I’d prefer not to strip anything from tags and use them as the user intended. Otherwise it will only increase the confusion.
The tag can still be displayed with any underscores/hyphens inserted by the user, but it would be parsed as if no hyphens/underscores were present. This would (I think) improve tag searches, while still allowing users to present tags as they like.
After this one ends, I can create a vote on proposal matching the original idea of #(…) or similar method.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea first to have a vote on allowing tags containing spaces (yes/no), before having many different votes on different syntaxes for tags containing spaces? There would only be any point in making proposals for different syntaxes if there is a vote of yes for having tags containing spaces.
One other consideration is how tags created in Diaspora will function in other services to which posts containing tags are pushed. For instance, Twitter.
Now I don’t think we should be constrained in what we do by the limits or expectations of other social services, but where Diaspora offers cross-connectivity, we should make sure any changes built in will allow that connectivity to continue functioning properly.
@goob : There can be several ways to deal with pushing to other more limited services. Either you skip multiword tags, or you convert them to some other notation as a fallback (snake, camel, whatever). As you said, diaspora* shouldn’t be constrained just because other such services have less functionality.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea first to have a vote on allowing tags containing spaces (yes/no) before having many different votes on different syntaxes for tags containing spaces?
Spaces are an example of syntax for multiword tags and an important part of the proposal to improve usability. If you want I can make a vote on spaces first.
@augier : Sorry, but if you want to use different definition, it will only confuse the discussion. Please stick to the accepted terms so others would understand what you really mean.
Please extend the proposal for a longer time, core features like this should not be voted in 3 day proposals. At least two weeks would give more people time to give an opinion. Personally I’m strongly against this, but just saying that this is not the way votes should happen, with only 3 day possibility to vote, imho.
On twitter people use capitalisation to denote words which seems to work pretty well.
I don’t think Diaspora should worry about what Twitter does exactly. We should evaluate what is useful for Diaspora itself. And different incompatible ways of using multiword tags are a problem, no matter what Twitter does.
It’s important to note that the hashtag came about organically on Twitter as a way users came up with themselves to denote the subject of their post. It was only after this became an obvious trend that Twitter made it part of their site’s function. So coming up with a new syntax for hashtags on Diaspora would conflict with natural usage, so seems rather foolish.
So @shmerl when I reference Twitter I’m talking about how people naturally use the medium, not how Twitter has decided to make something function.
So coming up with a new syntax for hashtags on Diaspora would conflict with natural usage, so seems rather foolish.
You miss the point. Users already use multiword tags, whether you consider it foolish or not. This proposal is about giving a standard option to do it, instead of what is happening now. There is no “natural” uniform usage now. There are many natural incompatible usages.
Proposal: Create a standard syntax for multiword tags with whitespace
At present tags don’t allow whitespace in them which is caused by the syntax restrictions and results in awkward unreadable notations for multiword tags like “#areallylonghashtagyoucanbreakyoureyeson”, or people trying to come up with workarounds like using snake or camel notation, which proliferates incompatible tags and defeats the purpose of searching by them.
One standard notation which allows whitespace will give a readable (that’s important!) option for users to use as a uniform way of writing such tags. This proposal is generic. Particular syntax ideas for writing such tags can be proposed after voting on the general idea.
Outcome: Summary: majority disagreed.
Not everyone explained the reasons. Those who specified reasons mostly said it’s either confusing or doesn’t work with other networks. Some said they don’t see any readability problem so there is no need to do anything about it. Some brought an example of Red Matrix which actually implements that feature.
Votes:
Yes: 7
Abstain: 0
No: 16
Block: 1
Note: This proposal was imported from Loomio. Vote details, some comments and metadata were not imported. Click here to view the proposal with all details on Loomio.
That’s impossible, you can’t force it on users. They are already actively used and will be used - we’ll have to live with that. This discussion is about improving usability, and not about forbidding or not multiword tags.
Simple example - #OccupyWallStreet - that’s a multiword tag which expresses some single entity. You can’t do the same thing with splitting it into three tags. There are many valid reasons why multiword tags can be used.
So why a proposal then if you don’t take disagreement as an opinion?
Let me clarify. This is not a proposal to “allow / not allow” multiword tags. Such proposal is senseless. Multiword tags are already used and will be used. Forbidding them makes even less sense. How are possibly going to forbid them and what for?
This proposal is about improving usability of such tags (with providing a standard syntax of defining them).
So please state your opinion on the proposal, not on the idea of “allow or not multiword tags”.
So, this proposal is about improving usability of such tags (with providing a standard syntax of defining them).
The proposal clearly says “with whitespace”. That is not something that can be done at the moment. So you are proposing multi-word tags that do not exist.
And my opinion is no. Confusing for non-geeks. Not used anywhere else. Try to please accept other peoples opinions.
Yes, that’s exactly the proposal on improving usability of multiword tags.
So you are proposing multi-word tags that do not exist.
Yes, that’s a proposal to expand current tags syntax. Currently used multiword tags are used without whitespace which has several problems clearly described in the proposal itself.
Try to please accept other peoples opinions.
Before you said you want to forbid multiword tags altogether. That’s not the same as no to whitespace. I just want to be clear that you mean the same thing.