"An Introduction to Taxonomy" - Sioux Falls Content Strategy Meetup Sept. 2011

Monday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy: WTF is it, and why should we care?Monday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy tax·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.Monday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy On 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 RosenfeldMonday, September 19, 11

Great. Who cares?Monday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. There is a constant need to harmonize.Monday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. ParisMonday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. Paris orMonday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague.Monday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. Northeast United StatesMonday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. Northeast United States New EnglandMonday, September 19, 11

Language is imprecise; meaning is vague. Northeast United States New England Maine, Vermont, etc.Monday, September 19, 11

The solution: A standardized, common vocabulary. A taxonomy.Monday, September 19, 11

Awesome Reason #1 ConsistencyMonday, September 19, 11

Consistent Terms One person’s automobileMonday, September 19, 11

Consistent Terms One person’s automobile is another person’s vehicleMonday, September 19, 11

Consistent Terms One person’s automobile is another person’s vehicle is another person’s car.Monday, September 19, 11

Consistent Terms One person’s automobile is another person’s vehicle automobile is another person’s car automobile.Monday, September 19, 11

Organizational Change One department’s automobileMonday, September 19, 11

Organizational Change One department’s automobile becomes every department’s automobile.Monday, September 19, 11

Thesaurus One person’s automobileMonday, September 19, 11

Thesaurus One person’s automobile can mean vehicleMonday, September 19, 11

Thesaurus One person’s automobile can mean vehicle which can mean car.Monday, September 19, 11

Thesaurus One person’s automobile can mean vehicle which can mean car. BUT: we define the standard term as automobile.Monday, September 19, 11

ThesaurusMonday, September 19, 11

Awesome Reason #2 Improved FindabilityMonday, September 19, 11

Awesome Reason #3 Better EfficiencyMonday, September 19, 11

Content Reuse Streamline process Simplify updating Provide greater controlMonday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy and a Small Site? Taxonomy will be smaller/more obvious Easier to keep track ofMonday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy and Social Media? Tracking common terms Using common terms - Style GuideMonday, September 19, 11

The Most Basic Taxonomy Methodology Ever Created In the History of EarthMonday, September 19, 11

Step One: Create TermsMonday, September 19, 11

The basic building blocks of a taxonomy are terms.Monday, September 19, 11

Terms come from everywhere: Titles and headings Web navigation menus Section headings Table of contents Abstracts or summaries Directory listings Image captions Existing metadata User search terms The Accidental Taxonomist, Heather HeddenMonday, September 19, 11

Step Two: Choose a Preferred TermMonday, September 19, 11

Taxonomy thesauri are FANTASTIC. But what is the official term?Monday, September 19, 11

1. What will people look up?Monday, September 19, 11

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?”Monday, September 19, 11

1. What will people look up? 2. What term is industry standard?Monday, September 19, 11

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”)Monday, September 19, 11

1. What will people look up? 2. What term is industry standard? 3. What term matches a current style?Monday, September 19, 11

1. What will people look up? 2. What term is industry standard? 3. What term matches a current style? Formal: Casual: physician doctor attorney lawyer law enforcement officer police officerMonday, September 19, 11

Step Three: Categorize TermsMonday, September 19, 11

Categorization depends on user needs.Monday, September 19, 11

Example: Will people look under “venue” or will they look under “product type?”Monday, September 19, 11

Example: Will people look under “venue” or will they look under “product type?” ANSWER: BOTHMonday, September 19, 11

Then what?Monday, September 19, 11

The Hard Parts: 1. ImplementationMonday, September 19, 11

The Hard Parts: 1. Implementation 2. Organizational ChangeMonday, September 19, 11

FINMonday, September 19, 11

"An Introduction to Taxonomy" - Sioux Falls Content Strategy Meetup Sept. 2011

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