Did you know that more than 80% of the bloggers out there do not actually know how to use labels the correct way? I have to admit I'm not using it the right way either. Labels is the default name for blogger blogs for; tags, categories...etc Things can't get done without proper and correct categorization, imagine libraries had no categorized bookshelves and everything be scattered around all over the place, what about a government without levels of branches? Chaos.Things can't simply get done without labels even to the simplest tiniest little things. What if kindergarten kids had to study together with the university guys? That would be harsh! (I'm assuming the kids will get horsed around like toy dolls, jokes)
Some of you might think labeling is about that unique code written on the middle bit of the books from the libraries, something like 759-033. Well it is but no. (numbers are for computers)
Categorization isn't just about numbers, if it was then why the heck would China be called China, Russia called Russia, USA... USA? Why not just call it country 51? country 93? You thought so because names are just as important as labels, why has that average Joe or Tom got a name? Why don't we just call them male-88937361547? You see, you still have to label it male or female or you can have another digit for identifying the gender (instead of male-889... make it 1-889...) Should there be something like 1 for males 2 for females 3 for homosexuals 4 for lesbians 5 for bisexuals 6... just kidding that was inappropriate and off-topic I know :P , but you get the point.
My point is, everything in the world needs to be categorized, or labeled or...tagged whatever you call it. (It's just another word for classification, you should know that from science)
Okay. How to use labels effectively, for example if you had a blog about cooking recipes then presumably you need categories like the graph below, each different section is broken down into smaller and smaller parts. Of course, there were more that I could have added but these are just some of the basics.
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| Categorization Example (Click to Enlarge) |
Oh and categories aren't just about adding that few keywords to each post and chuck them on the homepage (like I did), you'll also need to simplify it or double categorize it, use the library as an example again, before we choose our books, there is fiction or non-fiction and after that there is whatever topics you're looking for, right? And then it's placed in alphabetical order. (or by authors' names or by genres = triple categorized)
Proper and correct labeling on your blog will give you many benefits;
- Respect, your readers will give your blog a higher reputation
- Trust, your first time visitors will have a good impression of your blog
- Tidiness, all your content are neatly grouped and clear
- Speed, readers can navigate through and around your blog quickly with ease
- More traffic, visitors will stay longer on your site to read more
- Interaction, you make the visitors think and choose to click on something
Here's my rule for blogs about blogging: No labels more than 30. (That's my maximum limit)
Wondered how this post's headline was formed? Digg lost (still losing) a massive astronomical load of users from the internet because it had sh** categorization, I mean it, and that is how Digg died from the internet history. Protect your blog with proper labels now! Don't risk losing any readers or subscribers!