Hello.

I am Paul Kinlan.

A Developer Advocate for Chrome and the Open Web at Google.

I love the web. The web should allow anyone to access any experience that they need without the need for native install or content walled garden.

SIMPY, SHADOWS and DEL.ICIO.US all do this wrong I think

Paul Kinlan

I'm curious why social bookmarking services like Simpy, Shadows, and del.icio.us prioritize a user's tags over a global view. When clicking a tag, I'd rather see globally relevant tagged pages than just those from a single user. A single user's tagging habits aren't as useful as seeing the broader community's perspective on a topic. Ideally, these services would offer a toggle between user-specific and global tag views.

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DeliTag Now Does SIMPY and SHADOWS

Paul Kinlan

I've updated DeliTag to support uploading tags to SIMPY and Shadows. SIMPY works great! I had some initial trouble creating a Shadows account due to CAPTCHA issues, but I eventually got an account confirmation email, even though I haven't successfully completed CAPTCHA verification yet.

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I am going to put DeliTag on the main page

Paul Kinlan

I'm excited to announce that DeliTag will be featured on the main page to increase visibility and usage. It will also be available on Tagger.Kinlan.co.uk. As a reminder, DeliTag is an AJAX-based mashup of Yahoo and Del.icio.us, allowing users to generate and post tags to Del.icio.us based on page content.

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Update to DeliTag

Paul Kinlan

I've just added a new feature to my website! Now, you can easily tag any page (except the main page) with relevant keywords and submit them directly to Del.icio.us. Just select the text, click "Generate Tags," choose the tags you want, enter your Del.icio.us credentials, and hit "Submit Tags." It's all AJAX-powered for a smooth experience. Currently works in IE6 and above, with Firefox compatibility coming soon. Try it out on this post!

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Further update to my AJAX Application DeliTag

Paul Kinlan

I've updated my AJAX application, DeliTag (The Delicious Tag Poster)! Now, when you select text within the IFRAME, the application will analyze only the selected text instead of the entire page. This makes tagging much more precise.

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Idea for another Program

Paul Kinlan

I have a new program idea: an automatic tag creator for Del.icio.us, similar to my Ajax Tagging Application. It would analyze a webpage's content to suggest relevant topical tags, which you could then select and use to upload the URL and tags to Del.icio.us. I believe this would be a useful tool. What are your thoughts?

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Tags and Tagging

Paul Kinlan

I've been pondering the use of tags lately, and noticed a lack of diversity in tagging practices. Many use tags for blog promotion or linking related content. I favor the latter, as it aids in content discovery. However, popular tags on sites like Technorati are often too broad (e.g., "books","blogs") making them less useful for finding niche communities. I propose using more specific sub-tags alongside broader ones. For example, if blogging about Asimov's Foundation series, include both "Asimov" and "Foundation Series" as tags. Tools like my Ajax Tagger and tagyu.com can help suggest relevant tags. I encourage everyone to use a wider range of tags to enrich the tag space and improve content discoverability.

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Someone is beating me to it

Paul Kinlan

I found a cool tagging website, Tagyu, that suggests tags based on other people's discussions. I'm working on my own version, which I believe will be even better when it's finished!

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The Failures of my First AJAX application: Part 5

Paul Kinlan

This is the fifth installment in my series on the AJAXTagger's failures. A major issue is its lack of intuitiveness. Users couldn't understand its purpose or how to use it without a demo. While it significantly reduced my tagging time, the next version needs improvements. I'm looking for feedback on how to make it more user-friendly, including better visual cues, a clearer UI, and improved documentation. Email me or comment with your suggestions!

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The Failures of my First AJAX application: Part 6

Paul Kinlan

This is the sixth part of my series on the failures of my first AJAX application, AJAXTagger. While I initially hoped it would be useful for everyone, it mainly ended up benefiting just me by simplifying the tagging process for my blog posts. Although it didn't meet my initial grand expectations, it was a valuable learning experience. The next version will prioritize my needs but also consider features that could benefit other users, ultimately adding value for my readers.

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Creating a Second Blog

Paul Kinlan

I'm launching a second blog dedicated to my AJAX Tagging HTML application, which you can find here: http://www.kinlan.co.uk/AjaxExperiments/AjaxTag

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Channel 9 Re-Design

Paul Kinlan

I'm a big fan of Channel 9, a Microsoft website showcasing developer insights. Their recent redesign is fantastic! They've moved from a traditional blog layout to a more concise "Most Recent" section, putting important content front and center. The new comment section design is also visually appealing, with a unique element that seems to break free from traditional HTML constraints. The addition of a tagging section, similar to Technorati, is a valuable feature, allowing users to easily see popular topics and gauge community interest. Overall, two thumbs up for the Channel 9 redesign – excellent work!

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