We need a standard tag delimiter!
Problem
Various tag-enabled services use different delimiters to separate multiple tags (a.k.a. labels, topics, keywords)
- del.icio.us uses a space
- Furl uses a semicolon
- Yahoo! MyWeb2 uses a comma
- flickr uses a space
- etc.
This makes switching between the services inconvenient, and decreases usability for the many people who use more than one tag-enabled service.
Solution
Standardize on a single tag delimiter
I'm writing to ask those who provide these services (and software that uses tags) to start the ball rolling toward standardizing on a single tag delimiter. I know this isn't a trivial task, but now -- while tagging is still relatively "young" -- is the time to invest in improving the usability of the services. I'd argue that Yahoo! has good reason to seriously consider initiating this effort, since MyWeb2, flickr, and del.icio.us -- three popular tag-enabled services -- are all Yahoo! services.
Benefits of having a standardized tag delimiter
- makes switching between tag-enabled services easier
- helps people who are new using tags feel more comfortable using different tag-enabled services
- improves developers' ability to write software that works with multiple tag-enabled services
I know there are often good reasons for using different delimiters; for example, Furl permits spaces in a "topic" (tag) name, therefore, the space can't be a delimiter. By contrast, del.icio.us doesn't permit spaces in tag names. Which approach is best is another discussion -- one I hope will be undertaken by the providers of tag-enabled services -- but I'm sure that with a bit of collaboration, there could be agreement on a good, universal standard. I'll save my thoughts on the need for a universal name for tags (let's just call them tags, not labels, or topics, or keywords) for another post...