A useful new feature - TAG
LoopyByteloose
Posts: 12,537
We didn't have the TAG feature in the old forums and it seems to be that it will evolve into a very powerful way to get to topics of interest.
Currently, there is a big campaign to start Robotic sub-forums of some complexity. It may easily become a non-issue if TAGs are used.
Currently, there is a big campaign to start Robotic sub-forums of some complexity. It may easily become a non-issue if TAGs are used.
Comments
Tags require posters to set them up. In virtually no forums I participate in do the posters bother with it. Instead, moderators come through and tag the posts. In a few of these boards, they are heavily ad-supported, so they have a self-interest in using tags for purposes of ad sales and search engine optimization. Readers of the boards still use the category navigation links 95% (that's a guess, but probably not far off) of the time.
More recent versions of vBulletin -- the ones that are also responsive -- support tags for SEO should the board owner wish them, and collapsible major categories that hold multiple sub-categories. In my view, the hierarchical organization that defined categories provides gives the forum a more professional and polished look.
Taxonomy is always hard. In one dimension you might have application or product based categories, "robots", "UAVs"... In another dimension the questions may actually be about something else "I2C", "SPI", "video".
(assumes case insensitive matching - case sensitive? Help us all!!)
Robot
Robots
Robotics
BOEbot
BOE-bot
Activitybot
Scribbler
Scribbler-2
S1
S2
Sumobot
Toddler
crawler
hexapod
walker
UAV
Elev-8
Quadcopter
Quadrover (OK, that will mostly be Publison and erco)
...and I'm sure the list goes on.
Clearly we can discount the "boring" but it's important that people tag such things so that we know to skip over them.
Now, "interesting" is interesting. You see interesting posts, conversations, entire threads can exist in places I might never look. Under "robotics" say, or "uav", or "sensors" or "house plants". You never know where.
So yes, it's a good idea if everyone tags their posts as "interesting" or "boring" so that I don't have to waste my life wading through the boring stuff.
I see this working to the benefit of all.
Currently, there is a big campaign to start Robotic sub-forums of some complexity. It may easily become a non-issue if TAGs are used.
The TAG feature was also a feature in vBulletin and it could be used in search criteria.You must not of not it was there...
How do you 'tag' posts? I don't see an icon or link for tagging (while running Safari on OS X). I've noticed that a few other 'features' are not showing up as well. I guess I'll have to bring out FireFox/Google Chrome and give them a go... Or, maybe I just don't see something that's right in front of me (this happens, somewhat frequently)
dgately
Clearly we can discount the "boring" but it's important that people tag such things so that we know to skip over them.
Now, "interesting" is interesting. You see interesting posts, conversations, entire threads can exist in places I might never look. Under "robotics" say, or "uav", or "sensors" or "house plants". You never know where.
So yes, it's a good idea if everyone tags their posts as "interesting" or "boring" so that I don't have to waste my life wading through the boring stuff.
I see this working to the benefit of all.
narcissistic egomaniac warning.
Heater, it would be wonderful if some self-moderating was deployed.
Would you like to be tagged "ALL Boring"?
I was just trying express my belief that a tag systems won't work.
I notice this beautiful forum http://talk.resin.io/ has "like" buttons on it's posts. I don't think it changes thread order but rather puts some kind of "badge" on the post.
You previously presented some very good concise points as to why the Tag system is dubious at best. You actually won me over.
But the subjectivity of 'boring' and 'interesting' just distracts people from your arguments. It just begins to seem you want to dominate and dictate opinion.
I know it seems to be fun to be sarcastic, but sarcastic has a way of backfiring.
+++++++++++
BTW, your boring/interesting scheme would never work. Only the OP selects tags. Why would anyone starting a thread mark it 'boring'. The best you can get is a lot of vague 'interesting' tags.
As IBM asserted... Think, Think, Think.
It makes for less drivel.
Tags indeed won't work for boring... but I did vote a negative for you boring/interesting idea. So we already seem to have boring/interesting scheme in place.
Wake up and smell the road kill.
BTW, your boring/interesting scheme would never work. Only the OP selects tags. Why would anyone starting a thread mark it 'boring'. The best you can get is a lot of vague 'interesting' tags.
As IBM asserted... Think, Think, Think.
The obvious fact that it would never work is why I proposed it. Perhaps we need an "attempted humour" or "not for the humour impaired" tag
To spell it out, my scheme requires that every one tag their posts as "boring" or "interesting". Not only that but they do
so using the same criteria as I would. This neatly saves me having to read all the stuff that I would consider boring.
I was simply trying to show why a tag system won't work well.
Use the vote system. It does that.
Use the vote system. It does that
No it does not.
I would have to read all the posts if I want to contribute votes.
It only migrates stuff up that keen vote button pushers like. Not what might actually be interesting to me.
Use the vote system. It does that
No it does not.
I would have to read all the posts if I want to contribute votes.
It only migrates stuff up that keen vote button pushers like. Not what might actually be interesting to me.
so... to sum up.
You want everyone to cater to your desires. This will never happen. Now you have gotten me missing that Ignore feature.
That should read "too seriously".
Why not just lobby for a Forum heading called Heater. It is in fashion to lobby for a new Forum heading.
You really did make some constructive comments about Tabs --- rather early on. But you can't seem to leave it at that. Be the 'bad boy', what do I care?
A Heater forum heading, excellent idea. We should all have our own forum section.