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

Monday, September 19, 11

WTF is it,and why should we care?

Taxonomy:


Taxonomytax·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.


TaxonomyOn 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 Rosenfeld


Great.

Who cares?


Language is imprecise;meaning is vague.

There is a constant need to harmonize.



Paris



Parisor



Northeast United States



Northeast United StatesNew England



Northeast United StatesNew England

Maine, Vermont, etc.


The solution:A standardized, common

vocabulary.

A taxonomy.


Awesome Reason #1Consistency


Consistent Terms

One person’s automobile


Consistent Terms

One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle


Consistent Terms

One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle

is another person’s car.


Consistent Terms

One person’s automobileis another person’s vehicle automobile

is another person’s car automobile.


Organizational Change

One department’s automobile


Organizational Change

One department’s automobilebecomes

every department’s automobile.


Thesaurus

One person’s automobile


Thesaurus

One person’s automobilecan mean vehicle


Thesaurus


which can mean car.


Thesaurus


which can mean car.BUT: we define the standard term as

automobile.


Thesaurus


Awesome Reason #2Improved Findability


Awesome Reason #3Better Efficiency


Content Reuse

Streamline processSimplify updating

Provide greater control


Taxonomy and a Small Site?

Taxonomy will be smaller/more obviousEasier to keep track of


Taxonomy and Social Media?

Tracking common termsUsing common terms - Style Guide


The Most Basic Taxonomy MethodologyEver Created In the History of Earth


Step One:Create Terms


The basic building blocks of a taxonomyare terms.


Terms come from everywhere:

Titles and headingsSection headings

Abstracts or summariesImage captions

Web navigation menusTable of contentsDirectory listings

Existing metadataUser search terms

The Accidental Taxonomist, Heather Hedden


Step Two:Choose a Preferred Term


Taxonomy thesauri are FANTASTIC.

But what is the official term?


1. What will people look up?


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?”


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”)



3. What term matches a current style?



3. What term matches a current style?

Formal:physicianattorney

law enforcement officer

Casual:doctorlawyer

police officer


Step Three:Categorize Terms


Categorization depends on user needs.


Example:

Will people look under “venue”or will they look under “product type?”


Example:

Will people look under “venue”or will they look under “product type?”

ANSWER: BOTH


Then what?


The Hard Parts:

1. Implementation


The Hard Parts:

1. Implementation

2. Organizational Change


FIN


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

Education

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