[pachyderm]

What is the meaning of a little blue tag in the Ratings column of thread view? I think I asked this a long time ago but do not remember the answer.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

What is the meaning of a little blue tag in the Ratings column of thread view?

I haven't actually used them myself and don't know the best ways to use them. As I understand it they're a device to make searching easier.

When you start a new thread, under the text box there's a smaller box for entering tags if you want to use them:

Tags
Separate tags using a comma.
You may add 25 tag(s) to this thread.

When I hover my mouse pointer over one of those blue tag markers, a list of the tags for that thread appears.

In Advanced Search, there's a box to enter tags that you want to search for.

If most threads were tagged (and the tags were applied consistently from thread to thread) it could sometimes make searching easier. Hardly anyone uses tags, though, so they're only good for finding the few posts that actually have them.

I don't know offhand what the "tag cloud" at the bottom of the Advanced Search page means or does.

If you figure out any more about tags or find a thread about them somewhere, I hope you'll post the information here.

[pachyderm]

The tag I noticed most recently was not put there by me. It seems strange to have tags put there by other people.

[sabby]

I wonder if others put tags there for their own search capabilities so they can go quickly to a post/thread that they are interested in. Maybe doing it this way so they don't have to subscribe to threads? I could be totally off my rocker too.....who knows LOL.

Yep, tags are just for search engine optimization.

It actually makes a forum far more easily organized and searchable to tag. Tags are a good thing! If its your thread though, i am pretty sure you have the choice to remove the tags should you choose. Anyone can in most instances, edit all of the tags or add more.

For example, someone might tag this thread "tags" "blue tag" "searching the forum" and then someone who had the same question and did a search would easily find the answer.