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SCO0258 - Using Tags in OSX - Part 2 [Free Show]

Filed in: Productivity | OSX

Another Mac only show this week, following on from last week with a look at some of the more fully featured tagging applications using the OpenMeta standard..

Tagging has long been used to advantage in many applications and web services, as a way to organise and retrieve data effectively and efficiently. A tag is simply a keyword that you can assign to a piece of information or object. The beauty of using tags is the complete flexibility it offers. Assign multiple tags to an object and you have complete control on how you structure your data for future use.

Freed from the shackles of a fixed "folder" hierarchy, never again do you have to waste time pondering “where shall I save this document?” in some convoluted directory structure. Just add the relevant tags to the file and let the speed and power of your Mac retrieve it for you instantly.

Ever wanted to "file" a document in two places at once? Well with tags, it's simply a matter of assigning multiple tags and the problem is solved.

Up until now, the only system wide option you had for tags was using keywords in the Spotlight comments field. It worked but was extremely limiting. There were no standards imposed and applications were not able to interact or share a common set of tags.

These limitations are now lifted by OpenMeta - an open sourced, simple, scalable metatdata system for OSX.

Rapidly becoming adopted as a standard method of handling and sharing tags system wide, many of the top Mac applications are now being updated to take advantage of the benefits of OpenMeta.

This week's show takes you through two applications that have embraced the OpenMeta standard of tagging - HoudaSpot v3 and Tags by GravityApps. In detail, this weeks show covers:

Syncing OpenMeta Tags with Dropbox
HoudaSpot V3
Houdaspot Overview
Tagging in HoudahSpot
Tags Applicatication by GravityApps
Tagging Webpages
Tagging in the Finder
Tagging Emails
Tagging Contacts
Tagging in iTunes
Tagging in iPhoto
Tagging in Applications
Using the Tag Browser
Searching using Tags Application

Links: OpenMeta Project Page Dropbox Forums, HoudahSpot v3, Tags

The survey mentioned in the show can be found here.

Discuss or ask questions on this tutorial on the ScreenCastsOnline Forums: Forum Link

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