1. Taxonomy
Folksonomy
Plutonomy
Seth Maislin — Potomac Indexing, LLC
SSP 30th Annual Meeting — Boston, Mass.
Thursday, May 29, 2008

2. I Hear
I See
I Learn
Audio
Video
Disco

3. A Whole Lotta Otomy
• Taxonomy
• Folksonomy
• Plutonomy

4. Taxonomy. 1) Hierarchy
FACET
Subject FACET
Process FACET
Person
FACET
Status FACET
Location FACET
File Type

5. Taxonomy. 2) Language
methanol submarine sandwich
methyl alcohol bomber
methylated spirits Cuban sandwich
meths grinder
wood alcohol hero
hero sandwich
hoagie
hoagy
Chef Chow’s Restaurant Italian sandwich
Chef Chou’s Restaurant poor boy
Chef Chow’s Restaurant sub
Chef Chows Restaurant submarine
torpedo
wedge
zip

6. Taxonomy. 3) Relationships
Hierarchical cross-facet relationship
Exclusive (parent-child) relationship
Items requiring relationship
Component disambiguation

7. Trying to Imagine Taxonomy…
bomber dried
poor boy rolled
spoon boil
hoagie boil
roasted
pan-fried
sugar dried
grinder knead rolled
boil
raisins boil spoon
pan-fried
candy canes
vanilla kneadroasted

8. the metaphor

9. FACET: Functionality
Work Space
Storage Space
Sitting Space

10. FACET: Ease of Use
Easy to Reach
Hard to Reach
Impossible to Reach

11. FACET: People
Food Preparation, Complex
Food Preparation, Simple
Table Setting
No One (e.g., decoration)

12. LANGUAGE: “spoon”

13. Similar locations
RELATIONSHIPS
Components of same application
Similar function
Similar temperatures
Similar size

14. taxonomy
an understanding of concepts within a domain,
including relevant terminology,
relationships between concepts,
and types of relationships

15. Navel Gazing

16. Facets Values (controlled vocabulary)

17. Price/Book Type
Book Type Facet
Relationship
Between Books
Book Subject Facet

20. 2 3
8
4 9
1
7
4
10
2 3 3
11
2
6
1
1
5 6
5
4
Where is the trash can?
are the spoons?
water pitcher? 12
5

21. Creation and Governance

22. taxonomist
22

23. taxonomy is a team effort
knowing stuff is not your job

24. taxonomy is freudian
just pretend you don’t know anything

25. folksonomy is easier
the surest sign of wisdom is saying nothing

26. These folks know what they’re doing.

27. Imagine this kitchen in a college fraternity house…
empty pizza boxes
cups
bottle openers
plastic cutlery

28. Taxonomy vs. Folksonomy
Advantages to taxonomy:
• Governance processes
• Strongly influenced by practical application
Advantages to folksonomy:
• Requires almost none of your resources
• Fun, social, organic, interesting

29. Plutonomy
the study of the production
and distribution of wealth

30. whoever controls the
most information wins
taxonomists rule
Seth Maislin
Potomac Indexing, LLC
seth@maislin.com