hashtags and tagging

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

I searched and was surprised this hasn't been suggested or added:

 

HASHTAGS #

 

This would a great asset to the forum, and for logging. (May need to split the topic to two threads for discussion of the forum versus logs).

 

Additionally, it would be awesome to be able to do username references using the "@" symbol. This would be a great way to introduce more social type networking within the various platforms Groundspeak offers. This might also help folks discover additional parts of the site (more pages, hint, hint).

 

Of course, users could elect to turn off the feature so their accounts are not referenced/tagged.

Edited February 22, 2015 by TheWeatherWarrior

[+cerberus1]

I like the forums here because it doesn't resemble any of the social sites.

- No thanks.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

I like the forums here because it doesn't resemble any of the social sites.

- No thanks.

Form follows function. This is about function and options. It already is a social site. Too late if that is what you think you are avoiding.

[+Harry Dolphin]

What's a hashtag?

[+Chrysalides]

What's a hashtag?

You haven't seen those tags that say "do not remove under penalty of law" attached to a hash brown?

 

Neither have I []

 

I think keyword tagging could be useful in forum posts and geocaches.

[+EngPhil]

OMG wow @TheWeatherWarrior that would be, like, so #freaking #cool I am totes for this #yes #bestideaEVAR #makeitso....

 

...... erm... To quote the great Eric Bogle, "No, no, a t'ousand times no." I'm with cerberus1. The forums and (more importantly) cache logs aren't Twatter, and for that, at least, I am thankful.

Edited February 23, 2015 by EngPhil

[+larryc43230]

I vote no, simply because additions like #hashtags and "@" symbols make text annoying for these aging eyes to read.

 

Besides, the forum software here is a third-party product "Licensed to: Groundspeak, Inc." (see the bottom right of any forum page). I doubt if it's within Groundspeak's ability to add these sorts of features on its own. And personally, I hope they never ask IP.Board to add them.

 

--Larry

Edited February 23, 2015 by larryc43230

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

This wasn't really a post seeing of members would like it or not because if you don't like it, probably just means you don't understand it (hastagging and/or the power of social media), or simply don't realize it is benign to you here. There is basically no negatives. It simply is a matter of whether Groundspeak is able to implement it or not.

 

Luckily, since posting this, mentioned it at a couple of events and there the feedback has been positive. Definitely hope Groundspeak either looks at it. One forum that does use it has been seriously enhanced by its function.

[+frinklabs]

IP.Board supports their own keyword tagging scheme.

 

http://www.invisionpower.com/features/

[+larryc43230]

There is basically no negatives.

What part of legibility and comprehensibility don't you understand?

 

I understand hashtags perfectly well. I also understand the power, and often the annoyance, of "social media."

 

If I want to see hashtags, I'll visit my Twitter and Instagram accounts. I hope they never show up in these forums and make text more difficult to read.

 

#dumbidea #ivoteno

 

--Larry

[+Walts Hunting]

This wasn't really a post seeing of members would like it or not because if you don't like it, probably just means you don't understand it (hastagging and/or the power of social media), or simply don't realize it is benign to you here.

That is kind of insulting. You say if we don't like it we don't understand it. So an intelligent person who has a clear understanding of it but doesnt want it on this nice simple forum cannot exist in your world. Sort of my way or the highway I guys.

 

I guess you are not at all interested in a multi sided discussion just agreement and help imposing your view.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Walts Hunting

[+larryc43230]

This wasn't really a post seeing of members would like it or not because if you don't like it, probably just means you don't understand it (hastagging and/or the power of social media), or simply don't realize it is benign to you here.

That is kind of insulting. You say if we don't like it we don't understand it. So an intelligent person who has a clear understanding of it but doesnt want it on this nice simple forum cannot exist in your world. Sort of my way or the highway I guys.

 

I guess you are not at all interested in a multi sided discussion just agreement and help imposing your view.

^ ^ ^

This.

 

Thank you, Walts Hunting, for saying what I was thinking.

 

I also don't see any deluge of support for the suggestion. Given the piling-on that tends to happen here, that speaks volumes.

 

--Larry

[+K13]

#NO_HASHTAGS

[+cerberus1]

Noticed this in another thread and asked if I could swipe it.

A really good example how ridiculous this has become.

 

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

This wasn't really a post seeing of members would like it or not because if you don't like it, probably just means you don't understand it (hastagging and/or the power of social media), or simply don't realize it is benign to you here.

