After hearing Vicki’s sensible arguments for tagging today, I have been wondering about tagging on this blog. I use a very easy tagging plugin called SimpleTagsPlus. I can use it to create Technorati, Flickr, or del.icio.us tags based on keywords I enter using certain code before and after the tag(s).
I have only been tagging my posts with Technorati tags. Would it be useful to tag them using del.icio.us, also? I use del.icio.us to save bookmarks all the time, but I hadn’t thought of tagging my posts using del.icio.us.
Does anyone use Ultimate Tag Warrior to tag WordPress posts? What do you think of it?
I want to get serious about making it easy for people to find what they need at my blog. I think the search feature I have is pretty good — I’ve always been able to find what I need to find, anyway. Would a tag cloud be of help to anyone? Or is it one more busy gizmo in the sidebar?
[tags]del.icio.us, tagging, technorati, flickr, wordpress, plugin[/tags]
Hello there,
I'm the author of SimpleTagsPlus. Thanks for the mention!
I have not used Ultimate Tag Warrior, merely because I've been resistant to folksonomy style categorization. I find that if I use tags (as opposed to categories), I wind up with a million different tags with only one or two posts per tag. If I use strictly defined categories, it's easier for me to keep them straight.
However, if you find the use of tags on del.icio.us to be a helpful and easy way to categorize, and remember/find bookmarks, UTW will probably be very beneficial to you.
Basically, it boils down to this: Are you more comfortable with categories on your blog (more rigidly defined, and you have to make a special effort to add new ones, but you don't wind up with as many of them, usually); OR are you more comfortable with tags rapidly and easily enter/create new tags/categories, less rigid, but usually wind up with more tags to keep track of).
I do have to let you know, though, SimpleTagsPlus is not compatible with Ultimate Tag Warrior. Both use the "[tag]" command. Although some people have managed to get them working together, it usually requires extensive editing of both plugins raw files. I generaly recommend to people who wish to start using Ultimate Tag Warrior, to cease using SimpleTagsPlus, as UTW offers more options when it comes to tagging (particularly if you only tag via technorati).
When it comes to using del.icio.us tags, I do actually use del.icio.us tags, occasionally. Over time, I've gotten a good idea of what tags would fit a given post, and specify those as del.icio.us (i.e. posts on adsense get the "google" and "adsense" del.icio.us tags). A few of my readers have said they like the links, as it keeps them from having to go to del.icio.us and look it up, themselves. Most readers haven't said anything one way or the other, though.
On my personal blog, I use flickr tags, as well, as I often reference random things in my life, and have found that using those random things as flickr tags result in some unusual images. Flickr was really picked arbitrarily, as I knew I wanted three different tagging options, and – at the time I wrote STP – Technorati, del.icio.us, and flickr were the Big Three.
Good luck in your decisions!
Eric, thanks for your input. I like your plugin — it's very easy to use. I'll be interested to see what readers think.
I used to use Ultimate Tag Warrior at my blog, but I didn't like it very much. I've been using ecto for all my blog-posting needs lately and that software allows you to insert Technorati tags by checking a box in a list. Basically you add a tag to the list any time you need one, and it stays there until you delete it, so if you write a lot of posts with similar tags it's very handy.
Actually I don't use the WordPress article composition interface much at all, just ecto.