Chris Messina wrote:
> That said, it's details like this that, in my
experience, indicate
> whether there's a comprehensive attitude to "the
right way to do
> things". Interface is opinion that you can't talk
back to. Once it's
> shipped, it's shipped. And for a 1.0 product (which
we've been waiting
> for for years) to still exhibit an assumption that
proved (IMO) wrong
> over time is just too bad.
This is definitely a fair point. If the iPod had shipped
with
push-buttons, it probably wouldn't have stuck.
> I'm not dismissing all the work you've done or the
improvements that
> have been made. I am, however, trying to point out
something that I
> think is core enough to warrant serious consideration.
You know how I
I guess I just have a different opinion about how important
this
particular feature is, but that's colored by my preference
for simple,
one-word tags (and certainly my use case shouldn't dominate
what we
deliver any more than yours should). We know that at least
two listers
so far want multi-word tags, and Evan reports that he's
taking votes.
The evidence you give below does suggest that modern
interfaces are
adopting tags, but...
> feel about this issue; my Favorites manager dispensed
with Folders
> altogether in favor of tags [1]. That decision was
rescinded and the
> old Bookmark Manager lives on. But if you look at
examples of modern
> interfaces, tags are taking on a whole new prominence:
>
> http://flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/1601
397827/in/set-72157600047722897/
> http://flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/44636
4220/in/set-72157600047722897/
> http://flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/45708
7150/in/set-72157600047722897/
> http://flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/1604
088556/in/set-72157600047722897/
>
...these are all Mac interfaces. I've never heard of any of
them. And
while Mac users are an important part of our demographic,
the simple
truth, I suspect, is that a very high percentage of our
desired user
base will not be composed of Mac users. That doesn't mean
that there's
not merit in investigating these interfaces, but I don't
think these
examples suggest that we're way behind the curve in terms of
mainstream,
widely-used interfaces. PDF organization is a pretty niche
thing if you
ask me.
That said, tags in widely used services whose users we hope
will like
our product may necessitate our putting more effort into
standardizing
interfaces for tagging. I guess the way I think of it is
that we've been
overhauling the engine and trying to make our vehicle more
aerodynamic
and road-worthy, and you're asking for a power sunroof
instead of a
manual one. It's a valid feature request, and we could have
installed
the power sunroof before we overhauled the engine, but what
good's a
power sunroof if the car won't go?
As to whether the absence of certain features makes
something 1.0-worthy
or not, well, I'm sympathetic to a degree, but then, you
could keep
adding features and adding features and never get a 1.0.
This one seems
like more of an edge case than being able to drop a picture
on a
Facebook buddy for easy sharing.
> So, I'd like you to take my "arcane" feedback
as "specific" feedback
> that's intended solely to improve 1) Flock the browser
and 2) a
> forthcoming example of tags in user interfaces in the
wild.
I do know your heart's in the right place, and we really do
crave and
appreciate specific feedback. Your delivery is often
condescending and
self-congratulatory until somebody draws you out into
specifics, though,
and that's what I react to so negatively.
>
> My objection to concatenated tags is that, if tags are
going to work
> in Flock, they need to be handled consistently.
WordPress now supports
> space-separated tags. Flickr has for awhile as well.
Increasingly this
> is going to be a problem that you're going to need to
fix, in areas
> outside of social bookmarking. And that's where my
feedback and
> insistence is coming from.
I think this is totally valid. It's something we have an
increasing need
to get right.
>
> Hey man, I've been waiting for Flock 1.0 along with
everyone else. On
> the day it goes gold master, this is one of those
things that I just
> would really like to see done right.
I do appreciate your feedback. It's always helpful once we
get down to
specifics.
D
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris
>
> [1] http://flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/721511
36/in/set-72157600047722897/
>
--
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Daryl L. L. Houston
Web and Analytics Developer
FLOCK, Inc.
daryl flock.com
dnotsuoh - AIM
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Join the Flock 0.9 IS OUT! DOWNLOAD IT NOW at FLOCK.COM
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