This is the dissertation project of Christoph Burgdorfer for the Master of Arts course in Networked Media Environments at the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. The topic of this dissertation is to propose an alternative search and discovery method for the web where meta data and therefore search algorithms are created by the users themselves. The project consists of two parts:

1. An extension that can be added to the Firefox Browser which allows users to leave unlimited tags to unlimited websites. This extension can be downloaded for free from here.
2. A search engine which can be used to browse tags and their respective websites.

The dissertation can be downloaded here.

Please read the FAQ below

What is synopse?

Synopse is a novel approach index the Web. It relies on users adding tags to websites and therefore creating machine readable metadata. It is yet heavily experimental but it's set up in a flexible way so every test result can easily be addressed and hopefully fixed for the better.

Synopse bases on the following principles:

• Simplicity
• Tagging via browser extension
• Searching via web interface
• Integrating via API (soon!)

Synopse?! What a stupid name!

The name of the project is "Synopse", an artificial word made up of "synopsis" (general overview or summary of an article or text) and "synapse" (the connectors of brain cells). These two words combined reflect the functionality of the application. Firstly, the tags should give an overview or even a summary of the content of a specific site. Secondly by grouping websites with tags, the tagging mechanism should act as a connector between two sites. A common tag generally refers to the fact that there must be some sort of contextual link between two sites.

How can I use synopse?

In order to tag websites, you need a Firefox Browser. Secondly, you need to install the extension. You can start tagging straight away and don't need any registration, username, password etc. If you wish to be able to find the sites you have tagged, we recommend you use a "static tag" which is a tag, that gets added to all sites you tag. Your static tag can be configured in the preferences under "Tools" -> "Add-Ons" -> "Synopse" -> "Preferences". If you then wish to find your sites, just search for your static tag. Needless to say that your static tag has to be unique to yourself. So check it before you use it.

I have installed the extension and restarted my Firefox Browser - nothing changed!

Look closer! There is now a little word saying "Tag!" in the bottom right corner of your browser. Click on it to tag the site. Or simply browse through to the bottom of the page and the tagging bar will appear automatically. Oh, and if it didn't install, maybe it's because your version of Firefox is too old?

How can I find the sites I have tagged?

If you wish to be able to find the sites you have tagged, we recommend you use a "static tag" which is a tag, that gets added to all sites you tag. Your static tag can be configured in the preferences under "Tools" -> "Add-Ons" -> "Synopse" -> "Preferences". If you then wish to find your sites, just search for your static tag. Needless to say that your static tag has to be unique to yourself. So check it before you use it.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is not the Web.

What is the Web?

The Web is not the Internet.

How can I join the cool crowds who are working on this project to help out?

Nothing simpler than that. Just write me an e-mail to

How the heck do you make money?

At the moment it's all donations. If you're not sure whether you should donate, read my blog post and then donate here:

Easy, isn't it?

How can I get in contact if I want to acquire this project?

No problem, please contact

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