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A critique of tagging
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Posted by Pierre Paul Landry
Nov 6, 2023 at 03:14 PM
Interesting discussion !
IMHO, it is not possible to generalize. It all depends on how tags and folders are actually implemented by the app…
In InfoQube:
- An item can be assigned to multiple folders, so that argument for tags goes away (item in a single folder)
- Just about the same operations can be done with tags as with folders (search, filter, etc)
1- The main advantage of folders is that they support rules and script, so they can be used in more automations
2- The main advantages of tags is that they are quicker to create and support inheritance. This can be a game changer for many use cases
Pierre Paul Landry
IQ Designer
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Nov 6, 2023 at 06:46 PM
I find that folders are also more conducive to structure, at least the way my mind works. Even the “each file goes in only one folder” limitation of a file system can be an advantage, as it forces me to make decisions and maintain consistency.
I think of folders as more ‘essential’: a cat is a feline and would go in the respective folder.
By contrast, I think of tags more as attributes: the colour of the cat would not warant separate filing, but it could be useful to be able to search for all black animals.
And yes, I have read “Everything is miscellaneous”.
Pierre Paul Landry wrote:
>
>1- The main advantage of folders is that they support rules and script,
>so they can be used in more automations
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Nov 6, 2023 at 07:43 PM
This is also my general approach to tags.
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
I find that folders are also more conducive to structure, at least the
>way my mind works. Even the “each file goes in only one folder”
>limitation of a file system can be an advantage, as it forces me to make
>decisions and maintain consistency.
>
>I think of folders as more ‘essential’: a cat is a feline and would go
>in the respective folder.
>
>By contrast, I think of tags more as attributes: the colour of the cat
>would not warant separate filing, but it could be useful to be able to
>search for all black animals.
>
>And yes, I have read “Everything is miscellaneous”.
>
>
>Pierre Paul Landry wrote:
>>
>>1- The main advantage of folders is that they support rules and script,
>>so they can be used in more automations
>
Posted by Pierre Paul Landry
Nov 6, 2023 at 07:49 PM
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
>I think of folders as more ‘essential’: a cat is a feline and would go in the respective folder.
True, but a cat is also a pet, but not all felines are pets. Should cats be classified under felines or pets… that is the question.
The notion of what is “essential” can be different from one person to another, can change with time or with the current information management needs.
Funny that you used cats as an example. It is precisely the example in the IQ doc explaining the use of tag multiple inheritance (Garfield is an animal with the tag Cats. The Cats tag is under both the Feline branch and the Pets branch) !!
https://infoqubeim.com/drupal5/node/4355
Posted by Dormouse
Nov 7, 2023 at 12:31 AM
There’s assumptions about what tags are, but a metadata tag attached to a note (or block) is a quite different beast to a inline #tag.
And folders aren’t the only alternative. A variety of Obsidian users are promoting links as an alternative: backlinks produce a list, with added option of creating a MOC note to put them together.
Personally I like inline #tags, and I treat them as adjectives rather than nouns or mutually exclusive categories.