Exploring classification as conversation

Abstract

Conversations are proposed as a useful lens through which to consider knowledge-organizing behaviors. Human conversations are sites of knowledge creation, where participants communicate to establish meaning that is contextual and shared. The conversations generated in collaborative online environments offer new opportunities to observe, not only how knowledge is created, but also how users participate in various knowledge-organizing activities. In a Web environment pervaded by conversational forms - social classification systems, blogs, and wikis - participatory knowledge organization is an emerging phenomenon that warrants further exploration. Other areas for research are suggested, including the potential promise to leverage participatory knowledge organization into future applications and developments of Web functionality.