Metadata Matters

Description

In what is certain to be a seminal work on metadata, John Horodyski masterfully affirms the value of metadata while providing practical examples of its role in our personal and professional lives. He does more than tell us that metadata matters--he vividly illustrates why it matters. --Patricia C. Franks, PhD, CA, CRM, IGP, CIGO, FAI, President, NAGARA, Professor Emerita, San José State University, USA If data is the language upon which our modern society will be built, then metadata will be its grammar, the construction of its meaning, the building for its content, and the ability to understand what data can be for us all. We are just starting to bring change into the management of the data that connects our experiences. Metadata Matters explains how metadata is the foundation of digital strategy. If digital assets are to be discovered, they want to be found. The path to good metadata design begins with the realization that digital assets need to be identified, organized, and made available for discovery. This book explains how metadata will help ensure that an organization is building the right system for the right users at the right time. Metadata matters and is the best chance for a return on investment on digital assets and is also a line of defense against lost opportunities. It matters to the digital experience of users. It helps organizations ensure that users can identify, discover, and experience their brands in the ways organizations intend. It is a necessary defense, which this book shows how to build. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter 1 In Praise of Metadata: Lost and Found 1.1 An Airplane Saga 1.2 Metadata Matters 1.3 Metadata in Three Acts 1.4 Metadata in Action Chapter 2 Metadata: Some Assembly Required 2.1 What Is Metadata 2.2 Metadata Standards 2.2.1 Metadata Storage 2.3 Related Metadata Concepts 2.3.1 Control and Consistency 2.4 Key Findings Across Industries and Clients 2.4.1 Metadata Value 2.4.2 A Necessary Defense 2.5 Metadata Design: Where to Start? 2.5.1 Metadata Best Practices Chapter 3 Taxonomical Tenets 3.1 Metadata and Taxonomy 3.2 Taxonomy—Hierarchical Structure 3.3 Taxonomy—Faceted 3.4 Taxonomy Best Practices Chapter 4 Definitions Chapter 5 Adjectivity: Language, Meaning, and Optimization for Content Curation and Discovery 5.1 What Is Adjectivity? 5.1.1 The Menu, Please 5.2 A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words . . . And Yet We Still Have Trouble Naming that Movie 5.3 Order of the Fittest 5.4 The Media, the News, and Content Inflammation 5.5 On Content 5.6 Conclusion Chapter 6 Metadata Is a Human Endeavor 6.1 Metadata Is Not Magic, but It Most Certainly Can Be Magical 6.2 What Have You Done for Me Lately? The Experience Needed, and What They Do 6.2.1 Training, Change Management, and Communication Strategy 6.2.2 System Upgrades, Metadata Improvements, and Technical Maintenance Chapter 7 Governance 7.1 Governance Is No Longer an Option 7.2 Governance Demands a Cultural Presence and Footprint 7.2.1 Change Management Governance Responsibilities 7.3 People, Process, Technology . . . and Content 7.4 Best Practices 7.5 Why Governance? Chapter 8 Metadata and Workflow 8.1 Metadata Is Meaningful 8.2 Administrative Metadata 8.3 ROI 8.4 Metadata Helps with User Adoption 8.5 File Naming Conventions 8.6 Summary Chapter 9 What Do Good Metadata, UX, and Search Look Like? 9.1 User Experience 9.2 Search 9.3 Metadata and KPIs 9.4 Conclusion Chapter 10 Please Feed the Robots Good Data 10.1 Good Robot Chapter 11 Building a Metadata Strategy 11.1 Strategy Building Data by Data by Data 11.2 Timeline to Develop a Metadata Model 11.2.1 Building the Right Team 11.2.2 Making the Business Case 11.2.3 Discovery and Requirements Gathering 11.2.4 Content Audit 11.2.5 Metadata Specifications 11.2.6 Workflow 11.2.7 Quality Assurance and UA Testing 11.3 Metadata Makes the Difference Chapter 12 Metadata Maturity 12.1 The Metadata Maturity Model 12.1.1 Maturity Levels 12.1.2 Metadata Aspects 12.1.3 Metadata Dimensions—The Collections 12.2 Metadata Maturity Level Assessment Chapter 13 Metadata Is a Love Note to the Future . . . Appendix: Metadata Manifesto Glossary Index