Metadata is the form of describing other data. For example, if an image is uploaded, the metadata is the description, the size of the the image, the colour depth and the image resolution. The general consensus of metadata is the term 'data about data'.
Metadata certainly has its' useful facets. Whether it be libraries sorting their books into specific order through ISBN. The Dewey Decimal System is a clear showing of metadata. In the case of a 'blog', and this website, the end of each blog can have important content, or keywords added into the labels section, making it easier for readers to find articles relating to certain subjects.
Australian medical researchers have endeavoured to apply metadata to their medical records, although despite the relevant research being completed, the medical community has yet to approve the need to follow metadata standards.
Tagging is a keyword or term assigned to a piece of information, making it easier to be found again through browsing and seraching.
Blogging has the ability of tagging, or in this websites case, labels. If I labelled this post with the relevant, descriptive keywords, it would categorise the post, and differentiate from other posts, appearing when triggered by one of said keywords.
Now we're firmly embedded into the social media world, Twitter has taken the form of 'tagging' to another level. With the hashtag ability, which seperates all tweets, to your specific hashtag at the click of a button, makes it easier find similar tweets and people talking about the same subject.
Facebook also has a tagging system, allowing you to 'tag' people into viewing a conversation or status update by pressing @ key and following it with their name. A new feature that has the ability to integrate a person into conversation, viewing what's going on.
A negative of tagging is the ability that open to the public tagging systems, for example YouTube vidoes, are also open to spamming. This is where a user will apply several tags, often unrelated in a bid to garner viewers for a video they have produced.
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