Much Ado About Smart Tags

Chris Kaminski provides the most complete and well documented report on Smart Tags to date. After reading this, there is no doubt in my mind that this is most definitely a case of technology gone horribly wrong.

There's already something devised to provide your audience with context, further information and assistance. It's called a hyperlink. Beyond that, there are companies, products and methods for providing these same things outside of a web environment. With Smart Tags, Microsoft is attempting to implement a 30 pound sledgehammer solution to a "problem" (read: "another opportunity to incorporate their smug asses into everyone's life.") I'm fairly certain they'll get away with it, too. And then they will have added yet another layer of complexity onto an already daunting (for many people) and very powerful communication technology, without bothering to really ask anyone.

Fuckers.