Tagging creates a completely new way of categorizing and searching. This is a kind of human verified way of categorizing threads.

How it helps

If enough number of people start tagging threads then we can easily compile authoritative lists on subjects.

For example take a look here:

http://www.citehr.com/tags/

The tags show which were the keywords which were tagged the most in the last 30 days. Now clicking on any link will give you the list of threads which have that particular tag keyword.

Now suppose I am interested in performance management - I can bookmark that tag page and easily see updates on performance management threads.

But this will only happen when people start using tags effectively and consistently.

To start using tags you can simple click on the "Edit" link on the right side and add your tags - the system will suggest tags which are currently in use to make it simpler.