Use text replace function to auto-link to referred threads?

[GTSBoy]

Hi,

We've all posted some thread, or know of some other person's thread, that contains information that we want to send people who are asking question to. But if we don't have a link readily available, have to go do a search for the thread before being able to do so.

So, it occurred to me that we could possibly utilise the auto-text-replace function that fixes some of my swear words to perhaps auto replace some special keywords with text that also has a link to the thread.

A specific example. The thread that I did with the improved R32 GTR wiring diagram scans. If the phrase "R32 GTR wiring diagram" could be auto replaced with "R32 GTR wiring diagram" then all I (or @Duncan, or any of the others that refer to the thread) need to do is remember that that's the keyword (or phrase in this case). OK, it would be better if this keyphrase wasn't that long, but it does need to be specific enough that it doesn't get triggered automatically.

And obviously there are threads on turbo topics, or suspension topics that we could treat similarly.

Alternatively (and/or additionally), I've been thinking about trying to build a library of the real expert content that is trapped in the bowels of the 25odd years of this site. Things like some of SydneyKid's content. There are threads that he started that should be more easily found, and he has individual posts, or series of posts, in other people's threads, containing very good information. Some of us know that it is there, but....just have no memory of exactly where/when/how we saw it. If we had some sort of library thread, we could put posts in there containing links to things we've found, suggestions for how to categorise it, then a mod or other appointed thread maintainer can copy the link and any key text up into the first post in the library thread.

There are probably many other ways to get it done. Some sort of wiki is probably the best way.

 

Thoughts?

[soviet_merlin]

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

It might work to have the same for forum topics. Some key to trigger it and then text search across all thread names and it'll insert the name and URL when pressing enter.

[GTSBoy]

37 minutes ago, soviet_merlin said:

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

Yeah, type a special character like ^ or | to initiate the equivalent of the "at"ing for thread links. Although, it might not get any easier to manage. Imagine 30 or 40 threads that kinda match what you want, and the one you want is lost after a long list of useless ones.

The magic keyword version I proposed would be a manual effort to set up each case. More of a directed effort from the greybeards to facilitate exposure of useful content. I'm not against the auto complete stuff being considered - maybe por que no los dos?

(And where I said "triggered automatically" in my OP, I meant "triggered accidentally". Of course I want it to be automatic!!)

[PranK]

2 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Hi,

We've all posted some thread, or know of some other person's thread, that contains information that we want to send people who are asking question to. But if we don't have a link readily available, have to go do a search for the thread before being able to do so.

So, it occurred to me that we could possibly utilise the auto-text-replace function that fixes some of my swear words to perhaps auto replace some special keywords with text that also has a link to the thread.

A specific example. The thread that I did with the improved R32 GTR wiring diagram scans. If the phrase "R32 GTR wiring diagram" could be auto replaced with "R32 GTR wiring diagram" then all I (or @Duncan, or any of the others that refer to the thread) need to do is remember that that's the keyword (or phrase in this case). OK, it would be better if this keyphrase wasn't that long, but it does need to be specific enough that it doesn't get triggered automatically.

And obviously there are threads on turbo topics, or suspension topics that we could treat similarly.

Yeah great idea, I have already added R32 Wiring Diagram but we can add as many as we want.

2 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Alternatively (and/or additionally), I've been thinking about trying to build a library of the real expert content that is trapped in the bowels of the 25odd years of this site. Things like some of SydneyKid's content. There are threads that he started that should be more easily found, and he has individual posts, or series of posts, in other people's threads, containing very good information. Some of us know that it is there, but....just have no memory of exactly where/when/how we saw it. If we had some sort of library thread, we could put posts in there containing links to things we've found, suggestions for how to categorise it, then a mod or other appointed thread maintainer can copy the link and any key text up into the first post in the library thread.

There are probably many other ways to get it done. Some sort of wiki is probably the best way.

 

Thoughts?

100% ! This has been something I've wanted to do for a while. I thought we could have a way for people to 'suggest' a link be added to the library when they come across something good. 

