have now works for tagging, but I can see myself wanting to come back and change it when I start to think about containers. I’d rather not have people slow down, or avoid tagging, because they feel then need to fill out a lot of meaning, that is not apparent at the time of tagging.
If tagging something “uptown” and “oaks” puts it in sidebar with news about live oaks, then adding notes to that association ought to be done in the context of that sidebar, or more logically, is done in the context of that sidebar.
The UI can have a two stages, of course. One where items are initially tagged. Then tagged feeds can be viewed for richer tagging.
Rich tagging…
A rich tagging interface allows you to edit the association, add notes to the association, perhaps lend your vote of approval to the association. (This is harkening back to the Link Love project idea.) I have visions of a Slashdot like moderation, performed by some notion of groups of trusted taggers, if they say it’s “uptown”, it’s “uptown”, and +/- moderation, and meta-moderation.
Rich tagging is editing the tag, which I think is the logical next step.