Tag management is the ability to manage user-generated tags (also known as categories, taxonomies or folksonomies) within collaborative software. Tag management features and processes are put in place to encourage cross-user consistency, navigation efficiency and compliance with an existing taxonomy.

Tag management a priori

The tags that users will be able to use can be controlled up-hill (before they have entered the data set) by

• Faceted classification, categorizing tags in facets (e.g. organization or place facet)
• Predefining tags, authority lists of tags can be created and suggested to users
• Restricting tag creation, allow users to create or not new tags other than predefined tags
• Mandatory facets, meaning a user must categorize each item with at least a tag from this facet
• Relating tags, meaning selecting a tag will also display the results of other tags related to it (e.g. synonyms or translations)

Tag management a posteriori

Tags can be gardened down-hill (after they have entered the data set) by

• Renaming tags (e.g. typos)
• Deleting tags
• Moving tags to correct facets (e.g. an organization name)
• Merging tags (e.g. single and plural words)

Examples of tag management

• Content management systems: WordPress,^[1] Microsoft SharePoint^[2] Drupal,^[3]
• Enterprise bookmarking tools: Jumper 2.0, Knowledge Plaza