Jayne Dutra is the Lead Enterprise Information Architect at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. She understands the importance of information architecture and the need to engage users in tagging content as well.
Users are in the habit now to add "metadata" to describe what something means to them and how this can be useful to others. But that alone won't be sufficient.
"Successful enterprise search today doesn't mean making keywords work well. It means creating a holistic information architecture designed for the enterprise that allows input and evolution by the users themselves. Ironically, this usually relies on the time honored and humble practice of generating metadata and controlled vocabularies that enable data connectedness and intuitive recall. For years, we've heard that users won't fill out metadata fields. Then how does one account for the phenomenal success of Flickr? If one enters a set of bookmarks in del.icio.us, doesn't that tell us something about the person's interests and background? New Web 2.0 technologies generate metadata in the wild that can be domesticated if we are wily enough to recognise the opportunity."
Dutra also argues for installing the foundation pieces - specifically the creation of a "metadata core specification" and an associated taxonomy.
"The ultimate goal is an information environment enhanced by metadata and served up through a number of rich user interactions facilitated by role based access. "
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