We could kick this along by allowing members (maybe a subset) to tag threads they find to allow us to more easily find/locate/use good content, ie a tag 'for-library' which can then be added to the library and maybe have the tags reviewed and updated to better match the content. This would make it easier then to find the content when not using the library.

We can also create pages that have lists of content with specific tags. That would allow us to add a tag and then have it automatically added to a page. We could have a page just for the 'for-library' content that we could then moderate and put wherever. 

This excites me, the lack of structure with the amount of content is a little overwhelming.

[PranK]

2 hours ago, soviet_merlin said:

Instead of magic keyphrases I wonder if something can be done with auto complete. Similar to how user names are handled already. When you type '@' and follow with letters, it'll search across all usernames.

It might work to have the same for forum topics. Some key to trigger it and then text search across all thread names and it'll insert the name and URL when pressing enter.

Yeah the issue here is that we have a lot of topics, unless we matched on the exact word & phrase we'd get a million topics and the one you want will not likely be in the top 20 or so.

[GTSBoy]

11 minutes ago, PranK said:

Yeah great idea, I have already added R32 Wiring Diagram but we can add as many as we want.

100% ! This has been something I've wanted to do for a while. I thought we could have a way for people to 'suggest' a link be added to the library when they come across something good. 

We could kick this along by allowing members (maybe a subset) to tag threads they find to allow us to more easily find/locate/use good content, ie a tag 'for-library' which can then be added to the library and maybe have the tags reviewed and updated to better match the content. This would make it easier then to find the content when not using the library.

We can also create pages that have lists of content with specific tags. That would allow us to add a tag and then have it automatically added to a page. We could have a page just for the 'for-library' content that we could then moderate and put wherever. 

This excites me, the lack of structure with the amount of content is a little overwhelming.

This is all good. In the worst case we could just report threads and put the "for library" into the report. But anything better than that will defo be better. By definition!

Meanwhile, I am going to test R32 GTR wiring diagram. And of course it doesn't work because you used R32 wiring diagram. But that's cool.

Edited January 7 by GTSBoy

[PranK]

Yep, report works - we can add a report type. 

R32 GTR wiring diagram

 

[PranK]

I have added a 'to be added to library' report type.

[PranK]

@GTSBoy I'm happy to add you as an admin so you can edit topics / posts / see reports etc. Let me know what you think. You've done your time!  🤣

[GTSBoy]

I probably should.

Then I can discipline myself.

[PranK]

4 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

I probably should.

Then I can discipline myself.

No, only I do the disciplining.

[GTSBoy]

So I guess the next thing to do will be to discuss whether to create a new section of the forums to hold the library (boo hiss?), somewhat undoing the recent tidy up, or if there is a bolt on wiki module for Invision? (I must profess ignorance as to what has been done, what it might cost, etc. I have only briefly googled and seen discussion on adding it.)

Or is a wiki even the best way to do what I'm talking about? It possibly isn't. Given that we're trying to re-display forum content, it probably needs to be presented as forum content in forum format, and a wiki would probably struggle with that.

A wiki might still be the best way to do some other things, so I'll keep the idea simmering if we don't use it here.

Back to the library as "part of the forums".

• Would we do a single new library? Or put a library thread in each section? Pluses and minuses for each of these, surely.
• Would we do as I originally suggested, and make the first post in the library be the total of the library, with any reply posts just being the inputs and suggestions I originally posited? Or would we allow posts to accumulate one after the other, each containing additions to the library? Maybe the first post is still an index or something.

It's all sounding horribly more manual and messy than my original brain fart. But I hope there's some other good ideas floating around - because every time I come up with a new one of my own I immediately see problems with it.

 

[PranK]

Sorry @GTSBoy I thought I'd replied here.

There's a new BIG version of invision coming out soon, it might be worth waiting until that happens as it contains a lot of improved functionality for tags.

