Comments on: Tags vs. Hierarchy http://engagedlearning.net/post/tags-vs-hierarchy/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:58:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Brad Ovenell-Carter http://engagedlearning.net/post/tags-vs-hierarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-5602 Brad Ovenell-Carter Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:58:17 +0000 http://engagedlearning.net/?p=326#comment-5602 I use both tags and a few folders for my documents on my laptop: everything gets a tag (or several--Quicksilver and Hazel makes this a breeze) and some of those also get dropped into folders. Makes for super-quick retrieval. I use both tags and a few folders for my documents on my laptop: everything gets a tag (or several–Quicksilver and Hazel makes this a breeze) and some of those also get dropped into folders. Makes for super-quick retrieval.

]]> By: Tom Stone http://engagedlearning.net/post/tags-vs-hierarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-5601 Tom Stone Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:21:34 +0000 http://engagedlearning.net/?p=326#comment-5601 In a great many contexts, tagging is preferable. But not all of course. Sometimes by going with flat tagging you'll lose valuable information -- such as situations where the items/info/concepts being do in fact bear a hierarchical relationship to one another. This isn't just for family trees or corporate structures either -- there are plenty of things in the world that have conceptual parent/child relationships between them, and that is good info that a hierarchy system can convey nicely. I know you didn't say otherwise -- you were just extolling the virtues of tagging here. But I just thought I'd toss this observation into the mix... as a plea for retaining hierarchy systems where it makes sense too. Plus... there is no reason you can't have both... a hierarchy structure complete with breadcrumb trails (even multiple placement in the structure/trails, like with eBay categories) in addition to open, flat tagging by users too. Then you get best of both worlds! In a great many contexts, tagging is preferable. But not all of course. Sometimes by going with flat tagging you’ll lose valuable information — such as situations where the items/info/concepts being do in fact bear a hierarchical relationship to one another. This isn’t just for family trees or corporate structures either — there are plenty of things in the world that have conceptual parent/child relationships between them, and that is good info that a hierarchy system can convey nicely.

I know you didn’t say otherwise — you were just extolling the virtues of tagging here. But I just thought I’d toss this observation into the mix… as a plea for retaining hierarchy systems where it makes sense too. Plus… there is no reason you can’t have both… a hierarchy structure complete with breadcrumb trails (even multiple placement in the structure/trails, like with eBay categories) in addition to open, flat tagging by users too. Then you get best of both worlds!

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