Usefulness of Tags in Providing Access to Large Information Systems

In this paper we present a study in which we explore the potential use of social tagging in providing access to large information systems. Tags are user-supplied access points for information resources, e.g., short labels that characterize pieces of information. As part of long- term research efforts to assess the usefulness of tags for retrieving content from large information spaces, we set up a first experiment in which we investigate the tags people assign to content. We chose a TV-guide that offers recommendations to users on interesting programs according to their tastes to be our case. Participants were asked to tag a number of TV programs. They were also asked to give a rating for the program. The results show a variety of tags. We composed a category scheme of these tags, which on a high level distinguishes between attitude tags, content tags, and self-reference tags. Tags that reflect the genre, the participant´s opinion, and the program´s characteristics were assigned most often. Surprisingly, no relationship was found between attitude tags and the rating participants have assigned to the program. We feel that the results can be generalized to other settings such as the field of document design and technical communication, including instructional texts.