"an introduction to taxonomy" - sioux falls content strategy meetup sept. 2011
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Monday, September 19, 11
WTF is it,and why should we care?
Taxonomy:
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Taxonomytax·on·o·my [tak-son-uh-mee]noun, plural tax·on·o·mies.
1. The science or technique of classification.
2. A classification into ordered categories: a proposed taxonomy of educational objectives.
3. Biology - The science dealing with the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.
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TaxonomyOn the web:A hierarchical arrangement of categories within the user interface of a web site or intranet.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 3rd Edition,Peter Morville/Louis Rosenfeld
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Great.
Who cares?
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
There is a constant need to harmonize.
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Paris
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Paris
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Parisor
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Northeast United States
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Northeast United StatesNew England
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Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.
Northeast United StatesNew England
Maine, Vermont, etc.
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The solution:A standardized, common
vocabulary.
A taxonomy.
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Awesome Reason #1Consistency
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Consistent Terms
One person’s automobile
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Consistent Terms
One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle
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Consistent Terms
One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle
is another person’s car.
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Consistent Terms
One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle automobile
is another person’s car automobile.
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Organizational Change
One department’s automobile
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Organizational Change
One department’s automobilebecomes
every department’s automobile.
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Thesaurus
One person’s automobile
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Thesaurus
One person’s automobilecan mean vehicle
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Thesaurus
One person’s automobilecan mean vehicle
which can mean car.
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Thesaurus
One person’s automobilecan mean vehicle
which can mean car.BUT: we define the standard term as
automobile.
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Thesaurus
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Awesome Reason #2Improved Findability
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Awesome Reason #3Better Efficiency
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Content Reuse
Streamline processSimplify updating
Provide greater control
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Taxonomy and a Small Site?
Taxonomy will be smaller/more obviousEasier to keep track of
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Taxonomy and Social Media?
Tracking common termsUsing common terms - Style Guide
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The Most Basic Taxonomy MethodologyEver Created In the History of Earth
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Step One:Create Terms
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The basic building blocks of a taxonomyare terms.
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Terms come from everywhere:
Titles and headingsSection headings
Abstracts or summariesImage captions
Web navigation menusTable of contentsDirectory listings
Existing metadataUser search terms
The Accidental Taxonomist, Heather Hedden
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Step Two:Choose a Preferred Term
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Taxonomy thesauri are FANTASTIC.
But what is the official term?
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1. What will people look up?
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1. What will people look up?
Example:When people go to a camera site,
do users search for:“Point and shoot camera” or
“Compact camera?”
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1. What will people look up?2. What term is industry standard?
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1. What will people look up?2. What term is industry standard?
Example:For a scientific site, do scientists use
scientific name: (“Canis lupus lupus”)or
common name: (“Eurasian wolf”)
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1. What will people look up?2. What term is industry standard?
3. What term matches a current style?
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1. What will people look up?2. What term is industry standard?
3. What term matches a current style?
Formal:physicianattorney
law enforcement officer
Casual:doctorlawyer
police officer
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Step Three:Categorize Terms
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Categorization depends on user needs.
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Example:
Will people look under “venue”or will they look under “product type?”
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Example:
Will people look under “venue”or will they look under “product type?”
ANSWER: BOTH
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Then what?
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The Hard Parts:
1. Implementation
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The Hard Parts:
1. Implementation
2. Organizational Change
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FIN
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