What is a Tag ? Part III
A noun or a verb ?
Let's sum up what we've seen before :
- a tag is an qualifier that can be used as a filter to find relative content
- a tag is a link to an aggregation space
We could think of a tag as an attribute of an object. Let's say we tag "kitchen stuff" on our box when moving flat. The "kitchen stuff" tag seems to belong to that box, because it is "travelling" with it. It is stamped on the box, and whoever carry that box will see it. The tag must belong to the object, then, or so it seems.
But someone wrote the tag on the box, and its writing is recognizable. In fact, I could add my own tag on the box saying something like "knifes and forks" on it. Well now the box has two tags, but well, one tag is mine, and the other comes from someone else. Both tags seem to belong to the box, but one of them really belongs to me, because I created it.
Well, you may say : "It belongs to both you and the box.", and humm...it feels OK to say that. But do we (me and the box) have the same level of ownership ? Do the object and the individual have the same privilege over the tag ?
Difficult to say unless...we try to get rid of the tag :
It means that someone TAGS an object, and that is object is TAGGED. It means that we can speak of an object BEARING a tag, not of an object HAVING a tag. Programmatically, it means that TAG is a method of a user, and an attribute of an object, not the other way round.
So we answered the question : tag is first and foremost a verb => to tag.
Does it mean something for you as a user ? Yes. It means that when you're asked to tag something, the service may better ask you who you are first...otherwise, it will just be an orphan without a parent. Remember that a tag only means something for someone in a context, and that first context is your brain ;-)
It also means that if you were to rely on someone else's tags, you'd better know who they are ;-)
Tags : tags, taggingBut someone wrote the tag on the box, and its writing is recognizable. In fact, I could add my own tag on the box saying something like "knifes and forks" on it. Well now the box has two tags, but well, one tag is mine, and the other comes from someone else. Both tags seem to belong to the box, but one of them really belongs to me, because I created it.
Well, you may say : "It belongs to both you and the box.", and humm...it feels OK to say that. But do we (me and the box) have the same level of ownership ? Do the object and the individual have the same privilege over the tag ?
Difficult to say unless...we try to get rid of the tag :
- Can the box get rid of its tags ? No.
- Can I delete the tags from the box ? Yes. (well mine for sure, deleting the other one would be considered as rude !)
It means that someone TAGS an object, and that is object is TAGGED. It means that we can speak of an object BEARING a tag, not of an object HAVING a tag. Programmatically, it means that TAG is a method of a user, and an attribute of an object, not the other way round.
So we answered the question : tag is first and foremost a verb => to tag.
Does it mean something for you as a user ? Yes. It means that when you're asked to tag something, the service may better ask you who you are first...otherwise, it will just be an orphan without a parent. Remember that a tag only means something for someone in a context, and that first context is your brain ;-)
It also means that if you were to rely on someone else's tags, you'd better know who they are ;-)
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