Latest Journal Entry
In this short article I am going to take a walk though the world of tags. This article is first and foremost for my friends, In the nicest possible way I am fed up of being asked what the tags on jkg3 and flickr do. This article should explain.
Tags as keywords.
At the basic level, a tag, is a lot like a keyword. It’s a word or phrase which helps to sum up the content to which it has been attached. This is most the obvious explanation of a tag and what most people will think of. People are use to using keywords in google for searching and this metaphor transfers quite well. By adding a tag to something (be it a photo, blog post or video) you are indicating that the tag is connected in some way to that item. You are also creating a connection between that item and others like it.
Tags as connections.
The connection between items which share a tag is something most people don’t even know they are creating. When you apply a tag you are linking that media or content to others which share that tag. These connections can simultaneously be local and global. These connections can lead to a new way of navigating the web.
Tags for navigation?
Microformats… Microformats… Microformats. That doesn’t mean a whole lot to most. To be honest I don’t think it should. So, I hear you asking how does this “Microformatsâ€? this relate to tags. Well, “Microformatsâ€? provide a means of creating a standard tag standard.
This standard, coupled with the links I described earlier create a whole new way of browsing the web. For example, starting from this page using extensions like operator or tails you can use the tags I attach to articles to find out more. A good example is “streetwars07� if you use operator (a firefox extension) and then look under tagspace you will find a link to flickr which will show you all the photos from the drag racing day. This was not a link I created myself. All I did was place the “tag� out there an encorage others on the day to do the same.
So, with all that said, I hope you all have a better understanding of what I means by tags, and why I think they are so important.
Flickr Photos
Latest Content
I use a screen reader. I do, really, and i must admit, 99% of web sites drive me to spare. Even though i don’t like to admit it, even my own does. Time to explain.
The hCard microformat is a fantastic way of making the contact information on a page transition into other formats without needing to write tools to do it yourself, or support multiple download formats.
One of the key parts of this is for tools which will do that transformation. In this article I am going to talk about what some of the tools out there are, and talk a little about some of my own projects in this field.
Accessibility, the process of making you site accessible to all, site statistics are not the defining factor, but doing things the right way. Well, we are lucky that in most cases accessibility and web standards go hand in hand but what about when they don’t?
Is there a disability which million of people worldwide have which wont benefit from liberal application of web standards? I think there is, its called Internet Explorer 6.