Topic: Invalidation of comment-based tags

Posted under Tag Alias and Implication Suggestions

I have nothing to say about educational comments, but I like the lol_comments tag. It's definitely a meta tag but its usage count shows that there's interest in it.

nin10dope said:
I have nothing to say about educational comments, but I like the lol_comments tag. It's definitely a meta tag but its usage count shows that there's interest in it.

This is a tag that should definitely be changed to invalid. Not only do they not describe anything that is in the picture, but they also are purely subjective.

Donovan DMC

Former Staff

nin10dope said:
I have nothing to say about educational comments, but I like the lol_comments tag. It's definitely a meta tag but its usage count shows that there's interest in it.

It's very subjective and often tagged on posts with drama, which the moderation team explicitly do not want

There's also comment chain, which while not as problematic nor subjective is still a tag that has no business on posts since it has nothing to do with the image

donovan_dmc said:
There's also comment chain, which while not as problematic nor subjective is still a tag that has no business on posts since it has nothing to do with the image

Added to the BUR.

bird-tm said:
This is a tag that should definitely be changed to invalid. Not only do they not describe anything that is in the picture, but they also are purely subjective.

not only that, comments are fluid in a way that other post meta stuff, like the sources, description, etc., isn't. while pretty much all of the post's metadata can be changed (even the post's resolution and file type, if it's replaced), there is an expected "final" state for these, the same is not true for comments on a post, which can be added or edited or hidden at any time.

dba_afish said:
not only that, comments are fluid in a way that other post meta stuff, like the sources, description, etc., isn't. while pretty much all of the post's metadata can be changed (even the post's resolution and file type, if it's replaced), there is an expected "final" state for these, the same is not true for comments on a post, which can be added or edited or hidden at any time.

One could argue these explicitly meta-only tags do not fall under TWYS, but that feels like a bit of a stretch.

wwwwwwwww said:
post #1004722

We are not here to have fun!

but for real, lol_comments isn't even a particularly "fun" tag. from how I've seen it used, throughout the site's history, it was used to ridicule as much as (if not more than) it was used to mark posts where people are being funny in the comments.

I mean, if you check lol_comments order:comment_count there's already a post with nuked comments within the first 15 posts. can't imagine whatever was going on in there was particularly "fun".

donovan_dmc said:
often tagged on posts with drama, which the moderation team explicitly do not want

You're so absolutely not wrong lol
And while not for everyone, there's a number of users who will browse the tag out of boredom
I can't speak for everyone but it has non-toxic use as a way to learn some of the site's history, particularly infamous posts.
I think lolcomments has a genuine niche that's worth being a complete exception to the rules. Assuming people aren't using it to then add more shitty comments and ridicule.

nin10dope said:
You're so absolutely not wrong lol
And while not for everyone, there's a number of users who will browse the tag out of boredom
I can't speak for everyone but it has non-toxic use as a way to learn some of the site's history, particularly infamous posts.
I think lolcomments has a genuine niche that's worth being a complete exception to the rules. Assuming people aren't using it to then add more shitty comments and ridicule.

Keeping a tag around because of purely arbitrary reasons, despite the tag having been used previously to mark posts with potentially drama-filled comments, is not a good idea.

bird-tm said:
Keeping a tag around because of purely arbitrary reasons, despite the tag having been used previously to mark posts with potentially drama-filled comments, is not a good idea.

It would require scrutiny
But hey we love favoring bad ideas in the furry community :B
No I'm not implying anything lmao

nin10dope said:
it has non-toxic use as a way to learn some of the site's history, particularly infamous posts

For this specifically, consider post sets. For example, I just made set #71543, set:educational_comments, for archival purposes.

I have a nerdy interest in preserving the data, but understand why it's a step too meta for the tagging system.

While i do agree that having these tags isn't necessary at all, it will still be sad to see them go

lurkingfox said:
For this specifically, consider post sets. For example, I just made set #71543, set:educational_comments, for archival purposes.

I have a nerdy interest in preserving the data, but understand why it's a step too meta for the tagging system.

Well, for starters, one could argue that it doesn't comply with TWYS, and is entirely "outside information." Secondly, comments on posts can be hidden on the whim of the commenter, or en masse in the case of potentially controversial posts, or just outright disabled.

Comments are what I like to call "ethereal" when relating to tags in systems like this — they do not add anything worthwhile in the long run, are usually just filled with hot air, and can go away at any point.

They attract people to posts that they never would've seen otherwise (most likely) so that's not nothing :P

nin10dope said:
They attract people to posts that they never would've seen otherwise (most likely) so that's not nothing :P

I'd imagine that the point of an art archive would be to attract people for the art in question, and not the comments people might have about the art (or the comments about the people who talk about the art.)

bird-tm said:
I'd imagine that the point of an art archive would be to attract people for the art in question, and not the comments people might have about the art (or the comments about the people who talk about the art.)

No offense but I dislike the "this is an art archive" defense, granted I've only seen it maybe 3 times, but it's so superficial and weak. Having comments, forums, and whatever blips are, override the puritan idea that everything has to explicitly revolve around the art itself. That's definitely the precedent and the focus, without question, but it's not 100%. More like a strong 95-99%
Sorry for that rant lol, it had nothing against you

nin10dope said:
No offense but I dislike the "this is an art archive" defense, granted I've only seen it maybe 3 times, but it's so superficial and weak. Having comments, forums, and whatever blips are, override the puritan idea that everything has to explicitly revolve around the art itself. That's definitely the precedent and the focus, without question, but it's not 100%. More like a strong 95-99%
Sorry for that rant lol, it had nothing against you

No harm taken, no worries. However, at the same time, even if we don't use the (arguably justifiable) argument that E621 is a furry-centric art archival site, if you want to be real technical, the tag doesn't go by TWYS, since it's not anything in the image, and any/all relevant information about the tag is entirely and strictly meta. So, by that logic, it would still get removed.

bird-tm said:
No harm taken, no worries. However, at the same time, even if we don't use the (arguably justifiable) argument that E621 is a furry-centric art archival site, if you want to be real technical, the tag doesn't go by TWYS, since it's not anything in the image, and any/all relevant information about the tag is entirely and strictly meta. So, by that logic, it would still get removed.

I wouldn't even argue that it's justifiable because on paper that is what it is, it just happens to offer even more
That's why its category is meta (I don't know the correct syntax to link the meta category) :P
An admin had to do that since no one else can change a tag's type to meta