Reflection:
This week we covered the big picture narrative of metadata. In the purest form, metadata refers to “data about data” meaning it speaks about present information in the 3rd person. There are multiple different varieties of metadata including descriptive, structural and administrative. The following describe each in detail:
-Descriptive: covers topics related to identification such as title, author, file time, keywords, and date/time of delivery
-Structural: refers to the connectivity and overlay of information and their relationships between each other
-Administrative: describes technical information and the their owners
Combined, these metadata types form the framework of compartmentalizing data in a digital work. Efficient digital asset management simplifies organization leading to more purposeful authoring practices. In a broader sense, metadata makes life easier by giving the webpage a “seal” to deliver the actual content. It should be noted that metadata is not necessary for website design. Rather, it gives the page the look and feel of a carefully thoughtout and digestible content.
Another major functionality of metadata involves the application to Search Engine Optimizations (SEO). Each page bears a “Meta Tag” which holds specific information about the content, author, and publisher. This metadata can be detected by search engine result pages (SERP) to populate the most desirable link. SEO must be leveraged to optimize the probability of having a webpage appear near the top of search results. Numerous studies have shown that users only click on the first few options on any search result. Given this information, it is paramount that authors use metadata tags for SEO. When digital authors can master these techniques, digital marketing takes care of the rest.
Weekly Takeaway
I walked into this week’s discussion expecting to talk about the art of data. When I think “meta”, my mind immediately jumps to online meme pages which will invariably “meme” themselves. The connection to SEO did not click until we described them as categories. I’ve never been fond of labeling - people, ideas, you name it - I really dislike being put in a box. For the longest time, my introspection has led me to believe that I am unlike anyone else to come before or after me - a whole individual. As of late, my philosophy have pivoted to accept that I align with others more than I choose to believe.
Imagine being searched on a web browser using your own keywords: “Funny”, “Charming”. The SEO is able to match the meta tags for each personality trait to the searched person to generate a list of people who match those criteria. I think we all subliminally have our own internal SEO that filters what we choose to consume and who we surround ourselves with. Hidden in plain sight, every choice or action we make cultivates our own dataset. Remember how only the first few options are always chosen on a results page? Eventually, we all reach a point where the exact combination will yield us, by yourselves, as one singular person, the top search result.