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CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,451 Points:1,562,215 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 4:38:24 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse Many topic authors do not have an intuitive feel for writing good topic titles. As a result, titles do not adequately express the nature of the topic. This means readers do not get the full value of the category index. We have all seen topic titles like "My two cents worth" or similar, which gives the reader no insight into the topic's content. While this may be only a short term inconvenience at the beginning of a topic's life, topics exist for years and readers searching the category index for specific topics are shortchanged by poorly written titles. Short of providing some method for "title monitors" to review and rewrite titles in an effective manner after the fact, I suggest that the title field be equipped with a guide that is visible before the title is posted. This could be a mouse-over activated balloon, a "What's this?" button to the right of the title, or some other mechanism. Whatever the case, a paragraph would explain the purpose of the title in the long term and how the author should couch his language to make the title useful. In other words, do not simply assume that all authors will understand the importance and impact of the title, because long experience has made it abundantly clear that many do not. Perhaps readers of this topic would now be willing to reply with their ideas of exactly what the paragraph should say. I'll add "My two cents worth" (ugh!) later. [Edited by: CampKohler at 3/12/2013 4:39:05 PM EST]

CampKohler

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Sacramento

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 4:38:24 PM

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Many topic authors do not have an intuitive feel for writing good topic titles. As a result, titles do not adequately express the nature of the topic. This means readers do not get the full value of the category index.

We have all seen topic titles like "My two cents worth" or similar, which gives the reader no insight into the topic's content. While this may be only a short term inconvenience at the beginning of a topic's life, topics exist for years and readers searching the category index for specific topics are shortchanged by poorly written titles.

Short of providing some method for "title monitors" to review and rewrite titles in an effective manner after the fact, I suggest that the title field be equipped with a guide that is visible before the title is posted. This could be a mouse-over activated balloon, a "What's this?" button to the right of the title, or some other mechanism. Whatever the case, a paragraph would explain the purpose of the title in the long term and how the author should couch his language to make the title useful. In other words, do not simply assume that all authors will understand the importance and impact of the title, because long experience has made it abundantly clear that many do not.

Perhaps readers of this topic would now be willing to reply with their ideas of exactly what the paragraph should say. I'll add "My two cents worth" (ugh!) later.

[Edited by: CampKohler at 3/12/2013 4:39:05 PM EST]

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,643 Points:3,681,490 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Mar 17, 2013 11:14:02 PM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse Let's wait and see whether CampKohler has more to say.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,235 Points:3,252,495 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Mar 17, 2013 8:16:10 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse This topic has no use and should be closed. Moderators, please close this topic.
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,451 Points:1,562,215 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Mar 17, 2013 4:56:50 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse It WAS in alphabetical order. But as soon as replies start coming in, it gets all mixed up. It's true I tell you.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,235 Points:3,252,495 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 8:09:20 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse I see! The category list is what you are calling an index. An index is normally alphabetical. Your link is alphabetical, CK.
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,451 Points:1,562,215 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 2:33:38 AM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse Well, let's see if we can't rustle up a fresh, new, never-before-seen category index for you. How about this one?
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,235 Points:3,252,495 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Mar 13, 2013 7:14:48 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Since there are no category indices on Gas Buddy, this suggestion seems a bit self-serving for CampKohler so he can index his wiki better.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,643 Points:3,681,490 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Mar 13, 2013 12:20:48 AM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse I'd probably start out with (case- and spacing-insensitive) exact match for the usual candidates, like "GasBuddy Improvement" in the GasBuddy Improvement category. But how to ask the user to fix it, I don't know...
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,235 Points:3,252,495 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 9:27:06 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse The title of the topic don't mean diddly if the substance is useless. Sorta like this one.
Gas_Buddy Champion Author Maryland Posts:25,964 Points:3,033,090 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 9:16:04 PM Ignore Gas_Buddy Report Abuse kwzh: "How about a title-checker that looks for badly-worded titles and prompts the user to fix them?" The problem is (in the same ineffective vein as "we should have a 7-word minimum in posts") is that "Gas price" and "Wrong prices" aren't, in their own right, badly-worded titles. Granted, they're not informative titles, but using unless the artificial intelligence was used to read and extract key components of the original post (many of which aren't particularly literate and/or coherent to begin with), the artificial intelligence would likely capture virtually every title for correction, and would likely serve more as an irritant to those starting topics than it would encourage literacy and comprehension on the part of the topic-starters. Also, having AI pop-up telling you (i.e., the writer of the original post), "Hey, you need a better topic name..." seems like overkill, especially for a website that would be better served by other improvements (such as price posting and/or accuracy of price posting). I understand the intent of the suggestion to use AI, but having AI pop-up to tell you that you need a better topic name seems like overkill even if there were there weren't other improvements.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,643 Points:3,681,490 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 8:34:12 PM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse How about a title-checker that looks for badly-worded titles and prompts the user to fix them? Of course it can't be perfect (that would require true AI), but I bet some heuristics based on bad topic titles of the past could do a reasonable job.
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,451 Points:1,562,215 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 8:24:53 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse Optimism abounds! Good to know. Well, we all know how well it (meaningful title writing) has gone by doing nothing but complaining, don't we?
Gas_Buddy Champion Author Maryland Posts:25,964 Points:3,033,090 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 5:42:46 PM Ignore Gas_Buddy Report Abuse Scrapheap is correct; if a member doesn't realize that a topic title should be easily understood or descriptive - and that doesn't take much common sense to realize - pop-ups with instructions on how to write aren't going to help. If anything, all that will happen will be a barrage of complaints about pop-ups.
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,541 Points:2,357,105 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 5:29:35 PM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse I am rather skeptical. I think writing a descriptive title would be common sense. I'm not sure this suggestion would really be used or change people who lack common sense.
Gas_Buddy Champion Author Maryland Posts:25,964 Points:3,033,090 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 5:26:15 PM Ignore Gas_Buddy Report Abuse "Method of aiding topic title writing to improve utility of category indices." Did you mean: "Helping members write understandable and informative topic titles"?
Zimcity Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:65,382 Points:3,690,585 Joined:Aug 2001	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 5:04:00 PM Ignore Zimcity Report Abuse "Method of aiding topic title writing to improve utility of category indices." Did you mean: Over Complicating New Topic Posts?