Fwd: thingiverse isn't scaling well (was Enough with the I crap!)
14 views
Skip to first unread message
Bryan Bishop
Mar 25, 2012, 10:23:53 PM3/25/12
to Open Manufacturing, Bryan Bishop
From: Steven Dick <kg4...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 9:18 PM
Subject: [thingiverse] thingiverse isn't scaling well (was Enough with the I crap!)
To: thing...@googlegroups.com
Thingiverse has worked well for quite a while now, and the recent changes have helped a lot, but I think many people agree that the rate of new things is hard too keep up with, and the quality of many of them is questionable. I don't think it would be a good thing to try to discourage new things; instead, I would like to see better filters to help us find quality things, new or otherwise.
Here's a few ideas (not all mine) that might be useful:
1) Set up a filter for things with fewer than N tags (fewer than 3? 1? can we set this number? or just missing the standard attributes below) so that we can use social networking to easily find and tag things that need it.
2) Set a way to set standard attributes on every part. For example, we have a categories for "3d" parts, "supportless" parts, etc, but not every 3d part has that tag, and not every supportless or supported part has those tags either. Standard attributes could be tags or could be a separate item, but it should be easy to set these standard attributes, rather than hunting for them in the tag list. These attributes should probably be multiple choice, rather than just on/off. For example, here's a few possible attributes / scales:
needs support / has support / doesn't need support
2d object / flat 3d object / 3d object / software / instruction guide / other
autocad / openscad / blender / other cad programs..
easy to make on DC extruder cupcake / needs stepper extruder / too big for cupcake / needs replicator / bigger than replicator
manifold / not manifold in small ways / unprintable
one color / two color / multicolor
joke / toy / useful / tool / replicator part
The idea would be that every thing could be potentially tagged with one tag from each of these sets, and there could be an interface to make that easy. (Some of them could even be automated.) Anyone (logged in) should be able to set missing attributes.
3) set up filters on these standard attributes for object feeds, via preferences in accounts, search tools, query parameters in RSS feeds, etc., to include things in the stream that either do or do not have the requested attributes. Then people who don't want junk parts can just ask to not see things that aren't tagged, or not see things that are tagged as jokes, or whatever. With the option to specifically search for them anyway (despite account preferences) when we're in the mood to look at jokes or tag poorly tagged objects, or whatever.
4) The existing tag system is pretty good, but the tags are getting to be a mess. There are duplicate differently spelled tags, some things have both spellings, some things have only one or the other spelling, etc.. Also, there are things tagged with a tag when they shouldn't be, diluting any possible meaning of the tag, and only the thing owner can fix that. There should be a way of using the social networking of thingiverse to better manage tags. Maybe set up teams of people who can take ownership of a tag or group of tags and improve the quality.
5) We had a rating system, but I guess it has gone away. I think the rating system was insufficiently well used to be meaningful anyway. But we need some kind of rating system -- something like youtube, so good parts float to the top. Would sorting things by number of downloads be meaningful?
--
Go visit thingiverse at http://thingiverse.com and stay tuned to the blog at http://blog.thingiverse.com.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "thingiverse" group.
To post to this group, send email to thing...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
thingiverse...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/thingiverse?hl=en
Subject: [thingiverse] thingiverse isn't scaling well (was Enough with the I crap!)
To: thing...@googlegroups.com
Thingiverse has worked well for quite a while now, and the recent changes have helped a lot, but I think many people agree that the rate of new things is hard too keep up with, and the quality of many of them is questionable. I don't think it would be a good thing to try to discourage new things; instead, I would like to see better filters to help us find quality things, new or otherwise.
Here's a few ideas (not all mine) that might be useful:
1) Set up a filter for things with fewer than N tags (fewer than 3? 1? can we set this number? or just missing the standard attributes below) so that we can use social networking to easily find and tag things that need it.
2) Set a way to set standard attributes on every part. For example, we have a categories for "3d" parts, "supportless" parts, etc, but not every 3d part has that tag, and not every supportless or supported part has those tags either. Standard attributes could be tags or could be a separate item, but it should be easy to set these standard attributes, rather than hunting for them in the tag list. These attributes should probably be multiple choice, rather than just on/off. For example, here's a few possible attributes / scales:
needs support / has support / doesn't need support
2d object / flat 3d object / 3d object / software / instruction guide / other
autocad / openscad / blender / other cad programs..
easy to make on DC extruder cupcake / needs stepper extruder / too big for cupcake / needs replicator / bigger than replicator
manifold / not manifold in small ways / unprintable
one color / two color / multicolor
joke / toy / useful / tool / replicator part
The idea would be that every thing could be potentially tagged with one tag from each of these sets, and there could be an interface to make that easy. (Some of them could even be automated.) Anyone (logged in) should be able to set missing attributes.
3) set up filters on these standard attributes for object feeds, via preferences in accounts, search tools, query parameters in RSS feeds, etc., to include things in the stream that either do or do not have the requested attributes. Then people who don't want junk parts can just ask to not see things that aren't tagged, or not see things that are tagged as jokes, or whatever. With the option to specifically search for them anyway (despite account preferences) when we're in the mood to look at jokes or tag poorly tagged objects, or whatever.
4) The existing tag system is pretty good, but the tags are getting to be a mess. There are duplicate differently spelled tags, some things have both spellings, some things have only one or the other spelling, etc.. Also, there are things tagged with a tag when they shouldn't be, diluting any possible meaning of the tag, and only the thing owner can fix that. There should be a way of using the social networking of thingiverse to better manage tags. Maybe set up teams of people who can take ownership of a tag or group of tags and improve the quality.
5) We had a rating system, but I guess it has gone away. I think the rating system was insufficiently well used to be meaningful anyway. But we need some kind of rating system -- something like youtube, so good parts float to the top. Would sorting things by number of downloads be meaningful?
--
Go visit thingiverse at http://thingiverse.com and stay tuned to the blog at http://blog.thingiverse.com.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "thingiverse" group.
To post to this group, send email to thing...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
thingiverse...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/thingiverse?hl=en
- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages