Tagging is directly related to the social existence or import of the object, labels simply identify what’s inside without playing into a great interpersonal context.

Keeping this within context of sharing: Readers may not immediately grasp the value of tagging or labeling; but the net value for all of us is likely greater with “tag” than “label” because readers will intuit the usefulness of a tag within a larger community faster than a label.

As Lloyd said, he labels folders, spices and the like. But these are not social artifacts. They are personal in nature and use. “Tag” is better for the teeming web.

But in Flock ther should be something like a first run tutorial, that explains tagging. Someone should do a quick little screen cast that explains what tagging is. It would eliminate the confusion, as well as define what tagging is and what it is used for.

I also think the idea of Google’s ‘Labels’ is going to flop! Tags are already astablished on many many websites. They have decided to come out with http://www.google.com/bookmarks . Google Bookmarks isnt going to work very well. The label idea just isnt right for bookmarking.

If you were going to use a real bookmark to mark your place in a book would you label your place or tag it? I sure as hell would tag it!

Anyway the bottom line is that ‘tagging’ is already a fairly established style of doing things. Why change because Google does?

PS It was good to meet you Monday. Brilliant blog here.

The first time I tried to explain Del.icio.us to one of my programming coworkers, he got confused when I said you could tag your links. A lot of people have basic exposure to HTML now, and they understand that HTML tags are a programming tool that the web is built on. He immediately said, “But I don’t know HTML.”

For that simple reason, I think the term “labels” makes more sense. The term “tags” already has a specific meaning as it relates to the web and web content. This new meaning is not an extension of that existing definition.

there’s supposed to be a difference, but the terms are so interchanged that it doesn’t really matter anymore.

that might happen to labels and tags.

Ian McKellar, in reply to the same topic on Flockstars mailing listwrote:

The term “label” does describe these things pretty well. Its a short
description you use to find and organise things. I use labels in my
filing cabinet, I label spices in my cupboard, I affix address labels to
mail that I want to send, etc.

I completely agree with Ian, tag does not work well in this context for technical communication to an inclusive audience.

Before Web 2 dot oh, I had never tagged anything.