Taxonomy or classification exists in all fields. They are not limited to science, economics, nature, etc. It may not always be called taxonomy, but we see it when we walk through the grocery store aisles or when you are searching for a new beach read on Amazon.

Taxonomies interest me and they also amuse me. I like finding the quirky ones, the ones that feed the inner statistics geek or bad pun fan inside me. Here are a few I have recently stumbled across.

A Taxonomy of London Hipster Coffee-Shop Names made the writer in me giggle just a little. The names are sorted by name styles like those relating to drugs or those that fit into the Victorian mindset, i.e. Dose and Butterworth & Sons.

A Taxonomy of Selfies gave me a double take. These often amusing somewhat egotistical pics have been divided into several classifications.

  • The Delphie: A picture that predicts an imminent disaster.
  • The Dumbfie: A selfie you really just shouldn’t take.
  • The Tellfie: A picture is worth a thousand words.
  • The Schrunchie: A face-distorting selfie generally accompanied by gratuitous, exhibitionistic nudity.
  • The Buffie: The half-naked selfie you take at the gym, after you’ve worked out.
  • The Brofie: Usually taken after imbibing with friends.
  • The Gellfie: The picture you take right after you’ve got that rocking new hairdo.
  • The Wealfie: When you’ve gotten something new, and/or expensive, and you’ve got to show it off.
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-large-dog-breeds-that-are-gentle-giants

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-large-dog-breeds-that-are-gentle-giants

A Taxonomy of Dog Names made me all warm and fuzzy inside. We foster dogs so we get the pleasure of naming dogs more frequently than normal owners. I will use this taxonomy in the future for sure. With categories that include language/country or origin (Bruno), color of dog (Blackjack), specific breed influenced names (Chico), names based on size of dog (Goliath), names inspired by celebrities (Beyonce), and names inspired by arts and literature (Baskerville), there must be something that fits your new furbaby.

These are just a few examples. Go browsing and see what interesting taxonomies you can find. One thing is true, in all taxonomies decisions have to be made. The key is to be consistent in those decisions so there is consistency across the classification. Consistency makes content findable and sometimes funny.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.