That is kind of insulting. You say if we don't like it we don't understand it. So an intelligent person who has a clear understanding of it but doesnt want it on this nice simple forum cannot exist in your world. Sort of my way or the highway I guys.

 

I guess you are not at all interested in a multi sided discussion just agreement and help imposing your view.

Sorry, didn't mean it to come off as insulting. I don't think any less of a fellow cacher if they don't want it. My point was only to bring it up for Grounspeak to see. The forums here don't really reflect the general caching world sadly. So seeing a negative response to a good idea isn't a surprise. Including myself...it tends to come to be a place to rant, complain, etc. Over the years I have had many good ideas poo-poo'd by forum members but loved elsewhere. Some even became features (not because I suggested them, but because many other did as well or it was just the right thing to do).

 

As far as reading comprehension, I can't buy that. We have various marks and punctuation throughout our english language and another simple mark isn't going to interfere with that, well at least not for 99.9% of people.

Edited March 22, 2015 by TheWeatherWarrior

[+larryc43230]

Sorry, didn't mean it to come off as insulting. I don't think any less of a fellow cacher if they don't want it. My point was only to bring it up for Grounspeak to see. The forums here don't really reflect the general caching world sadly. So seeing a negative response to a good idea isn't a surprise. Including myself...it tends to come to be a place to rant, complain, etc. Over the years I have had many good ideas poo-poo'd by forum members but loved elsewhere. Some even became features (not because I suggested them, but because many other did as well or it was just the right thing to do).

 

As far as reading comprehension, I can't buy that. We have various marks and punctuation throughout our english language and another simple mark isn't going to interfere with that, well at least not for 99.9% of people.

Why did you even bring up the topic here if you knew ahead of time that we lowly forum denizens tend to always go negative and don't reflect "normal" geocachers (who, by your logic, never visit the forums)? Seems like a waste of time to me. If you want to suggest something to Groundspeak and ignore other opinions, I would suggest that you contact Groundspeak directly rather than insult our (lack of) intelligence.

 

According to you, those who don't like hashtags in forum posts are apparently

 

1. not representative of geocachers as a whole (though I'd love to know who did that research, and I'd love to read the report); and
2. have a reading comprehension in the bottom 0.1% of English readers.

You certainly know how to win the hearts and minds of others with your arguments....

 

Hashtags aren't punctuation, they're impediments. Punctuation makes written materials easier to read (at least that's the intention). Hashtags don't, they get in the way. They might serve some useful function in the sort of already-abbreviated pseudo-language of Twitter and similar, but they most certainly make reading a normal, properly written paragraph (remember those?) more difficult to read.

 

--Larry

Edited March 22, 2015 by larryc43230

[+Roman!]

I understand I don't want it either, #1 worst idea I heard today.

[+niraD]

I don't really use Twitter, but aren't hashtags usually added at the end of a message? In that case, they wouldn't really get in the way. You read the message, and then you get to the hashtags that are used for indexing/searching the message.

 

That usage model isn't that different from some of the geocaching logs I've seen, where the finder adds a sequence of codes at the end to help with GSAK processing (or some other processing).

[+frinklabs]

I don't really use Twitter, but aren't hashtags usually added at the end of a message? In that case, they wouldn't really get in the way. You read the message, and then you get to the hashtags that are used for indexing/searching the message.

 

That usage model isn't that different from some of the geocaching logs I've seen, where the finder adds a sequence of codes at the end to help with GSAK processing (or some other processing).

 

The twitter hashtagging is inline -- #like #this

 

The IP Board tagging feature is not -- the tagged words are presented as a header in the message, if the screenshot from IP Board is accurate:

 

[Keystone]

Because the forum software is highly customized to interface with the Geocaching.com website account system, it would be a major engineering effort to upgrade to a newer version of the forum software and to incorporate hashtags or keyword tags. I don't think the odds are good for seeing that happen in the near future. #priorities

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Because the forum software is highly customized to interface with the Geocaching.com website account system, it would be a major engineering effort to upgrade to a newer version of the forum software and to incorporate hashtags or keyword tags. I don't think the odds are good for seeing that happen in the near future. #priorities

 

Doesn't that open them up to a security risk? Commonly uses software platforms such as forum software, content management systems, and other "downloadable" software platforms are notorious for be being targeted by black hat hackers precisely for that reason. People will download and install the software and never update to versions which fix SQL injection vulnerabilities and other security entry points. There are lists that go around in black hat hacker communities that identify known security holes in specific versions of software platforms and exploits written that can be used to take advantage of systems which don't have security patches.