You may have noticed many forum threads now have an additional tag - like this very thread has the "misc-forum-guide-index" tag.
I did the same on my websites
You can put your spanners in one "Spanners" drawer and screwdrivers in another "Screwdrivers" drawer. That is like forum categories.
Of course, you could put each spanner in a separate drawer, but then you would have problems finding the 15 mm spanner (or any other particular size, for that matter).
Now, imagine if you could have a magic drawer called "b-tools-for-hub-service-index" - and when you open it, your 15 mm spanner is there (for removing the wheel), along with the needed cone wrenches (for working hub locknuts), and your favourite flat screwdriver for removing stubborn stuck dirt - and all the other needed tools.
You could add another magic drawer called "b-vintage-bike-tools-index" where that same 15 mm spanner could also appear (for wheel removal).
You can't put one spanner in two different drawers. But you can "put" it into as many magical drawers (tags) as you need!
Note:
That very same 15 mm spanner still remains in its original "Spanners" drawer - that's the magic part!
And that is a decent analogy for a tag. Tag lets you connect any technical term or idea from a forum thread across different categories (forum sections).
One thread can't be in several forum sections at the same time, but it can have one or more tags!
That leads us to:
Do you see now how powerful tags can be? In a vertical, hierarchical forum structure - tags act like horizontal "loose" connections for terms and ideas.
That is why it makes sense to add tags only for cases where there are already several threads in different forum categories that need to be connected. This is crucial!
Over time, I plan to let experienced forum members assign tags by themselves - once I confirm the tag structure and filter out the low-volume ones.
New tag creation would still be coordinated with admins (that's just me for now, so admin, singular).
More heads are wiser than one - so you'll likely see something that I've missed.
Likewise, reasonable tags (connecting 5+ threads) can't do any harm, so I'm generally happy to help.
Relja
P.S.
A list of most-used tags ("popular"):
https://www.bikegremlin.net/tags/
How I added the tags to be visible (and look nice):
https://io.bikegremlin.com/32015/xe...ion-securing-and-configuring/#77-showing-tags
P.P.S.
I fully understand that SEO experts will warn against using tags and indexing them. However, used like this, tags should help humans navigate - and search engines might catch up sooner or later (I am used to being five years ahead of my time).
I did the same on my websites
What are tags and why?
I like stuff explained to me using analogies, so that's what I'll use here.You can put your spanners in one "Spanners" drawer and screwdrivers in another "Screwdrivers" drawer. That is like forum categories.
Of course, you could put each spanner in a separate drawer, but then you would have problems finding the 15 mm spanner (or any other particular size, for that matter).
Now, imagine if you could have a magic drawer called "b-tools-for-hub-service-index" - and when you open it, your 15 mm spanner is there (for removing the wheel), along with the needed cone wrenches (for working hub locknuts), and your favourite flat screwdriver for removing stubborn stuck dirt - and all the other needed tools.
You could add another magic drawer called "b-vintage-bike-tools-index" where that same 15 mm spanner could also appear (for wheel removal).
You can't put one spanner in two different drawers. But you can "put" it into as many magical drawers (tags) as you need!
Note:
That very same 15 mm spanner still remains in its original "Spanners" drawer - that's the magic part!
And that is a decent analogy for a tag. Tag lets you connect any technical term or idea from a forum thread across different categories (forum sections).
One thread can't be in several forum sections at the same time, but it can have one or more tags!
That leads us to:
Tag navigation
Let's take the "b-shifters-derailleurs-index" tag as an example. It lists threads from the "Compatibility" section (dealing with shifter and derailleur mix-matching) - but it also lists threads from the maintenance-oriented "Shifters & Derailleurs" section.Do you see now how powerful tags can be? In a vertical, hierarchical forum structure - tags act like horizontal "loose" connections for terms and ideas.
Confusion and abuse
If you create and assign tags in a smart, deliberate way, they can be very helpful. However, if you just add tags randomly, they become a hindrance. For example, instead of one "b-tyres-valves-index" tag that links threads related to tyres, tubes, and valves, you could just randomly set tags like "tyre", "tyres", "tire", "tires" and so on - with each listing only one or two threads. Such tags would be completely useless. Social networks and many WordPress websites make this mistake.That is why it makes sense to add tags only for cases where there are already several threads in different forum categories that need to be connected. This is crucial!
Admins only - for now
For above-explained reasons, for now, only forum admins can create new tags, and assign tags to existing and new threads.Over time, I plan to let experienced forum members assign tags by themselves - once I confirm the tag structure and filter out the low-volume ones.
New tag creation would still be coordinated with admins (that's just me for now, so admin, singular).
You need a tag?
If you:- find a set of 4-5 (or more) threads that are connected to one idea or technical term
- and you'd like one tag to link them accross different forum sections (or even one forum section)
More heads are wiser than one - so you'll likely see something that I've missed.
Likewise, reasonable tags (connecting 5+ threads) can't do any harm, so I'm generally happy to help.
Relja
P.S.
A list of most-used tags ("popular"):
https://www.bikegremlin.net/tags/
How I added the tags to be visible (and look nice):
https://io.bikegremlin.com/32015/xe...ion-securing-and-configuring/#77-showing-tags
P.P.S.
I fully understand that SEO experts will warn against using tags and indexing them. However, used like this, tags should help humans navigate - and search engines might catch up sooner or later (I am used to being five years ahead of my time).
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