Defining metadata requirements for uploaded assets
Good practice for metadata requirements during upload
When configuring FotoWeb for upload, it's important to enforce the adding of some some information to the assets being uploaded so that they can be found and used by others as well.
In that regard it's important to consider the types of assets users will be uploading. If you enforce a very strict scheme with many fields that require filling in, chances are users may find it too tedious to fill in all the information. If that's the case, it may be difficult to get users to adopt the system and see the benefits of using it. On the other hand, if you require too little information it may be difficult to find and reuse the uploaded assets later, and the system may become no more useful than the old file server structure where only a select few know where to find things.
Metadata Views control required fields when uploading
When you create a metadata view and assign it to an archive, that set is used both for upload to the archive and for users who edit the existing metadata of the assets that are in the archive. Thus, for the archives that you enable upload, you should pay special attention to the way the metadata view is configured, especially when it comes to which fields you set as required. When users upload assets to the archive, they will no be able to start the upload unless the required fields are filled in. If only a few select fields are required, users may be perfectly willing to so so, but you should take care to make their job as easy as possible.
Tip: Metadata views control requirements for upload to the archive from any device: web browser, all mobile apps and FotoWeb Desktop plugins and extensions with upload capabilities.
Use taxonomies
To this end, taxonomies may prove indispensable. Using taxonomies you can predefine values for the fields users have to fill in during upload. The same taxonomies will be available when users browse collections, so that they will immediately be able to recognize the types of content that are available, and they will be able to filter and find content with only a few clicks in the taxonomy navigation.
Cooperation with users is key
It's important that the person who configures the metadata view that is used for upload does so in concert with the users of the system. They should attempt to find a middle way that works well in the long run and will allow users to easily upload content without too much effort and later find the assets they submitted with ease.
Learn more
What's been discussed above can be found in the following topics: