Thoughts on categories/tags

[demigraff]

I've had some thoughts on the file categories ... and I started wondering about a more fine-grained system. Something like this would require a lot of work to implement, but I'd like to see what folks think of the idea in theory.

Rather than 1 category and 1 type, it would be a "pick any number" system, so you could both browse "files with tag <x>", or search for "Files with any of <a,b,c>, all of <d,e,f> and none of <x,y,z>"

[list]
[*]Is just an induction
[*]Needs an induction
[*]Is a subliminal
[*]Has binaural beats or weird audio effects

... a few miscellaneous categories that some people would want to filter

[*]Makes you physically change ...
[*]Makes you see a change ...
[*]Makes you think like ...
[*]Makes you think you are ...
[*]Makes you act like ...
[*]Makes you act (in one way) like ...
[*]Makes you dress like ...
[*]Creates a hallucination of ...

[*]... a male
[*]... a female
[*]... a baby
[*]... a child
[*]... a teenager
[*]... a slave
[*]... other stereotypes (bimbo, slut)
[*]... an animal
[*]... a fantastic creature
[*]... a celebrity

Plus a few suggestions which don't quite fit the 2-part structure:

[*]Makes you feel an emotion
[*]Increases/reduces your sex drive
[*]Makes you obey someone
[*]Makes listening addictive
[*]Makes you not remember the file contents
[*]Makes some suggestion seem 'normal'
[*]Creates an addiction
[*]Causes a physical sensation
[*]Encourages or makes enjoyable some action

And trigger conditions:

[*]Triggerable by yourself
[*]Triggerable by anyone who knows the trigger
[*]Triggerable by accident (if its a common word or something)
[*]Triggered by wearing/carrying something
[*]Triggered after listening
[*]Triggered by something environmental (a bell ringing, the smell of perfume, seeing a diaper commercial ...)
[*]Only works when alone/at home/in a safe place
[*]Lasts for a number or hours/days
[*]Lasts until untriggered
[*]Is 'always on'
[*]Lasts until you perform some action[/list:u]

Hmm ... I suspect many files could be completely described by this kind of category system. Would certainly be easier for mobile users, compared to browsing massive broad-category lists.

Meh ... its just a train of thought, would be interested to see what folks think of it.

[Jeshi]

I like the idea and the simple English aspect. Although I have to say that there would need to be an "Other" section after every one of those options for people to type their own phrases into. That way if something doesn't fit one of them then it can still be accurate rather then misleading with the "closest fit"

[EMG]

Well, the file system is my next task after I rework the CC processing system(this weekend). I hope to have a major rewrite done by month's end.

So, if anyone has any other ideas, talk fast :)

Oh, and any PHP gurus out there, if you have time I'll take all the help I can get.

[demigraff]

I don't think "other" should be necessary. If it doesn't fit in one of the tags, don't select that tag. Even though I separated these into a couple of lists, I imagine them as tickboxes or similar, so you can choose any combination of tags.

Suggestion 1: The "voting" list could use the same tags. So when someone records a file from the list (or records a female-voice version of an existing file, or something), they could hit an 'upload' link next to the description.

(The system I coded for my site has 3 fundamental objects: Scripts, Recordings and Ideas, where a script/recording has a "based on" link pointing to an idea, or to an existing script/recording. I'd offer to share what I've got, but I'm working with a different CMS - which is excelent in every way, apart from the truly awful forum module)

Suggestion 2: Under each file description, have a list of its categories/tags. Maybe have a little JS popup when you click one, giving the option to view that category, or to apply it to your current search (as and/or/not)

Suggestion 3: Clickable author's names. (Maybe another JS popup: "Hide ___'s files", "Hide other authors' files", "Show all files by ____", "Show ____'s profile")

[EMG]

Mind if I ask which CMS? Also, I am a programmer, code is code so while I may not be able to use it directly, the core logic my be quite useful.

[demigraff]

I'm on a very heavily hacked copy of metadot - I started tweaking to make it more suitable for my needs, but quickly ended up with something sufficiently different that re-integrating it with the newer version isn't feasible.

I'll see if I can dig out the code when I get it home, though I'm not sure there's anything useful there. If I remember, there's very little logic involved - a couple of classes to represent ideas/scripts/recordings, constructors that pull the description from the database, some Filter subclasses that I hand to the search/browse engine to handle categories, and the template files.


(Also, if you're planning to add more categories or allow multiple categories for a file, I suspect you'll be needing someone with lots of free time to categorise the existing file list. I'll volunteer in advance, having become unemployed again after christmas)

[EMG]

I'll be happy to see the code, even if it isn't that useful.

As to recategorization, Yes, I had already broken the site down quite a bit and I like some of your ideas and will probably merge them with mine as things move forward.

If you want to volunteer to sort through the 1300 files and re-categorize them I will DEFINITELY say yes.

If you have any other web skills you'd like to offer up(JS, HTML, anything look/feel) I'll take all the time you can offer :)

[sarnoga]

Hey demigraff,

Interesting idea. I don't go off hunting files much to download so I don't have much to say about the idea from a perspective of looking for files. It should be useful though if someone is searching for something particular. As I understand your suggestion one could still have broad category lists if they choose by selecting less tags. I sometimes like broader categories for browsing. Would the list that is pulled up only include files that have all of the selected tags? So the fewer tags the larger the list?

Or would you be able to choose between having a list of only files that contain all of the tags or in the alternative having a list of files that contain any of the tags. It might be more flexable if you can choose between Any and All. Or maybe that was the plan all along.

From a standpoint of posting files I have often been frustrated by trying to decide which category to put something in when it either doesn't clearly fit any of them or, more often, has aspects of more than one.

I would think though, that over time one might want to refine the list of tags. Would this be possible or would it be a closed list once it is done?

If it is going to be a closed list I would suggest making and posting the proposed list for comments and suggestions before it is implemented so that if anyone has any good suggestions, additions or changes they could be considered before making a final list.

Just my thoughts,

Sarnoga

[demigraff]

Only just noticed your reply ^_^
My original concept was, like the first post says, letting the user search for "Any of (a,b,c), all of (d,e,f) and none of (x,y,z)". My 'default' was to split by groups. For example "(binaural OR subliminal) AND (feel like... OR act like...) AND (...a baby)" I think in most cases, this is what someone ticking boxes is likely to want.

Now I'm rehashing the system a bit; half the sites I run are going from Metadot to Metapoint (so they're on a well-supported platform with plugins available for many things), and the other half in my own lightweight CMS (which weighs in at an astonishing 37 lines of Perl).

So I'm writing this system again, to try to find any weaknesses in my system. I'm still embarassed to share my code, but at least its more presentable than what I've done before. So, thanks again folks for all the suggestions :)

[Jeshi]

An other section is most definitely needed. To say otherwise is to deny that people can have any ideas besides the ones listed. If the file is a new idea or one that doesn't fit any of the tags just right then it wouldn't be able to be categorized properly.