Arena 1.5:Tags

Tags

A library is managed by using a catalogue containing details of all its stock. For example, for each book in a catalogue, the author's name, the publication date, item number, and so on, are stored. This information is ideal for cataloguing the library's collections, but it is not always so good for helping you to discover interesting novels, movies, audio books, music and other kinds of items. Arena uses tags to make discovery easier.

A tag is a word or phrase that you may attach to an item in the library's catalogue, to identify it in a meaningful way. For example, you may tag a classic novel with a tag called 'classics'. You may then tag any other similar novel with the same tag. This tag links the items with a word that described something which they have in common.

Tags are available to all Arena users. This means that tags which you have created may be used by other Arena users to find related items in the library. Tags may be used by any Arena user to tag other related items. So, for example, a large collection of 'classics' may be built up by many Arena users. By using tags, your discovery of one item may lead to many others that you also like.

You may add whatever tags you like, whenever you like, and keep them for as long as you like. For example, you could use a tag to tag books that you think will be useful in a school project, and then remove the tag from those items when you have finished the project. Arena can do this for you, in one quick action.

A tag may be used to create more complex links for special interest groups and clubs. For example, if you are interested in sailing, you may use a 'sailing' tag to link books about boat maintenance, sailing-related novels, sailing skills, boat racing, biographies, magazines, history, photography, museums, art, and so on, which would normally belong to a disparate range of categories in the library catalogue. In this way, you may find all these items at once by searching using the 'sailing' tag.

As you search the catalogue, Arena display the tags which it thinks will be of interest to you, in a panel called the Tag Cloud. This is explained below.

Tag Cloud

As you use Arena, it displays selections of tags that it thinks will be of interest to you, in a place called a Tag Cloud.

When you start searching for items, the Tag Cloud contains the most popular tags used recently by all Arena users. You may click on one of these tags to search for items which have that tag attached to them. For example, if you click the 'classics' tag, Arena will find all items that have the 'classics' tag attached to them, whether they are books, movies, music, or others.

Searching with the Tag Cloud

Whenever Arena performs a search for you, it finds the tags attached to all items it has found, and displays the most popular of them in the Tag Cloud (i.e. the most popular of recently-used tags). You may click any of these tags to reduce the search results to only those items which have that tag attached to them.

Tags are shown in different font sizes, depending on how frequently they are used, with the most frequently used tags shown in the largest font.

You may add tags to a catalogue record.

If you are logged in, you may also create tags and associate them with catalogue records, and manage your tags.

A plus symbol (+) beside a tag means that you are not yet using this tag. A minus symbol (-) beside a tag means that you are using this tag.

Tag Clouds

A tag cloud is a panel which displays up to 10 frequently (and recently) used tags added by Arena users. Tags that have been used frequently but not recently are excluded from the tag cloud. Tags are shown in different font sizes, depending on how frequently they are used, with the most frequently used tags shown in a largest font.

By clicking on a tag in the cloud, Arena will find all catalogue records which are associated with that tag.

There are three types of tag cloud:

1. Inspirational tag clouds. These show the most popular tags used. This is the most commonly used type of cloud.
2. Discovery tag clouds. These show tags related to a search result. as you search the catalogue, the relevant tags are added to the cloud, creating a discovery trail. You may then use the tag cloud to make related searches, and retrace your discovery trail.
3. Global tag clouds. These contain tags from the central service regardless of whether the title exists in the local database. This type of cloud is not often used.

My Tags Panel

The My Tags Panel is displayed in the My Stuff page of your user profile.

The I have used column lists the number of times you have used each tag.

The Total column lists the number of catalogue records associated with each tag.

1. Click the Profile tab. Your user profile will be displayed.
2. Locate the Navigation panel in the left area.
3. Click My stuff in the Profile section.

Delete tags from My Tags Panel

You may delete any tag from your tag cloud. You may want to do this if you no longer need to refer to it. For example, you may have needed a tag for a project that you have now completed. This does not delete the tag; it just deletes it from your tag cloud.

1. Click the Profile tab. The Profile screen will open. It gives details of your Arena account.
2. Locate the My tags panel in the left area.
3. Tick the tags that you want to delete from your tag cloud.
4. Click Delete to delete the selected tags.

Add tags to catalogue records

Tags that you create may be seen, used and adopted by all Arena users, but they belong to your Arena account, and only you may manage them.

• You may create new tags and associate them with catalogue records.
• If you add a tag that exists already, you will adopt the existing tag.
• Short tag names are generally more useful than long tag names. They are easier to remember and to type, and work better in tag clouds.
• Take care when choosing tag names. A tag name should be meaningful to all Arena users - not just you. Adjectives often work better than nouns. Do not use foul language in tag names.

1. Search for an item to which you would like to add a tag. To learn more see Search.
2. Click the item's title. The Catalogue Record Detail screen for the item will open.
3. Locate the Tag panel in the right area.
4. Type the new tag name, and then click Add tag(s) to create the tag.

Delete tags from catalogue records

You may delete any tag, so long as no other Arena user has adopted it.

1. Search for the item from which you would like to remove a tag. To learn more see Search.
2. Click the item's title. The Catalogue Record Detail screen for the item will open.
3. Locate the Tag panel in the right area.
4. All tags associated If the catalogue record will be displayed in a tag cloud in the Tag panel. Click the minus symbol (-) to unadopt a tag, and therefore remove it.

Adopt and unadopt tags

You may adopt or unadopt tags created by other Arena users.

• By unadopting a tag that you created, you will be deleting it.

A plus symbol (+) beside a tag means that you may adopt this tag. A minus symbol (-) beside a tag means that you may unadopted this tag.

1. Search for an item to which you would like to add a tag. To learn more see Search.
2. Click the item's title. The Catalogue Record Detail screen for the item will open.
3. Locate the Tag panel in the right area.
4. If tags exist already, they will be displayed in a tag cloud in the Tag panel. Each tag has a plus symbol (+) or minus symbol (-) beside it. Click the plus symbol (+) to adopt a tag, or click the minus symbol (-) to unadopt a tag.

The example below shows that the selected catalogue record has the 'classics' tag associated with it. The tag has a minus symbol (-) beside it. This means that you have not yet adopted the tag. To adopt it, click on the minus symbol.