I am in Framingham working with the Bose Company and SEW Consulting discussing the role of metadata and taxonomy in managing their advertising and marketing content. And I cannot help but make correlations with their noise reduction headphones and content management.

The wave technology developed by Dr. Bose is based on a principle that mere mortals such as myself (not those super audiophiles that tend to flame Bose), can only perceive sound on a fairly limited basis. By focusing on that very narrow margin, his technology eliminates the noise waves of what is superfluous to our ears and delivers an enhanced audio experience through his headphones.

Not surprising, the biggest complaint I am hearing from the company is data overload. No conventions, no metadata, no taxonomy and just an overall mess of digital assets in a folder structure (at best).

Taxonomy and metadata strategies work on the same principle: eliminate the data that is superfluous and manage the data that is within our narrow margin of comprehension. How best to proceed with data reduction? Through collection management, metadata standardization, and a polyhierarchical faceted classification; streamline workflows and allow for electronic annotations to alleviate the cumbersome email approval process. Did you know that Dr. Bose has sole ownership of the company? 100% ownership. It is a unique cultural environment.