Why metadata is important: October 1, 2001 issue of New Thinking

October 1, 2001 New Thinking:
Why metadata is important

Website content management

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October 1, 2001

Why metadata is important

By Gerry McGovern

There is an ongoing reluctance among people who create content for the Web to add appropriate metadata to that content. This reluctance is leading to a situation where much of the Web is sinking in a morass of information overload. Instead of being a giant library, as hoped, increasing sections of the Web are looking like a giant dump.

When I talk to people about the importance of metadata, they invariably respond that, while it makes sense in theory, they simply don’t have the time to spend doing it right. Many are looking to software to automate the metadata process. Others don’t even see the need. Basically, when it comes to metadata, a great deal of people who publish content on the Web couldn’t be bothered.

Metadata is content about content. It is the ‘who, what, where and when’ of a document. It collects critical information such as heading, summary, author name, date of publication, classification, keywords, etc. Without metadata a document is left floating in a cyberspace filled with 550 billion other documents. The chances of it being found by the right person at the right time are greatly diminished.

There is a huge disconnect in the content world. Organizations invest vast sums of money and time in creating content, only to publish much of it in an incredibly shoddy manner. Intranets, in particular, have become like torturous mazes. Rather than helping people find the content they need quickly, today’s intranet sets about confusing, disorienting and disillusioning.

By definition, everyone who has a website is a publisher, but many misunderstand the basic principles of publishing. Publishing is not simply about getting your website up. You’re only halfway there when you do that. If you don’t get to your target readership, all your efforts are in vain. Metadata is about increasing the chances that you do get to that readership. It’s something you really should be bothered about. Because, without metadata, a web document is deeply flawed.

Tom cares about his appearance. Every morning he gets up early, washes, puts on his socks, trousers, shirt and jacket, and walks the two miles to his job in the city. But Tom’s friends think he’s odd. One morning, a friend stopped him on the stairs, and pointing at his feet, asked him why he didn’t wear any shoes, when otherwise he was immaculately dressed. Tom’s quick and confident reply was that he couldn’t be bothered.

Mary is very energy conscious. She’s just got her own house built. It has thick, insulated walls, double-glazed windows, energy-saving lighting and a fully insulated attic. She invites her friends round to the house warming. They are stunned when they arrive. ‘Why have you no front door?’ they ask incredulously. ‘I couldn’t be bothered,’ is her reply.

Those who don’t take care over their metadata are shoeless, doorless and clueless. Content is expensive to create. Without quality metadata it is missing a vital ingredient that will make it effective on the Web. Without quality metadata the chances of it being found and read by the person who wants to read it are significantly diminished. Answer me this one: Just what good is your content if the people who need to read it can’t find it?

Gerry McGovern

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