- hierarchies are systems of connected or nested groups or collections – e.g. folders – organized from the top-down.
- rigid, resilient, good for manual navigation.
- networks are made up of self-contained nodes that organically develop relationships to other nodes over time.
- flexible, can be oriented in any direction, prioritize autonomy of the individual object.
- people tend to feel strongly about which structure is best for long-term information mgmt, but these structures compliment each other rather than contradcit; the overuse of one tends to require course-correction with the other.
- as a network expands, it can be difficult to manage; as hierarchy expands, it can be difficult to form connections and relationships.
>[!note]- *note*
>major update [[2026-07-26]]