I spoke earlier this week about Metadata and I would like to emphasize that it is very important to have. I’ve said this before and allow me to say it again, like everything else, it’s not that you have it its how you use it. I have many times in my working life been asked by people who have a document that doesn’t quite fit with their existing set of terms to add something nondescript like “other” or “TBD”. I warn you now that this is a VERY slippery slope. If you start adding something as “other” then soon enough everything will become “other” as well, which defeats the point of the Metadata system in the first place.
I have a few tips and tricks to avoid the “other” metadata vortex:
1) For goodness sake DON’T USE IT!!! – I can’t emphasize enough how easy it is to throw things into the “other” category thinking to yourself that you’ll get back to it later if it piles up, and then you never do. It causes organizational chaos. The whole point of having metadata is that ability to search terms, and if the only term you use is “other” then you will find yourself squarely back at the start as if the metadata didn’t exist in the first place.
2) Take the time to think it through – if you have a document that doesn’t quite fit the metadata firstly ask yourself if the document even belongs there. Depending on your organization’s policies, the document might actually belong in another spot entirely. If you are certain that the document does belong in that library adding metadata should be relatively easy. If you don’t have the ability then I would imagine that there would be a site administrator in your office who would have the ability to add the metadata term.
3) Adding metadata is easy! – As a SharePoint admin, I change and add to metadata columns all the time. It’s a requirement for when new documents come in, and you know what, depending on how complex the metadata column is, it can be handled in under 5-10 minutes. And I think that’s worth the wait.
4) Talk it through with your system administrator – These guys and gals know the system WAAAY better than you do. They know the ins and outs and likely will have a few ideas on how to change it to benefit you. Give them the benefit of the doubt and it is very likely (depending on your company policies) that they will be able to help you sort your document in a way that will help down the road.
5) Realize you can ALWAYS revise – Metadata is one of the few things in your filing system that can be continually in some levels of flux. As you add new files and new categories come into play, there has to be a method for allowing users to find new and different ways. Using a program like SharePoint you can do a variety of things to allow for changes in your system. If you add metadata terms to the existing columns or you could add new columns entirely.
At the end of the day, Metadata is there to make life easier by providing a framework that will allow your people to search documents in your digital space easier. Having a well-established framework with which to sort your files is a must. if you don’t have a good framework then what ends up happening is a system that looks and feels slapped together with no particular focus or direction. In no way should a system be planned to the point that it will never change, however too much flexibility will mean that there will be no discernable way to search for your files efficiently.
Have you ever used “other” Metadata? What were the results you found?
Let me know in the comments section below. If you like this blog post and want to see more, you can follow me on Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @jasonlovefiles) or Subscribe to my blog to get new content delivered directly to your mailbox.