Tags vs Categories

[Amelia Eiras]

Happy Monday MicroProfilers  :)

Currently MP Google group has its “tag” feature activated to help organize & locate topics via the "Search For Messages”  box. 

All users can add current or new tags per thread. 

Marketing & Tech activities are taking place simultaneously. There is much data shared, which is a wonderful thing yet it can be also disorienting while trying to catch up on project status by subject. 

Should we continue to use tags or do we try categories?

Bias here, TAGs bring a sharp focus on topic...

Status: TAG usage

Tag:  This group currently has tags enabled. Categories and tags cannot both be enabled on a group. If you enable categories below, tags will be disabled.

Post Rule: Users must enter at least one tag (when creating a new thread)

Feedback welcomed, cheers 

Amelia Eiras 

https://twitter.com/ameliaeiras

http://www.tomitribe.com

https://www.tomitribe.io

[Mike Croft]

It seems like the key points are:

• Posts can have multiple tags, but belong to one category
• When categories are enabled, all categories are listed on the group "home" page, you need to click through to get at the posts for that category
• You can't have both

At the moment I prefer tags, because I like the ability to add multiple tags to a post, e.g. "marketing + conference". Clicking on any tag will give a list of all the posts with that tag, so you can click "marketing" to get all posts, or just "conference" to get a subset. As long as the number of tags is kept low (so we don't end up with a "conference" tag and "conferences", for example) then tags are preferable IMO. Maybe we should only add tags when more than one post will fit into that tag.

[Kevin Sutter]

Given this limitation of Categories and Tags not co-existing, I'd prefer to just stick with Tags.  But...  I fully agree that our Google Group organization is almost getting unmanageable...  Can we force the selection of at least one tag when posting a new topic?  That might help.

Also, is there a way to "archive" or "close" old discussions?  I know they just kind of naturally die by flowing to the bottom of the list, but if we could clean up and even remove some of these it would help.

Thanks, Kevin

[Amelia Eiras]

Hola Kevin, 

Based on current feedback, TAGs usage is a default requirement but only enforced when sending a new thread directly from the GForum page. 

My recommendation is for everyone to send new threads using the GForum instead of regular emails to microprofile@. 

Everyone can help keep stuff organized, this is not a them thing, even tagging needs follow up [there is still many data untagged] Ownership is for all participants, when time allows it to help organize threads by tags. 

This week, technical & marketing tags were created.

The mktg team has chosen what tags are useful to them & have agree to use with discipline moving forward on all future threads -- thanks Team.  

Tech tags were created scanning through a few technical threads, not fully done but a start based on last month topics. Feedback welcomed. 

See below: 

 "ALL tags"  section A still needs updating to match the deletion of many tags. Yet sheet is a good start. 

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tyg0yZdeTdE8Yn7tST8FLKAeBHlT-OSR0J9e3ONXA6A/edit#gid=0
  

Email Archive Status has always been active yet never used.  

Archive options 

Archive messages to the group

Controls if group messages are archived. If disabled, previously received messages will remain archived but new messages will not be available on the web. Disabling archiving will also disable digest email mode.

Google allows us to search threads by exact dates, archiving might be quite easy yet time-consuming.

• Show only topics that match 
• [Custom] will be my preference 

Organizing MP via Git as the sore of truth?  Bias here, git rocks on keeping up with documentation too.

It could be great if we start documenting via Git internal data such as:

•  "How GForum is used"
  
• TAGs in place [reference]
• MKTG skeleton [reference on where to find stuff easily]  
• Design projects 
• Conference stuff [part of mktg & tech]
• Social Media Admins [full transparency listing all admins to any media MP uses]   Currently being set up, updates will take place later. 
• Google group Admins [this group doesn't moderate content or band users, that needs to be stated clearly on git, short & direct important data]
• Voting matters [tech & not]
• etc

We could call that git -- "MP CookBook", again I am pretty terrible at naming stuff...   & link git to the Eclipse site too.

Thoughts welcomed,