As a middle child, I was the rule follower and self-imposed referee to ensure everyone else followed the rules. This wasn’t always easy. However, if I had had the benefit of a taxonomy of childhood/household rules, maybe it would have been easier? This interesting topic came to us from KMWorld in their article, “Why Taxonomy Rules Matter.

Back at the KMWorld 2019, Jason Hein, director of delivery services at Earley Information Science, covered the basics of digital success and explained the importance of taxonomies.

He reminded us that subject matter experts may not need the assistance, but it is important for KM professionals, when they are communicating with people who aren’t experts, to explain the concept that there is a place for everything.

Taxonomies, categories, classifications – whatever you call them, they provide order and hierarchy. After product experts have created a taxonomy, it is challenging to bring in others to interact with it. Clear definitions help this interaction be successful.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.