as i see it, there are three options:
1. forums/categories/folders
this is what we have now. there are specified forums, and the thread creator chooses which his should be placed in. (one to many relationship.)
2. tags/labels
instead of just sticking a thread in a category, we could tag the thread with multiple descriptions. the tags could be predetermined by moderators, or users could use any tag they wish. (many to many relationship.)
3. no organization
just have a thread listing on the main page. (a la lemmingtrail.com .)
1. forums/categories/folders
this is what we have now. there are specified forums, and the thread creator chooses which his should be placed in. (one to many relationship.)
2. tags/labels
instead of just sticking a thread in a category, we could tag the thread with multiple descriptions. the tags could be predetermined by moderators, or users could use any tag they wish. (many to many relationship.)
3. no organization
just have a thread listing on the main page. (a la lemmingtrail.com .)
so vote!
as long as I have the option of viewing every thread in a main index, I'm happy :).
I like the idea of giving the user the option to choose how to view the threads.
I also like the idea of having both categories and tags. just to classify threads, not to organize them necessarily.
I like the idea of giving the user the option to choose how to view the threads.
I also like the idea of having both categories and tags. just to classify threads, not to organize them necessarily.
> I also like the idea of having both categories and tags. just to classify threads, not to organize them necessarily.
explain, please!
> I like the idea of giving the user the option to choose how to view the threads.
me too! i'll let the user opt to use a massive thread listing. i'm also considering allowing users to rename threads as they see fit (only they see their renamings). depending on the organization method(s) used above, users would also be allowed to personally resort/recategorize/retag/relabel threads.
as i resketch ttf, i go about it like the user is at a party. there are little circles of people around having conversations. how does the user go about deciding which to join in with and which to avoid? what kind of mental processes occur that sort out the interesting from the uninteresting? what kind of labeling or categorization occurs in the user's head?
i'm trying to make an insanely useful ui. one that is as natural as life itself.
also, with the revisions, ttf might become more than just forum software. i'm thinking of adding a feature that allows each user to create private threads. these can be used for data storage, notes, gtd, whatever! yeah!
then, if i want to take it a step further, i'll allow the user to give specific permissions to other users. so if i want to work on some project with dp, i can create a little personal forum that gives access to only myself and him. then we can post and (if i allow it) edit each others' posts and everything.
this takes me to: http://www.thinktankforums.com/thread.php?thread_id=1342
explain, please!
> I like the idea of giving the user the option to choose how to view the threads.
me too! i'll let the user opt to use a massive thread listing. i'm also considering allowing users to rename threads as they see fit (only they see their renamings). depending on the organization method(s) used above, users would also be allowed to personally resort/recategorize/retag/relabel threads.
as i resketch ttf, i go about it like the user is at a party. there are little circles of people around having conversations. how does the user go about deciding which to join in with and which to avoid? what kind of mental processes occur that sort out the interesting from the uninteresting? what kind of labeling or categorization occurs in the user's head?
i'm trying to make an insanely useful ui. one that is as natural as life itself.
also, with the revisions, ttf might become more than just forum software. i'm thinking of adding a feature that allows each user to create private threads. these can be used for data storage, notes, gtd, whatever! yeah!
then, if i want to take it a step further, i'll allow the user to give specific permissions to other users. so if i want to work on some project with dp, i can create a little personal forum that gives access to only myself and him. then we can post and (if i allow it) edit each others' posts and everything.
this takes me to: http://www.thinktankforums.com/thread.php?thread_id=1342
> explain, please!
I mean like keeping the categories now, but also allowing people to add as many tags as they'd like to a thread, or even to individual posts. the purpose of the categories and tags would not be to organize threads into separate forums, but to give a general idea of their content when they're viewed in the main thread index.
the rest of what you said sounds really awesome. I like the idea of private forums.
I mean like keeping the categories now, but also allowing people to add as many tags as they'd like to a thread, or even to individual posts. the purpose of the categories and tags would not be to organize threads into separate forums, but to give a general idea of their content when they're viewed in the main thread index.
the rest of what you said sounds really awesome. I like the idea of private forums.
so you are suggesting that users add global tags. okay.
there are so many damn possibilities.
there are so many damn possibilities.
yeah, seriously. it's kind of overwhelming thinking about all the possible types of attributes all aspects of the forum could have and how to deal with them all.
it's also kind of tough to discern features that will actually get good use and ones that people might just ignore. there are so many possible reasons that might discourage someone from using an aspect of the forum: it could be that the feature is poorly implemented or it could be that there just isn't really demand for it. crazy shit.
i don't like the idea of categories/folders/forums. categories are so rarely exclusive!
examples:
"food" is art, entertainment, general
"vector art" is technology, art, entertainment, general
"the fall by camus" is art, entertainment, philosophy, general
...
i think i'm going to ditch the "categories" concept! here come labels.
i don't think i'm going to call them "tags," because that's too web 2.0-ish with "tag clouds" and everything. and i'm not going to have a label-cloud (tag-cloud). i'll probably have a page that ranks labels by popularity using some arbitrary scoring formula.
now i'm getting a little scared of turning ttf into a vanilla clone.
examples:
"food" is art, entertainment, general
"vector art" is technology, art, entertainment, general
"the fall by camus" is art, entertainment, philosophy, general
...
i think i'm going to ditch the "categories" concept! here come labels.
i don't think i'm going to call them "tags," because that's too web 2.0-ish with "tag clouds" and everything. and i'm not going to have a label-cloud (tag-cloud). i'll probably have a page that ranks labels by popularity using some arbitrary scoring formula.
now i'm getting a little scared of turning ttf into a vanilla clone.
labels is a good name. I agree about "tags."
I'm not familiar with Vanilla; what are you concerned about replicating?
I'm not familiar with Vanilla; what are you concerned about replicating?