Concerning metadata

3. Metadata is a term that can bewitch, bother and bewilder us, but it's really quite easy to explain: it's simply data about data. An example of metadata are a library's catalogue records: information that refers or directs one to particular objects. Users of the World Wide Web may be familiar with the HTML tag, META. Among its many uses, the META tag enables Web designers to insert indexing materials or "keywords" that can be processed by certain search engines such as Hot Bot and Alta Vista. In addition, Web designers can use the META tag to insert a their own descriptions of their sites, which is displayed when site information is retrieved by some of these search engines.

Based on functions, metadata may be categorized into four areas:

Format: information to decode the Essence
Descriptive: cataloguing information, information used for search & retrieval
Association: information that synchronizes or interleaves the Content Components
Composition: instructions for the various components to work together in unison

Concerning metadata or "information about data":

a. I have a good understanding of metadata and have followed one or
more metadata initiatives or projects. 20

b. I have some understanding of metadata and metadata initiatives or
have followed one or more metadata initiatives or projects. 17

c. I have minimal understanding of metadata, but have not followed
any metadata initiatives or projects. 10

d. Until this survey, I had absolutely no knowledge of metadata. 2