My suggestion would be to add a top level page (not thread) with some info on it and then link to sub pages for various topics. We could even just start really simple with 2 or 3 pages underneath it. Those pages could just have a view (like a pre configured search result) of the tags we choose to put on it. We could have some background or an intro on each of these pages.

My only issue is that while admins and mods can update the existing content to contain the tags we want, new posts can have whatever tags the author wants. That said, the reason our tags are so messy is because of that, so maybe we restrict tagging to admins/mods in edits.

[PranK]

The thing is, once the content has been tagged we can chop and change the end result as much as we want. Its identifying the content in the first place that needs to be done regardless of the final outcome.

[GTSBoy]

Yes, a plan for non-action is always my first sort of plan!

I'm happy to see what falls out of invision's update.

I had been having some thoughts on what to do with this the other day and they all seem to have fled my memory, after various solar panel induced traumas, squeaking suspension sphericals, etc etc, over the last little bit. I'll try and recall what I had in mind and make sure that I put it into print in some form before the Alzheimer's strikes again.

[Wazmond]

1 hour ago, PranK said:

My only issue is that while admins and mods can update the existing content to contain the tags we want, new posts can have whatever tags the author wants. That said, the reason our tags are so messy is because of that, so maybe we restrict tagging to admins/mods in edits.

Just a thought, but instead of restricting, is it possible to do like an "up for review" kind of thing? Where say someone who's not an admin/mod tags, it would require approval for it to actually tag?
User posts with a 'tag' > Admin/Mod Reviews > Approves tag > Tag now exists kinda thing?

Just came across this thread so Im not too sure if Im straying off topic or not but forgive me if i am...

[GTSBoy]

1 hour ago, Wazmond said:

Just came across this thread so Im not too sure if Im straying off topic or not but forgive me if i am...

It's a valid thought. There's not exactly that functionality already (when creating a thread) - that's where the OP can use/create any tag they want. We'd have to come up with a way for the user to request their tags get reviewed or something. Otherwise the mods would have to review every new post's tags (for those that have them, anyway).

There's kind of that functionality already exists to some extent, post facto of starting the thread, where the OP or any other user could report the post to admins, and request that tags get reviewed. We could do this already, and any user could already have made such a request. To make it a part of the forum proper, it would require an initial and an ongoing education programme, so that people know that it's a thing.

OP based tagging/request for review would also require at least some (probably most) of the user base to be told that it's a thing they can do.

Both of these things probably wouldn't spread too far and/or get used very much. If it was the standard approach on a lot of different sites, then it might do, because people would be used to it.

Prank's approach to this differs from my original thought, by leaning into tagging. Which is fine - it's possibly better than what I originally suggested. In fact, I just went to the R32 GTR wiring diagram thread and added tags, including "Library". That's probably a good way to use tags and the idea of a library. We just have to drag together an (organised!) index of threads or posts that have that tag.

I have yet to do any of my own follow up by pursuing worthy threads and posts and reporting/marking/tagging them for the library, such as the @Sydneykid stuff I was talking about, and possibly any amount of @Lithium 's and others' posts. At least if I tag them Library, we'll have a start.

 

Back to @Wazmond's idea as it relates to @PranK's, we might have some sort of a list of tags that are already used to scrape for this library. I'm not entirely sure how that would be presented or used, particularly if it got long. But it's yet another idea!

 

cheers

[PranK]

1 hour ago, Wazmond said:

Just a thought, but instead of restricting, is it possible to do like an "up for review" kind of thing? Where say someone who's not an admin/mod tags, it would require approval for it to actually tag?
User posts with a 'tag' > Admin/Mod Reviews > Approves tag > Tag now exists kinda thing?

Yep, I like that. The tags are only on the first post of a thread and we don't get huge numbers of new threads. Also, I plan to add some more report types and we could have a member report type like 'review tags' then members could flag if they thought a topic wasn't tagged correctly. 

1 hour ago, Wazmond said:

Just came across this thread so Im not too sure if Im straying off topic or not but forgive me if i am...

No way man, I dig the input. Thanks!