2. Taxonomy:
WTF is it,
and why should we care?
Monday, September 19, 11
3. 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.
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4. 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 Rosenfeld
Monday, September 19, 11
29. Content Reuse
Streamline process
Simplify updating
Provide greater control
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30. Taxonomy and a Small Site?
Taxonomy will be smaller/more obvious
Easier to keep track of
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31. Taxonomy and Social Media?
Tracking common terms
Using common terms - Style Guide
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32. The Most Basic Taxonomy Methodology
Ever Created In the History of Earth
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33. Step One:
Create Terms
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34. The basic building blocks of a taxonomy
are terms.
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35. 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 Hedden
Monday, September 19, 11
36. Step Two:
Choose a Preferred Term
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37. Taxonomy thesauri are FANTASTIC.
But what is the official term?
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38. 1. What will people look up?
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39. 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?”
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40. 1. What will people look up?
2. What term is industry standard?
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41. 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”)
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42. 1. What will people look up?
2. What term is industry standard?
3. What term matches a current style?
Monday, September 19, 11
43. 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 officer
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44. Step Three:
Categorize Terms
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