Tag Data Conceptualization
From TagCommons
This page is for defining a conceptualization of tag data, which we can then turn into more formal specifications such as a tag ontology. This conceptualization should not depend or drive particular choices in an ontology -- think of it as brainstorming about possible concepts, giving them names and holding discussions. Then we can choose which concepts to specify in an ontology, relating their semantics to concepts from other ontologies, and providing more precise and unambiguous definitions.
As a convention, let's introduce the terms of the conceptualization in a single description, linking to wiki pages for each term in the conceptualization. We will use the FunnyLookingCamelCase convention to label these pages. These are 'not' proposals for the official names of these concepts, which would be specified clearly in an ontology.
[edit] Tagging Concepts
- Tagging
- Tagging is the act of associating a TagLabel with a TaggedItem. The tagging is an assertion that the label should be associated with the item, but there is no assumption that the TagLabel represents the item in the same way that a word represents a concept in a dictionary or that a category name defines a set of things in that category.
- Tagger
- A Tagger, which is usually a person, does the tagging.
- TagSource
- The tagging happens in a TagSource, which is the environment where the tag assertion occurs (for instance, a blog post for tagging one's own writing or a bookmarking site for tagging others' pages). The TagSource may also be considered the data source of the tag data (if there needs to be a distinction, pleased make it here and defined a new concept page for it).
- TagLabel
- The TagLabel is a human readable lexical token -- a word, phrase, proper name, or other serialized textual representation that makes sense to people.
- TagSpace
- The TagLabel is interpreted in the context of a TagSpace, which is like a namespace (not necessarily the same as a TagSource). In other words, this conceptualization is making a distiction between a name and its lexical context; this allows one to compare TagLabel across TagSpaces.
- TaggedItem
- TaggedItem is the entity about which the tag assertion is made. Anything that can be identified universally, as with a URN, can be a TaggedItem.
- TagAssertionTime
- Tagging is an assertion by a person that happens at a point in time, its TagAssertionTime. Times are useful for ordering tagging data over time, such as watching trends and giving credit for first uses of a TagLabel or discovery of a TaggedItem.
- TagRating
- A tag assertion may also include the TagRating, which is a vote for or against the assertion that the TagLabel should be associated with the TaggedItem (it is also possible to represent a neutral stance). When combined with TagAssertionTime, TagRating can also be used to withdraw or modify a Tagging assertion, representing a change of mind.
- TagLanguage
- A TagLabel may be associated with a TagLanguage (the natural language from which the word is taken).
[edit] Some Relations and Constraints
- IsSameTagLabel
- TagLabels are not necessarily the same things as strings. Different TagContexts have different rules for unifying or matching strings. The relation IsSameTagLabel maps from TagLabels to TagLabels; it holds when the two labels are equivalent in some sense. (IsSameTagLabel also takes into account the TagSpaces and TagSources of each label); see the definition.
