True Tag Categories and Sub-Categories

[caithyra]

Title:
True Tag Categories and Sub-Categories

Area:
Tags

Summary:
Currently, there's a limit to the tags' number of characters (I think it's 40 or so), and it's rather cumbersome to have categories for the writer, which could be helped with a true sub-category system.

Description:
Lets say that you like Harukanaru Toki no Naka de's character Abe no Yasuaki. Lets say you want to write about him and tag the entry accordingly, but by virtue of the subject, your tag looks something like this: "anime/manga/game: harukanaru toki no naka de: abe no yasuaki" which goes waaay beyond the character limit for tags.

Not only that, it's rather cumbersome as well, and if you already have an anime, a manga and a game category, you must fill out those as well for them to appear under the appropriate tags.

However, if you use sub-tags, you could associate the tag "abe no yasuaki" with "harukanaru toki no naka de" which in turn can be a sub-tag of "anime", "manga" AND "game".

So if you type "abe no yasuaki" under tags, it appears on pages underneath "anime: harukanaru toki no naka de", "manga: harukanaru toki no naka de", "game: harukanaru toki no naka de", "anime", "game" and "manga".

Same with "harukanaru toki no naka de" which appears in "anime", "game" and "manga".

And if you're reviewing the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de game, and tag it, it would show up in "game: harukanaru toki no naka de: review", "game: harukanaru toki no naka de", "game", AND top tag "review", as well as the associated anime/manga tags for "harukanaru toki no naka de".

This system would allow for easier tagging for users, as they wont have to remember to type a tag for every category (1 for the character, 3 for the series, 3 for the medium in our example, that makes 7 tags for one very basic category. If you've made icons, fan artwork, fan fiction, fan videos, cosplay and so on, the amount of tags needed quickly rise) in order for it to show up in the relevant areas, making them more likely to tag all the appropriate tags, and thus making it easier for readers to find the posts they're interested in.

The drawbacks is that this system could be hard to create and debug. First, one must overhaul the "Manage Tags" area and any other page where tags can be managed and created in order to make users able to associate tags in order of priority (tags, sub-tags, sub-sub-tags and so on).

Then one must make sure that the users cannot make a tag both the top tag and a sub-tag (something like having both "anime: haruknaru toki no naka de" and "harukanaru toki no naka de: anime" at the same time).

On the other hand, it is a very user-friendly system once implemented, and something I've wished for in many of the journal sites I've been on, because many times, be it Harry Potter, Inuyasha or other series, they often have several incarnations, and sometimes, like with anime, manga and games, it's hard to pick which to associate it with (You could argue that you go with the first medium, but then there's series like Saint Seiya, which started as manga but is more famous for the anime), and as a reader to know which one the author associate the series with.

If this system is too much to incorporate, I would at least suggest for the tag character limit to be upped from 40 to 100 (as a reference: the longest English dictionary word is 45 characters long, already 5 characters over the limit).

Poll #3192 True Tag Categories and Sub-Categories

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 42

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
20 (47.6%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
5 (11.9%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
7 (16.7%)

(I have no opinion)
10 (23.8%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Let people create reading lists before signing up

[feathertail]

Title:
Let people create reading lists before signing up

Area:
OpenID

Summary:
Reading lists are awesome, and so is having more readers / discussion on Dreamwidth. Let's give people a "free sample" cookie that lets them create their own reading list, to encourage them to sign up for an OpenID account. Then let's make the process of doing so -- and of converting that into a paying account -- easier.

Description:
As Dreamwidth's reading list gains features and usability (and its "memories" archive begins to encompass social bookmarking features), it's going to get more and more desirable. People could start to spend their whole web surfing sessions on Dreamwidth. So let's make it a selling point, and give out a free trial: Let's allow people to create their own reading lists before they've even signed up.

Imagine a Dreamwidth front page that has a big shiny button on it, something like "Start Reading Now!" or "Create Your Own Reading List!" Clicking on it could place a cookie with a list of everything that the person subscribes to (they probably couldn't join comms this way). You could leave the site and come back to it, and because the data's stored locally you'd still have your reading list intact. But until you actually signed up, there'd be a reminder that you need to do so. The navbar might be double-height, for instance, with a bright red section to remind people.

When you click on it, it'd take you to a VERY simplified sign-up sheet. Instead of asking for your "OpenID URL," it'd say something like "Enter the URL of your blog / journal / homepage!" with an example like "USERNAME.website.com". A quick blurb like "Verified using OpenID" could be there to let techies know what they're looking at, maybe with a link to click on so the curious could learn more.

If the person enters a URL that doesn't work, only then would it attempt to explain, and it'd portray this as a problem with the other site: "Either you didn't enter the URL correctly (try copying-and-pasting from your browser's address bar), or that site doesn't support OpenID authentication." It could briefly explain that "OpenID lets you use your account from one website to log in on others, including this one. Many websites support OpenID, including (brief optional list). Try another?"

Admittedly, this is not the ideal way to introduce people to this, but it seems the least error-prone for a world in which 1) Most people don't know what OpenID is, and 2) Most websites don't support OpenID.

One way we could possibly help people to get around it is to let them create a limited Dreamwidth account, if their first choice doesn't work. These could be a level of membership in which all you can do is comment and create reading lists. Alternately (or in addition to that), we could have a link to the full sign-up procedure. Newcomers to Dreamwidth might be more likely to jump through the hoops if they've already got some investment in the site, through finding feeds and/or journals they like.

Ideally, it would also be easy to "upgrade" your OpenID account, or link it to a full Dreamwidth account from either payment or invite code.

What do you think?

Poll #3193 Let people create reading lists before signing up

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 43

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
4 (9.3%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
3 (7.0%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
27 (62.8%)

(I have no opinion)
8 (18.6%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (2.3%)