WHY PLACE TAGS WHEN SOMEONE TENDS TO ALTER THEM?

We don't all use tags for the same thing/s.

Some people tag to place threads into particular forums, some people tag so that it will be easier for other people to determine what a thread is about (and that's where there is sometimes the greatest variance - taggers don't necessarily think that a thread reflects what the thread originator has tagged it as), some people tag threads in ways that have meaning only to themselves. There are probably other reasons for tagging as well, but those are the three that come to my mind.

My tags tend to reflect the second and third approaches to tagging. The tags I attach to threads usually reflect what I think a thread is about, or I'm using them for a personal reference (i.e. I'm warning myself that a particular poster might be found in a thread)

I don't believe anyone can change your tags, but your tags might not end up being the ones that end up being the ones visible to the entire site.

i.e. I think this is about ...

* My Tags:
* [X] Tags,
* [X] Tagging,
* [X] Folksonomy,
* [X] Community,
* [X] a2k Community,
* [X] Community Protocol

Hi Ehbeth,
Thank you for that info. I was just curious as to why they change so quickly. So I tried a few weird ones to see what would happen. And they also changed quickly.
Anyway, thank you again, and have a lovely weekend Ehbeth.
Mark...

I also tag with an eye to google, re subject matter (I'm not entirely clear if it works that way, but it is part of my motivation.)

They can't alter your tags in which you add onto yours and other threads. They can add tags to any threads and delete their own added tags whenever they choose.

Some tags already hold more weight then others if the tags are more frequently used then others.

the google thing is part of my option 2 (or at least I think it is )

Robert's post here will shed some light on why they change so quickly:

http://able2know.org/topic/152740-7#post-4177154

Thank you each for helping me out. I may just tag everything as "ontology" from now on though.
Have the greatest of everything, all of you.
Mark...

Hi Bfn,
Thank you too, my friend.
You're fantastic.
mark...

Because it communicates to your reader what categories you think your thread belongs into.

Other people don't alter your tags. They just add their own tags to communicate what categories they think your thread belongs into. But these addition don't alter your original tags or their effect. Even after other users have added their own tags, your thread will continue to be listed in the categories your tags suggested.

Hope that clarifies things.

Let us assume we have a thread about beans.
You can tag this threads ontology if you wish.
No-one else can change the tag you have given the thread.
if 275 other people tag this thread beans, 45 tag it pulses, 17 peole tag it fairytale (jack and the bean stalk) and one tags the thread ontology the ontology tag carries far less weight within the search hirearchy.

Only the 5 most popular tags are viewable. Your tag is still there.

Your tag is still valid. There might be other people in the world who associate beans with ontology and would therefore be able to find that thread.

Each and every tag essentially creates its own forum.

When we search we use a varitey of terms. some may associate a search term with a particular thing, Some others use different terms and associations.
All this can be reflected in the tagging system.