Word tag
Despite the best efforts of multimedia, the internet is still primarily a text-based world – It’s essentially a machine that you input a couple of words and it produces millions for you.
That means everything, the video, the pictures, even the text itself, has to be described. In the good-old-bad-old days this information was taken from filenames or the bulk of the text. But this can be misleading since people are notoriously bad at creating logical filenames* and it is quite possible to talk at length about a subject without ever having to mention it by name.
I’m sure that a lot of you, especially the bloggers, will be aware that the solution is to use tags. Words of phrases that when combined give an accurate summary of the contents of the text or media…
…and by and large it works. Sure it’s open to abuse, but it’s probably the best method so far for cataloguing and organising the large mess of information we call the internet.
The only problem, as far as I can see it, is when describing a single word the ratio of ‘tags to content’ reverses, meaning that there are more tags than actual information.
But that hasn’t stopped me from trying to incorporate the idea of tagging into my everyday life – I’m sure I’ve already mentioned that I’m all for graffiti* (not that I condone doing it to anyone elses property), especially the type where you label an object with an inherent truth about it… tagging is just an extension of that.
And I’ve started doing it with people too. Reducing my complex relationships with people into a maximum of five words. More specifically, I’ve been doing it with you.
So, I want you to suggest some tags… whatever you want, an object, a person, anything. And I’ll let you see what tags I’d use to describe you.
*With the exception of a certain breed of coders that create such logical filenames no normal person can make any sense of them.
*In particular, Mr Grew’s classic use in ‘Mr Taylor is the principal’ logo on the school wall and graffiting things that cannot be seen, such as the top of doors.
Tia on 
I find “A Total Waste Of Time” to be a good way of bringing something down to five words or less, also neatly saving you having to describe it further, as it’s clearly not worth your time.
A bit like reading my comments, really.
beemoh – ‘gamer’, ‘funny’, ‘activist’
There’s a Facebook app asking one to write one’s autobiography in six words.
I wrote: “I sing rock music into spoons.”
Ha! Not sure I can do better…
Golfwidow – ‘author’, ’snarktastic’, ‘punster’
Thesaurus-
book, reference, antonyms, synonyms, paleontology jokes
Joseph Hewitt – ‘artist’, ‘teacher’, ‘abroad’, ‘comedian’.
Seriously, I might steal that joke…
I do not get it.
5 words re:The Question.
Adam, I really think you could challenge yourself more in this task.
I reckon a haiku per person…..
Haiku? That would be stepping on my good fiend Calan of Gingerdead’s toes.
Ben – ’subterranean’, ‘evil genius’
Hey, think I got that one in just two.
Ah! The Gingerdead Haikus. The internet really is a much smaller place than you’d think, some times.
Also, there’s a local band that, judging by Ben’s tag, we might want to get him involved with. They’re called the Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow.
Hmmm I have read the GingerBread Haiku’s, tho this was not where my idea came from.
Subterranean, like a dwarf
Evil Genius, like a dwarf
Are you suggesting that I am short?
What 5 words would you tag me with?
I think Ben is on to something with the haiku idea and it will keep you out of the kitchen while you write them
Easy, ‘don’t', ‘tempt’, ‘me’… how’s that?
Go on, ’southern’, ‘lover’, ‘philosopher’.
This kitchen you refer to… I have no idea what you’re on about.
The Flowfield Unity - geeky, silly, comic
Hi Steve,
‘Stranger’, ‘commenter’, ‘honest’
Glass:
‘half empty’, ‘half full’.
Roo… midway through lunch, ‘half empty’, ‘half full’.
Tags are like vomit. You spew,
and everyone sees what you ate.
It smells a little sour. Sometimes
you feel better afterwards, but
it’s never satisfying,and never
tastes as good as the original.
Seraphine, ‘fashionista’, ‘webcomicker’, ‘lyrical’.
Adam: Geek, Philospher, Esoteric
I always use one of two words to describe something.
“Wonderful” or “shit.”
I might have to draw a Flak-o-meter…
‘ideas’, ’sarcasm’, ‘artist’
Funny, I’d love to see it
The Flowfield Unity:
Fascinating, unusual, addictive, interesting, amusing.
’smart acts of kindness’
You get a phrase, rather than just words… mostly for the flattery
I would tag myself as:
Fun, Cliché, egotistical, lazy, ass
I should ask my girlfriend this question and see where our views differ.
Tagging: Five words are good enough, usually
‘genius’
No other tags needed when you can come up with a line like that.
Adam: Funny, grumpy, geeky, pretty, smart
Pretty?
Ace.
The only good reason I have heard for not swearing came from my high school history teacher. “Every time you use the word F— to describe something you let someone steal language from you.” Tags I think might be the same, the beauty of people are the shades of colour in their life, their speech. When we don’t take the time to ‘read’ the subtext how often do we fail to ’see’ the person?
I do wonder how you’d tag me.
I create ‘adjective art’ to this end– http://diaktoros.deviantart.com/art/Sketchbook-feat-AdjectiveArt-76829187 And tagging is also why I adore flags (see my default LJ icon: http://mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com/profile).