The explosion in metadata production and use can sometimes feel overwhelming to staff in our businesses whose attention is usually focused elsewhere. But the power of metadata to drive reporting, analysis, decision-making and audience experiences makes it relevant to everybody. So is the answer just to make metadata a bit less scary by hiding it away in a 'black box', or perhaps to force our teams to take metadata seriously? This presentation argues in favour of a different approach: transparency of information internally, accompanied by tools and visualisations to help people explore and experiment. Metadata should not be mysterious, its application not a chore, its understanding not limited to engineers and librarians. The talk includes a demonstration of the BBC's approach, both historically and currently.
