Tagger

# About Tagger

# Why Tagger

Tagger was invented to solve two types of problems:

  1. Note To Future Self (NTFS)
  2. I Want You To Know (IWYTK)

# Note To Future Self (NTFS)

The original problem that lead me to develop Tagger was that I touch a lot of computing devices in my job and I was constantly having to search out information about each device every time. I tried lots of solutions - notebooks and spreadsheets and pictures - but nothing was quite right. I needed a solution that was cheap, fast, relatively secure, and flexible. That lead directly to the idea of carrying around a stack of tags, slapping them on anything I touch, and quickly putting in a few words about that thing. That alone has changed my life.

NTFS Example

One of the air conditioning units at my office has an odd sized filter, I think it's 30"x30" but I can't remember (which is why I need a NTFS). I've only found one site on the internet that reliably stocks those filters and every time I order a new one, I have to find that site again. I tried putting that in my notes program, but where I store notes changes over time. Now the air filter frame has a Tagger Tag on it. That tag has a link to the store that sells them.

# I Want You To Know (IWYTK)

I have lots of old things. Pictures, toys, books, trinkets, things passed down for generations or that I picked up somewhere. I often look at a picture and wonder 'Who were these people?' 'Where was this taken?' 'What was the occasion?' I can't go back in time and put a tag on each item and note what it is, but I can make sure that the things that are valuable to me are tagged so in the future, those questions are answered.

IWYTK Example

My wife and I have a new grandson. As a reading teacher, my wife feels strongly that children, even babies, should be read to. But my grandson lives in another state so getting to actually read to him is not feasible. But a Tagger tag can hold many different types of information, not just text but audio and video. My wife will record herself reading a book, attach that audio to a Tagger tag, put the Tag in the book and mail the book off. When his parents scan that tag, our grandson hears her reading the book.

# Problems With Other Solutions

I tried a lot of things before developing Tagger myself and encountered a number of problems.

  1. Most on-line note keeping systems require you to create the note before you can get a URL and create a tag for it. I rarely knew I was going to need a tag before I actually needed it, so those solutions didn't work.
  2. Tags are hard. Seems like almost no one has a printer these days, much less a printer that can print good quality tags and the proper paper to print them on. The Tagger solution allows the user to print their own tags, but they can also be ordered at minimal cost. Having tags on your person is the surest way to make sure you can keep the notes you need.
  3. Management is critical. Many of the solutions I looked just provide a single tag and let you change its content, they don't have the concept of a set of tags owned by a user that are searchable and easily edited.
  4. Cost. Tags have to be inexpensive because they are only valuable if they are used widely.

Those problems led me to make Tagger Tags as cheap as possible and put everything I need into the Tagger Dashboard.