Network analysis of tagging structure

Our purpose is to discuss tagging as a personal information management mechanism. Personal tagging behaviors influence the content and structure of tagging and associated resource networks. To understand structural differences in how tags are used to organize resources, we designed an information organization scenario and used it to compare four network indicators: connectedness, centrality, clustering coefficient, and average path length. Our results indicate strong correlations between the repeated use of certain tag terms and centrality, connectedness, and the clustering coefficients of the network structures produced by the study participants. Resource structures employed by users with library and information science backgrounds were significantly different from those used by other participants.