Thread tags are a great way for user-generated content to categorize threads. It lets posters find related threads without taxing the search engine. Naturally adding a tag should be restricted to posters who’ve been around for more than a week or so (to prevent spammers and one-off trolls from abusing the tag feature).
I believe thread tags are a standard feature in VBB 3.7, it’s just a matter of turning on the option at the admin control panel.
Mods and admins, please give us thread tags.
I wouldn’t mind the idea, but there’s another place I can think of where the tags are abused more than Mary’s goat. It’s funny sometime. Annoying at other times.
I would assume the use of tags would be regulated, right? How do you mods feel about having to go through all the threads for this purpose, on top of all the other things you have to do?
They wouldn’t have to go through all the threads, any abuse could be reported. Just as any abuse of board functions now can be reported.
There are valid reasons for not having tags, but that’s not one of them.
Point taken. If tags were allowed, which ones would you put on, say, this thread?
I wouldn’t, as I don’t tend to use tags even where they are allowed. If your point is that such a discussion can’t easily be categorised by tags, I would tend to agree.
Just because tags are allowed doesn’t mean that they would be required. If nothing seems suitable perhaps no tags would be applied.
I guess I don’t understand what you’re hoping to achieve with the challenge?
Um… “Jesus”?
So if anyone wanted to see threads about Jesus they could pull them up?
I don’t think I’ve ever used tags to search for something. However, they are a fun way (IMHO) to get a little bit of semi-anonymous snark in on a thread. On GB most of the jokes in a somewhat serious thread wind up down in the tags and reading through that can be as much fun as reading the thread.
It also gives people a place, in GQ/debate type threads to put the things like “Poster X is wrong” or “I’m with Poster Y” without a bunch of tiny +1/^this type posts. However, it also get’s filled up with “John is stupid” “Sarah’s a slut” or “You’re mom did drugs” etc and I don’t think the Dope is going to take well to that and I doubt the mods are all that interested in running around cleaning it up or searching the database to issue warnings.
I like them, I think they’re fun but I don’t think they’d go over well here.
Off the top of my head:
Jesus
Religion
Suffering
Czarcasm & Kanicbird
religious debate #1,000,000
seen it
Have you heard the word?
the bird is the word
I think the point is that there would likely be contention over the appropriate tags for some kinds of thread - especially religious debates - this might only represent a small annoyance or burden upon the mods/admins, but from experience, it only seems to take a small but intense annoyance to shoot down an otherwise good and pleasant idea for change, here at the SDMB.
The possibility of abuse is more than we want to consider taking on. Examples elsewhere have made us very much disinclined to add this option. Sorry.
Just an FYI, you can toggle thread tag permissions so that only the staff can create new tags and posters can only tag threads from that set. That may or may not change your ultimate conclusion of whether or not to adopt them, but it would limit the graffiti and snark one gets when one is foolish enough to allow posters to create their own tags.
Giraffe is very wise!
(look how well “nested quotes” worked. ;))
Can tags be turned on on a forum-by-forum basis? I ask because GQ could really use tags, and they would tend to be less likely to be abused there (IMHO).
Is there a way to limit tags by poster? Anyone abusing tags would lose their ability to add tags, and would (hopefully) think first before the abuse.
Maybe follow Giraffe’s suggestion, with GQ-centric tags, or at least tags that couldn’t be used for snark.
I can only imagine the head-asploding that would take place amongst some of our more OCD posters when someone applies a tag to their thread that they do not care for. For that reason, I’m all for this proposal.
I guess, in general, instead of taking the stand “This has caused problems on other boards, so we can’t use it here.”, how about the approach “This has caused problems on other boards, is there a way we can use it here that avoids those problems?”
Whether that approach is “only certain forums can have tags”, or “only certain users can add tags”, or “only certain poster can make new tags”, I don’t know, but surely there’s something feasible other than “No tags at all”.
Tags would be a step forward in the usefulness of this board and a sensible application of currently available message board features.
So there’s no way in hell they’ll be implemented here.
Unless they can somehow make money off them.