Damn I like G+ collections, and this is my idea of a work-around when G+ is gone.
Originally shared by Laura Ess
[COLLECTIONS to HASHTAGS?]
I've been trying to find an equivalent of G+ Collections. None of the other platforms have anything like it exactly (though I've suggested an equivalent on the Diaspora development forums as a "Digest" feature). It maybe that my answer is not the same functionality, but careful use of hashtags.
For example, if everything I post has a #LauraEss tag, regardless of where it's posted, I should be able to find all my posts by searching for that tag. Likewise if I'm posting to a particular topic, perhaps I can use a "personal prefix" (or suffix to the tag. For example, if my prefix is #LAS (the "A" in the middle of LAS stands for my middle name) then perhaps the topics of Technology, Opensimulator and Random would then be #LASTechnology, #LASOpensimulator and #LASRandom, or maybe #TechnologyLAS, #OpensimulatorLAS and #RandomLAS. I'm not sure whether a prefix or suffix is better or easier to use.
There might be various ways of making this work. I mostly use Firefox and one add-on called Clippings allows me to organise and insert text into any plain-text field in a browser. This means that I could set-up a category of the hashtags I'm most likely to use, and inserting them in three clicks of the mouse. This is where a prefix or suffix might make a difference. If I use a preffix then I need #LAS and a list of topics without # in front (otherwise I'd get #LAS#Technology). But if I use a suffix I'd have a regular list of hashtags (e.g #Technology) plus perhaps two versions of my shorthand tag - #LAS for my own posts, and LAS for a suffix - or I could just type the bloody thing in since it's the same number of key strokes! That would also suggest changing my tag from #LauraEss to #LAS anyway, or maybe using #LauraEss for posts about personal stuff only.
Anyway, the point of this is that so far, every other platform I've looked at uses hashtags - they're universal. Some are a bit different in that they allow underscores and dashes, but a hashtag with alpha or numeric characters and no spaces is universal. And that means that if you move to a platform that also allows you to repost to other platforms, you've already encoded an easy way of finding them later.
I've been thinking in terms of using a browser add-on because I use social media only via desktops, but I'm guessing the same thing could be done on phones by repetitive use and predictive text with enough use. Or maybe you have have a clipboard / template app on your desktop or phone that does the same. The point is consistent tagging for future retrieval.
What do you think, is this a good idea? Can you think of any drawbacks?
http://aecreations.sourceforge.net/clippings/index.php
ya the hashtagss dont do it for me either BUT the advanced account types in Friendica will work... just create an account for the collection, then login with it and go to settings, select advanced account and change it to soapbox or news type... works fine
ReplyDeleteShelenn Ayres That sounds good to me. A big attraction to Friendica is the possibility of doing a "Master Post" there and having that re-posted to other platforms (probably most in the Federation). And those other platforms may not have that same feature, so using hashtags would still be a good thing for me to do.
ReplyDeleteGetting organised today, but it just might be steroids I'm on to fix a possible chest infection. :P
Laura Ess What I found with hashtags was a feature not a bug but nonetheless a feature that might not work for some depending on how you used collections on G+.
ReplyDeleteA pluspora user created a couple of posts with the hashtag #tips and so did I as a Friendica user. Then when i searched for the hashtag using the # symbol, the results were any post in the global community with that hashtag. Imagine how many results come from 2 million users for the word tips. LOL Mine was dwarfed.
However, searching for a user named tips using the @ symbol would reveal an entirely different result - much more desirable. If the user is a forum like we have communities which some use for interactive collections, you search using the ! symbol before the word. Which type you choose depends on what type of followers you want and whether you want them to be auto connected and/or able to comment.
So the Friendica advanced account types are versatile mechanisms we can use to do more than we did on G+ and the search options help users find what they are looking for quicker.
I never heard of a ! tag before, and because I use Desktop and not a phone I didn't think of @ tags.
ReplyDeleteI use laptop with browser just like a desktop as well.
ReplyDelete