Social Tagging in the Web 2.0 Environment: Author vs. User Tagging

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social tagging increasingly attracts the attention of information scientists. Much research has focused on large-scale assessment of tag sets in systems. The reasons for tagging remain uncertain. To date, the library and information science (LIS) field has not explicitly explored the differences between author-supplied metadata (endo-tagging) and user-supplied metadata (exo-tagging). This article reviews a number of studies on social tagging and recommends further user-centered research into motivation; proposed research could be carried out in conjunction with studies focusing on the different reasons for endo- and exo-tagging. KEYWORDS: Endo-taggingexo-taggingsocial taggingsocial bookmarking Heather Lea Moulaison has been named a Fulbright Scholar for the 2008–2009 school year to teach at the Ecole des Sciences de l'Information in Rabat, Morocco. Previously, Ms. Moulasion worked in academic libraries, primarily as a cataloging librarian. She has taught Cataloging & Classification and other LIS courses through ALA-accredited library programs. This article was written under the guidance of Dr. Sherry Vellucci to whom a debt of gratitude is wholeheartedly acknowledged. Edward Corrado's insightful comments on the manuscript are also acknowledged and appreciated.