We recently had the chance to do an email interview Ian Kennedy a project manager in Yahoo!'s social media group. Ian answered a series of questions about tagging, social media, and data portability. Ian also brainstormed some of the ways Yahoo!'s tools can be used by nonprofits.

NetSquared: Tagging seems to be the must-have feature du jour. Can you give us a quick - two or three sentence description of tagging?

Ian Kennedy: Tagging is a new way of organizing information based on labels that are applied ad hoc by an individual. These labels can cut across established directories or hierarchies. I may tag a photo of my dog "Lucy" and that tag will be familiar to my family and friends. You may tag that same photo "dog." Tagging allows for both the personalized and generalized views to co-exist side by side and be recalled in a way that is familiar and personal to you.