Introduction to Taxonomies for Technical Writers

As digital content grows, so do the challenges in findability, whether for specific documents/content items or for useful information/data. Printed content has relied on indexes, whereas digital content has relied on search engines, but search engines alone tends to be inadequate for the specific needs of enterprise or specialized content repository search and discovery needs. Tags, categories, keywords, or taxonomies can significantly improve search results, related content discovery, and the user experience involved. While many content management tools support some form of taxonomies, designing and creating taxonomies is left to users. Taxonomies are controlled and structured sets of terms, including those referred to as tags or categories. This webinar explains the differences between tags and categories and between different kinds of taxonomies, especially hierarchical and faceted and when each is most suitable for different contexts. The structure and the terms of a taxonomy need to be customized for both the users and for the content. Various stakeholders need to be engaged in a taxonomy project, but the process does not need to be overly complicated. Taxonomies exist of various sizes and complexities, and similarly taxonomy creation can range from simple to complex. Join Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler and his special guest, taxonomy expert, Heather Hedden for this free, one-hour webinar. Takeaways: • How a taxonomy enhances content findabilty • What are the different kinds and features taxonomies and what is likely more suitable in your situation • Who should be involved in the taxonomy design process • When to build the taxonomy yourself vs. when to hire a taxonomy consultant