Book tagging lags at Amazon; soars at LibraryThing

They've crunched some numbers at LibraryThing, and with much smaller user base, the social-networking site has accumulated ten times as many book tags as Amazon.

The score:

LibraryThing, 13 million
Amazon, 1.3 million

What's the problem with tagging at Amazon? It's simple, says LibraryThing found Tim Spalding: E-commerce and tagging don't mix.

"You can't get your customers to organize your products unless you give them a very good incentive. We all make our beds, but nobody volunteers to fluff pillows at the local Sheraton."

Amazon's tags are often smart alecky. At LibraryThing, users tend to take things more seriously.

Here's more analysis on LibraryThing's blog.