Filtering content. What do you prefer?

[BillWoodruff]

Hi Chris, I'm going to respond with just a general statement of how I like search to work. My preference is to search sequentially from broad to narrow, fuzzy to sharp, if at all possible, re-using the last search's result. So, for me, if I start with searching tags for those with C#, I'd like everything, please. Then, I'd like to narrow the search, perhaps excluding those whose tags are "ASP.NET," or "winnowing" by searching in the current search result set for only those that include "WPF." If tags are "ranked" somehow : then I see a different set of possibilities : I might like to see those tags that only include "C#" in the "top" two ranks. Whatever way CP implements it, I'll be happy to use it :) best, Bill

"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844

[smcnulty2000]

The answer you'll hate. The ability to choose for a given search which of the above applies. This is about browsing for content versus searching for content. The two aren't the same. Like if you are standing in a library looking at a book and you start looking at the books next to it. Versus going to the catalog system and asking for a book and having it handed to you. There is also room for what are considered 'expert indexes'. Where someone goes to the trouble of building a special list for an inquiring person to look through. Credit where credit is due: The three together were suggested by the book Library Research Models, by Thomas Mann, as a useful combination for research. http://www.amazon.com/Library-Research-Models-Classification-Cataloging/dp/019509395X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253863361&sr=8-1[^]

_____________________________ Quotidian is not quotidian.

[cjb110]

4 you often need to exclude, esp as tags are subjective.

[KungFuCoder]

I'd go for a combination of 2 and 4 Specify tags you want and don't want then show everything that matches sorted by number of matched 'Want' tags minus number of matched "Don't want" tags That way you get items with all the want tags and no don't want tags at the top down to a single want tag and multiple don't want tags at the bottom and everything is there somewhere if you got it wrong

[Lost User]

On a noticebaord at work we have an article about a Tivo taking over a guy's life. If decided on the basis of previous viewing history he was gay so started background recording of gay related material. He decided to watch mroe macho stuff to change the Tivo's mind so it decided he was gay and violent so started picking content for that. :omg: :doh:

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[peterchen]

2 if you sort the ones with the most matches on top. 3 is a nice addition, but I like the way some other*cough*stack*cough* site does it: dimming the items instead of removing them.

Personally, I love the idea that Raymond spends his nights posting bad regexs to mailing lists under the pseudonym of Jane Smith. He'd be like a super hero, only more nerdy and less useful. [Trevel]
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[Russell Jones]

4 is good. I get really fed up with sites that don't allow me to exclude things as well as include them. For instance I'm looking for Winforms c# code. Most people just call this c# so I search for c# except most of what I get back is ASP.Net so I would then exclude ASP.Net

[Gary Wheeler]

Chris Maunder wrote:

One thing I hate is a computer trying to be clever

I hear the hamsters snickering in the background.

Software Zen: delete this;

[Marc Firth]

Chris Maunder wrote: 4. Hybrid: specify tags that interest you and tags that don't. Only content that contains a tag you like and doesn't contain any tags you dislike will be shown. (but with an optional choice of 5 would be good)

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[Fabio Franco]

1+2 Let me specify the tags I like and ALSO if I want the combination of these tags or any of the tags. I also think might be a good Idea is to create tag groups, this way I could create groups that contains tags. Content displayed to me, would be the ones that belong to any of these groups, that have a combination of tags.