Folksonomy and Web 2.0 - It's All About Sharing

Still a fairly new consumer phenomenon and internet user trend is an online activity called "tagging" or "folksonomies" (short for folks and taxonomy).  Tagging is powerful because it allows internet users to create an organizational structure for online content. Folksonomies not only enable people to file their preferred content under tags, but even better, share it with others by filing it under a global taxonomy that they created.

Here's how tagging works. Using sites such as del.icio.us - a bookmark sharing site – and Flickr - a photo sharing site - consumers are collaborating on categorizing online content under certain keywords, or tags.

For instance, an individual can post photographs of their iPod on Flickr and file it under the tag "iPod." These images are now not only visible under the individual user's iPod tag but also under the community iPod tag that displays all images consumers are generating and filing under the keyword. Right now Flickr has more than 3,500 photos that are labeled "iPod."

Tagging is catching on because it is a natural complement to search. Type the word "blogs" into Google and it can't tell if you are searching for information about how to launch a blog, how to read blogs, or just what. Large and small sites alike are already getting on to the folksonomy train. They are rolling out tag-like structures to help users more easily locate content that's relevant to them.

Although tags are far from perfect, marketers should be using them to keep a finger on the pulse of the public at large, and especially pulse of consumer trend. Start subscribing to RSS feeds to monitor how consumers are tagging information related to your product, service, company or website. These are living, human focus groups that are available for free, 24/7.

Folksonomy sites can be also be CAREFULLY used to unleash viral marketing campaigns - but with a caveat.  Marketers should be transparent in who they are, why they are posting links/photos/videos, and absolutely NEVER spam the services.

Article Source:  Web 2.0 Media Marketing  - Check out our Social Marketing Guides for Facebook, StumbleUpon, MyBlogLog, and Yahoo Answers.  Learn how to utilize social marketing the right way - with powerful marketing strategies and techniques expressly for use on social networking sites.

Tags: social networking sites, how to use social networking sites for marketing, FaceBook marketing, guides to social network marketing