Next Generation Search: Social Bookmarking and Tagging

Next Generation Search: Social Bookmarking and Tagging

Thomas Vander WalPresented to: Interop 2009

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA :: 20 May 2009

Enterprise Search Success

?

Few organization claim 80% or better search

Let’s be optimistic

80% Success

1 in 5 searches do not find what is desired

In an organization with 500 daily searches

That is 100 failures

Average knowledge worker - 16% of time

searching

16% of 40 hours = 1.25hr

20% of 1.25 hrs =

15 minutes per week per knowledge worker

counter productive

At $60k salary, poor search cost per

person $375

Remember, we being optimistic

Knowledge workers are often the most efficient

at search

Most organizations have 40% to 70% search

success rates

We need help!

Traditionally search is based on:

Text

Links

Metadata

& what experts think we call (or should call)

things

Taxonomy

Result is still…

Objects often not found

Experts are not us!

Search Ecosystem

Objects created & added w/ metadata

Metadata often incomplete

Metadata automated

Categories & expert tags applied pre-search

Tag Augmented Social Search

InfoCloud Solutions, Inc. - 2009

What does your organization know?


What does your organization call things?


What do people in your organization call things?


What Is A Tag?


The “F” Word


Folksonomy


❖ Folksonomy is the result of personal free tagging of pages and objects for one's own retrieval

❖ The tagging is usually done in a social environment (shared and open to others)

❖ The act of tagging is done by the person consuming the information

Folksonomy: Definition


The value in this external tagging is derived from people using their own vocabulary and adding explicit meaning, which may come from inferred understanding of the information/object.

Folksonomy: Value

The value in this external tagging is derived from people using their own vocabulary and adding explicit meaning

People are not so much categorizing, as providing a means to connect items(placing hooks) to provide their meaning in their own understanding.


Every person is an expert in their own vocabulary (tags)


Every Tag is Sacred


Object Identity

Metadata

Interest

VocabularyDefinition

Folksonomy Triad


Object Identity

Metadata

Definition

Vocabulary

Terminology

Interest

Culture

Community

Dual Folksonomy Triad


Folksonomyvs.

Taxonomy


The Value of Tagging for Business


❖ Simple data/metadata externally applied to an object

❖ Used for sorting

❖ A hook for aggregating

❖ Provides identifier and/or description

❖ Personal markers

Tagging: Definition


Taxonomy Folksonomy

Business Employee

Object

Taxonomy vs. Folksonomy


Taxonomy Folksonomy

Taxonomy & Folksonomy


70% of Folksonomy tag terms not in Taxonomy

J. Trant regarding Steve.museum


Terms Around an Object

Taxonomy Folksonomy

- Ball- Sphere- Blue- #A6437

- Ball (89)- Circle (63)- Blue (23)- Orb (11)- Sphere (6)- Gradient (3)- ToBuy (3)- Darkblue (2)- Round (2)- … 26 more


Part #A6473 Terms

0

22.5

45.0

67.5

90.0

A6473

Distribution of TermsValidate

taxonomyor add totaxonomy Interest

& watch

Value inSynonyms &Unique views


Part #A6473 Terms

0

22.5

45.0

67.5

90.0

A6473

Distribution of TermsValidate

taxonomyor add totaxonomy Interest

& watch

Azure


Business Tensions

Naming control People’s vocabulary

In-house Outside service

$$$ w/ value $ w/ unknown value

Consistent Emergent

Sample groups Every perspective

Adjust Expectations

Search & Tag Ecosystem

Search

Find

Tag

When found, people hold onto objects by

tagging


tags from own perspective & context


Search improved w/ extended vocabulary


Search improved with more pointers to the

object


Takes as few as 1 or 2 people tagging to make a

difference


Much more than a tagcloud


Overview of social bookmarking &

folksonomy


2 Common Statements

Not enough people are using it

OMG! Pull the plug we have way too much info!


Solutions to comments


Semi-structure information to

structured


Facets


Filtering


Social search


Retrieval


Discovery


Social augmented search


Tool overview


IBM/Lotus Dogear


IBM/Lotus Dogear


IBM/Lotus Dogear

❖ Advantages❖ Part of full social software solution or can

be stand alone❖ Integrated tagging across Lotus

Connections applications❖ Easily ties in to LDAP/ActiveDirectory

❖ Disadvantages❖ Tagging is does not provide multi-word tag

terms (Las Vegas is LasVegas, etc.)


Connectbeam


Connectbeam

❖ Advantages❖ Full integration with enterprise intranet

search (Google, Fast, etc.)❖ Ties into LDAP/Active Directory❖ Plug-in to SharePoint

❖ Disadvantages❖ No facets


Knowledge Plaza


Knowledge Plaza



Knowledge Plaza

❖ Advantages❖ Facets❖ Search through group member’s eyes❖ Package results and easily share

❖ Disadvantages❖ Not easily integrated into enterprise

intranet search


Open Source


Thank You!


Contact

URL: http://infocloudsolutions.comE-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]: vanderwalSkype: tjvanderwalTwitter: @vanderwal

Education

Next Generation Search: Social Bookmarking and Tagging