taxonomy, content types & metadata: oh my!

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Ruven Gotz – Navantis (Cananda)Taxonomy, Content Types & Metadata. Oh my!

It’s all about me…

Ruven Gotz

Toronto

@ruveng

spinsiders.com/ruveng

ruveng@navantis.com

This is a Meta-Presentation

•Two Goals and a Meta Goal:• Understand metadata

• How it applies to taxonomy• How it applies to content types

• Understand why it matters in SharePoint• Meta Goal

• Educate you• Give you tools to educate YOUR stakeholders

The BIG question

What is Metadata?

Data about data

Questions

The BIG question

What is Metadata?

I think I get it

Oh! Now I see(Mostly)

What is Metadata?

I think I get it

To understand what are

‘Meta’ for?

We’ll use a

Metaphor

What does a cow say?

What does a chicken say?

What does a duck say?

What’s the difference?

What is the ‘content’?What are some attributes?• Artist: Prince• Genre: Pop/Rock• Year: 1984

Example from Yoav Lurie

Organizing Content

Another metaphor

Adapted from the “pea soup” story by Serge Tremblay

Labels can help

Food taxonomy nirvana

http://caseyxrobertson.deviantart.com/art/Grocery-Store-2-191196289

So, what is metadata?

or this…Not this!

What is taxonomy?

It’s this…

Carl Linnaeus (1751)

Taxonomy Animal Kingdom

Invertebrates Vertebrates

Mammals

Predators Primates Whales Rodents

Squirrels Mice

Mice & Rats Hamsters and Voles

Real Hamsters Voles Gerbils

Porcupines Guinea Pigs

Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds

Superclass

Class

Order

Suborder

Family

Kingdom

The bottom of this treeAnimal

Kingdom

Invertebrates Vertebrates

Mammals

Predators Primates Whales Rodents

Squirrels Mice

Mice & Rats Hamsters and Voles

Real Hamsters

Short-tailed dwarf hamsters

Djungarian dwarf

hampsters

Roborovski Hamster

Long-tailed dwarf hamsters

Voles Gerbils

Porcupines Guinea Pigs

Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds

TaxonomyX:

Production Sales & Marketing

Marketing

Commercial Industrial Government Healthcare

Labs Hospitals

Private Public

Large

Urban

Not Associated University

Rural

Medium Small

Clinics Mobile

Sales Web Design Newsletter Social

Shared drive zoo

TaxonomyX:

Production Sales & Marketing

Marketing

Commercial Industrial Government Healthcare

Labs Hospitals

Private Public

Large

Urban

Not Associated University

Rural

Medium Small

Clinics Mobile

Sales Web Design Newsletter Social

We’ve all seen how well this works out…

TaxonomyX:

Production Sales & Marketing

Marketing

Major Hospitals Commercial Industrial Government Healthcare

Labs Hospitals

Private Public

Large

Urban

Not Associated University

Rural

Medium Small

Clinics Mobile Colleges

Big Small

Sales Web Design Newsletter Social

Shared drive zoo

Moving this mess to SharePoint only makes it worse

SharePoint Sux! SharePoint is confusing! Why?

What is our base metaphor for files?

Folders on the Mac

What if we saw this?

Better…

Solve it with folders!

Now, you hire an intern to add documents

Finding vs. Saving

Findability

Putability

The #1 rule of SharePoint

Never use folders

Except when it makes sense to do soever

When it makes sense…Permissions assigned

per folder

SharePoint Taxonomy

SharePoint Taxonomy (Metadata)

Customer Type• Lab• Hospital• Clinic• Mobile

Sector• Private• Public

Size• Large• Medium• Small

Location• Urban• Rural

University• Yes• No

Adding metadata (when uploading)

A SharePoint Simulation

Inventory worksheet

What is metadata?

What is taxonomy?

What are content types?

Name _________Emp. # _________Date _________

Dates Requested:From __________To: __________

Manager ____ Approved Y/N

Name _________Emp. # _________Date _________

Dates Requested:From __________To: __________

Manager ____ Approved Y/N

Name _________Emp. # _________Date _________

Drug Used:Name __________Cost: $ _________

Manager ____ Approved Y/N

Name _________Emp. # _________Date _________

Drug Used:Name __________Cost: $ _________

Manager ____ Approved Y/N

Vacation Request

Drug Reimbursement

Both content types in one list

Content types for: Workflow, Policy, Security

InventoryWorksheet

Mind Mapfrom InventoryWorksheet

Key Points to Take Home• Metadata takes a while to understand

• Use of metaphors can help

• Use of visual tools can help a LOT

• Much more than technology, it’s governance that makes the difference

• Folders are bad, except when they’re not

Did I meet my goals for you…

• Do you have a better understanding of Metadata?

• Do you understand why it matters in SharePoint?

• Do you think you’ll be able to explain these concepts more easily to your stakeholders?

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Questions

Ruven Gotz – Navantis (Canada)

ruveng@navantis.com@ruveng (twitter)www.spinsiders.com/ruveng

http://sdrv.ms/share2012sa <-- The goods!

May 2012