A newer buyer phenomenon is named “tagging ” or “folksonomies” which is short for folks and taxonomy . Tagging is useful because consumers are creating an organizational structure for online content. Folksonomies not only help people to file away content under tags, but even better, share it with other people by filing it under a worldwide taxonomy that they made.
Here is how tagging works – Using websites like del.icio.us – a bookmark sharing site and Flickr – a photo sharing internet site – customers are collaborating on specifying online content under certain keywords, or tags.
As an example, a person can post photos of their iPod on Flickr and file it under the tag “iPod”. These pictures aren’t only visible under the individual user’s iPod tag but also under the community iPod tag that shows all photographs customers are creating and filing under the keyword. Currently Flickr has more than 3,500 photos that are labeled “iPod”.
Tagging is catching on because it’s a normal complement to search and this is what may potentially lead to automated traffic to your site. Type the keyword “blogs ” into Google and it can’t tell if you’re hunting for info about the best way to start up a blog, the easy way to read blogs, or something else completely. Large and small sites alike are currently getting on to the folksonomy train. They’re rolling out tag-like structures to help users more simply pinpoint content that’s relevant to them.
Though tags are far from perfect, marketing experts should, nonetheless, be using them to keep a finger on the pulse of the public. Start taking subscriptions to RSS feeds to observe how consumers are tagging stuff related to your product, service, company or space. These are essentially real-time focus groups that are generally accessibleb for nothing 24/7. Folksonomy sites can be also be cleverly used to release viral promotional campaigns – with a proviso. Advertisers should be transparent in who they really are and why they are doing what they are doing.
