The Guardian uses tags to create a 'zeitgeist'

I'm fascinated by the tags conversation, particularly as it pertains to the media business.  Believers in the global folksonomy intuitively understand that the existence of tags will create a new research dynamic on the web.  But putting this power into practice is not always so obvious. 

Simon Waldman of The Guardian points to a very interesting example on his site.  They have implemented a 'zeitgeist' using their tags on The Observer blog.  Now, I generally find these maps interesting once and then I ignore them.  I'm rarely browsing just for the sake of browsing, and these maps imply that I have no idea what I'm looking for.  But The Guardian provides their folksonomic map in a navigational/promotional way that is actually potentially valuable as I read their posts.

Regardless of how the map is built and where it is offered, the fact that the company has incorporated tagging into their editorial process shows a deep understanding of the Internet medium.  They are enabling their site for some powerful applications that are still yet to be discovered.

Bravo!


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