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tags, what good are they?

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25 replies

by jaqui

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I know they allow for searching for content based on the tag.

They are being used for the suggestions in the workspace as well. This really needs an additional functionality, to be able to filter out based on a tag from the suggestions.

read an article on..security, it was tagged with both linux and windows, yet 90% of the suggestions in the workspace will have been put there based on the windows tag.
that really needs to be fixed.

if we could remove tags from concideration in the suggestions block, then the suggestions would become much more relevant.

edited for typo

25 replies

by Jay Garmon

We're seriously rethinking how tags and suggestions are used on the site. We know the current functionality is less than ideal, and we very much want it improved. I'd like to hear what an "ideal" implementation looks like from the Insiders' perspective.

by gadgetgirl

on the Workspace session drive me nutso!

(ok, ok, even more than I am already!)

Definitely cut down the number of suggestions you throw at the workspace - too much clutter, not easy to find specifics when you're speed reading the list in there (no, I won't slow down the reading, I speed read naturally, and I'm not changing after this length of time!)

I think you'd be best off sorting this with an options box - you know, tick the box for items on...whatever. But have separate sections for the main OS's. That way, everything stays linked to the preferred OS.

Tags? Only use them as a search feature, after first defining a "tag dictionary" i.e. words allowed to be used as indicators for the question/discussion/suggestion.

You asked, you got it.

(Dammit, Jay, you keep asking! You're a bloody slave driver this week! What's up??!!)

GG

by jaqui

I've noticed a lot of comments against the functionality for the tags, so I figured lets get a few members input on what is wrong, and what is right.

by jdclyde

because they are typed in, the same topic could be spelled differently, or be two words instead of one. Looking at the tags, you see some that are pretty similar.

common ones should be available in a drop down or something.

existing ones that are similar should get combined?

by jdclyde

did I mention I want a spool cheeker? ;\

Well, not so much that I want it, more that EVERYONE else on TR that suffers through my post. THEY are the ones that WANT this spool cheeker! (for me!)

B-)

by jaqui

windows, windows xp, xp, 2k, nt are all tags covering..windows.

or humour and humor

there are a few that are redundant in the list.

by m_a_r_k

I've never used them. I hardly even look at them or notice them. Occasionally I'll glance at them and shake my head in bemused wonderment at the creative and sometimes meaningless tags people come up with. As jd said, they would be more useful if there were a standard set of tags that people would have to use rather than making up your own. There are many words that mean the same thing. How are we to know which of the gazillion possible words someone used? And until we get that spell-checker, there is always going to be misspelled tags.

by jaqui

there is a list of user supplied tags, if Tr wants to keep the tag feature, they can just use the existing list in a dropdown or check box select group.

there would have to be some way to select multiple, so drop down isn't always effective, and radio buttons are out.

by m_a_r_k

You should be able to select muliple items in a drop-down box. Ctl-MouseClick should work.

by hal 9000

Would be a better idea than the current system as things get mixed up all over the place with different words used for the same thing.

Initially the idea looked great but it has failed to materialise to the intended method that I think was expected by everyone here so I think that a change is in Order.

Or if you keep them allow searches to be done by the Section that the thread was started in then the heading and make the Tags optional whichever is easiest to implement.

OH Jay [b]Remember Programmers are your Friend and you need to treat them nice or they might just throw a revolt and escape from their dungeon and we don't want that happening do we?[/b] :^0

The thought of a bunch of people like me roaming free is just way too frighting to even think about and I've mellowed as I haven't punched any serious code for well over 12 years now so I'm almost civilised. :p

And just to throw a spanner in the works not only a Spell Checker but a Grammar Checker as well wouldn't hurt as with [b]English[/b] there are way too many words spelt similar but with totally different meanings. Yes I know I don't like editing either. I'm [b]LAZY[/b] and I make no excuses for it. :0

Col ]:)

by sleepin'dawg

a grammar checker so the civilized world can finally figure out what the Aussies are saying.

[b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

by hal 9000

I'd settle for the [b]Site Working[/b] last night I put in a considered response to the other question that Jay asked and got the [b]Page Not Found[/b] then when I clicked on the back button I was politely told that I couldn't access this part of the site. :(

So no big deal I thought well it's been posted and all I have to do is go back into TRI and continue from there. [b]No Joy[/b] I couldn't get back in and this "mourning" I see that it wasn't posted so I'll just type it all in again & I'll have to try to remember what it was that I said and do it all over again. :_|

Right at the moment if I was to Take them up on the Vonge offer I would have about 4 years worth of free whatever it is that is being offered. But maybe you are seeing a different ad as I noticed a recent Banner Add was in AU$ so I can see that these adds are being tailor made for different parts of the world so the above might not make any sense at all to you. :D

Col ]:)

by sleepin'dawg

I suspect they can be entertaining for some but annoying when you have to think of them trying to think of appropriate ones when you want to start a thread. I've never used them for tracking anything because they can lead you to a lot of places you have no interest in going.

Now for a little cross thread action kicked off by the [b]"wodnerings"[/b] of Jay. :

http://tinyurl.com/zntuq

Sorry Jay I can't resist going after that spell checking capability, again and again and again and I'm going to keep it up until we get one.

{b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

by tig2

There have been MANY times that I have had a post idea and not bothered because mandatory tagging requires me to think critically about my content and try to tag appropriately. And even though I think through how I am tagging, not everyone does so if I try to search based on tags, I will miss content that I want to see.

A standardised tag set would make this feature more functional- perhaps as a dropdown or radio button.

And about that spell checker... :)

by m_a_r_k

Mandatory tagging does not require you to "think critically about [your] content". No need to think critically since the concensus is that most people pay no attention to tags. All you are required to do is type something, anything at all, in the tag line. For any of my tags, I've usually just typed something like a couple of periods or useless words like "junk" or "nothing".

by tig2

Thanks Jaqui, I may try that. While I understand that there are no hard and fast rules here, I didn't know if others were trying to search based on tags. I am getting the impression that this is not the case.

Cool. One less thing to fret about.

by jaqui

after all it might be ctrl meta click on a mac. ;)

if the drop down is long enough to require scrolling to see them all, then you can lose any selected by a misskey, in which case a checkbox select block would be better.

by sleepin'dawg

I often see ads specific to Canada in C$ and no I did not see a Vonge ad. Furthermore I have no idea of what Vonge is and you are right, it made no sense to me. :^0

[b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

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