UNDERSTANDING A FOLKSONOMY AS A WEB CLASSIFICATION by HEE JIN PARK A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Library, Archival and Information Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) December 2009 © Hee Jin Park, 2009 ABSTRACT Despite increasing interest in folksonomy in practice as well as in research, little has been done to build a solid conceptual framework to understand how people classify Web resources using a folksonomy. This study is an attempt to articulate a conceptual framework that will help us better understand users’ interactions with a folksonomy. The conceptual framework consists of three components of users’ interactions with the folksonomy: (1) tagging – cognitive categorization of an individual user with a Web accessible resource; (2) navigation – exploration and discovery of Web accessible resources in the folksonomic system; and (3) knowledge sharing – representation and communication of knowledge within a domain that consists of a group of users who share the same interests or goals. The current study is exploratory and descriptive, focusing on the first component of users’ interaction with a folksonomy, tagging. The purpose of this study is to explore how users are tagging in order to utilize a folksonomy; and whether or how they understand the social and interactive aspects of tagging in three different folksonomic systems, Connotea (www.connotea.org ), Delicious ( http://delicious.com ), and CiteULike ( www.citeulike.org ). The study uses Web questionnaires, qualitative diary studies, and follow-up interviews to ii understand 12 participants’ tagging activities associated with folksonomic interactions. The flow charts developed from 12 participants showed that tagging was a quite complex process, in which each tagging activity was interconnected, and a variety of folksonomic system features were employed. Three main tagging activities involved in the tagging processes have been identified: item selection, tag assignment, and tag searching and discovery. During tag assignment, participants would describe their tagging motivations related to various types of tags. Their perception of the usefulness of types of tags was different when their purpose was social sharing than when it was personal information management. While tagging, participants recognized the social potential of a folksonomic system and used interactive aspects of tagging via various features of the folksonomic system. It is hoped that this empirical study will provide insight into theoretical and practical issues regarding users’ perceptions and use of folksonomy in accessing, sharing, and navigating Web resources. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem statement ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research objective ............................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Research questions ............................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Significance of the research ................................................................................................. 8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction: Two dimensions of folksonomy ................................................................... 11 2.2 Folksonomy as a Web classification: The literature of classification theory ..................... 14 2.2.1 Classificatory approach to folksonomy ....................................................................... 14 2.2.2 A shift in understanding classification from traditional classification to contemporary classification ......................................................................................................................... 33 2.3.3 Conceptualization of folksonomies as a reflective and interactive Web classification ... .............................................................................................................................................. 41 2.3 Folksonomy as information scent: The literature of Web interaction and user study ........ 45 2.3.1 Information foraging theory to understand users’ interaction with the Web ............... 45 2.3.2 Approaches to understand users’ folksonomic interaction .......................................... 53 3 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TO STUDY FOLKSONOMIC INTERACTION ....... 63 4 METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................ 70 4.1 Research questions ............................................................................................................. 70 4.2 Epistemic stance ................................................................................................................. 72 4.3 Operational definitions ....................................................................................................... 74 4.4 Folksonomic systems and participants selection................................................................ 78 4.4.1 Folksonomic systems selection ................................................................................... 79 iv 4.4.2 Participant recruitment and sampling .......................................................................... 81 4.5 Pilot study .......................................................................................................................... 84 4.6 Data collection ................................................................................................................... 88 4.7 Enhancing trustworthiness and credibility of the findings ................................................. 91 5 DATA ANALYSIS AND CODING ........................................................................................ 93 5.1 Data analysis procedures .................................................................................................... 93 5.1.1 Inductive coding and constant comparison method of grounded theory ..................... 93 5.1.2 Initial concepts derived from pilot study and conceptual framework ......................... 95 5.2 Coding ................................................................................................................................ 97 5.2.1 First-round coding ....................................................................................................... 97 5.2.2 Subsequent coding, cross-case analysis, and codebook development ......................... 97 5.3 Research questions and major concepts of tagging behaviors and interactions for data analysis ................................................................................................................................. 98 5.3.1 Tagging activities involved in the tagging process .................................................... 101 5.3.2 Tagging motivations .................................................................................................. 103 5.3.3 Types of tags .............................................................................................................. 104 5.3.4 Features of folksonomic systems .............................................................................. 107 6 FINDINGS AND OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS ......................................................... 109 6.1 Descriptive statistics ........................................................................................................ 109 6.1.1 Summary of tag usages.............................................................................................. 109 6.1.2 Types of tags useful for different purposes ............................................................... 113 6.2 Individual participant narratives ...................................................................................... 116 6.3 Tagging process flowcharts of 12 participants ................................................................. 157 7 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION: TAGGING ACTIVITES INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS ............................................................................................................ 177 7.1 Item selection ................................................................................................................... 177 7.1.1 Access Web resources ................................................................................................ 178 7.1.2 Add bookmark or copy from other’s library and save it in their personal library ..... 182 7.1.3 Decide if they will keep the bookmark private or public in the system .................... 183 7.2 Tag assignment ................................................................................................................