Metadata:introduction

Abstract

Grammar and syntax combine with vocabulary to allow human beings to communicate. Metadata and protocols combine with data to allow computer systems to exchange data usefully. Humans may communicate via internet email with the feeling that they are dealing only with another person. Yet they rely on hidden conventions and agreements regarding the structure of messages, the content of some parts of the message, and the way that message are transmitted and forwarded from one computer to the next. Some email users have realised that consistent use of the subject heading of a message can make it easier for recipients to handle their mail, for example by including labels that tie the message to a particular project, or a previous message.

Citation

Yeates, R. (1999), "Metadata:introduction", VINE, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 3-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040721