I have a couple issues with the "Keyword" nodelet as it stands, and although I agree that adding a new syntax might be confusing or redundant, I'm not sure that it's redundant if noone is using the current one to begin with. Implementing a new syntax, or at least a new interface to the old method, might motivate people to use it.
- It isn't searchable (Correct me if I'm wrong).
- It is not linked directly to the creation of a node.
- If it isn't searchable, then there isn't really any point in having the nodelet to begin with, is there? The idea behind attaching metadata to other data is to add granularity and depth to the search functionality of a site.
- One of the reasons, I believe, that there is a lack of good keyword usage is that the attachment of keywords to nodes is not directly linked to the creation of a node itself. If I could add those keywords in to my text window, then all is handled from one location and I, as a writer, can go about my merry way. It took me a couple weeks before I even activated that nodelet and figured out what it was. As a beginner, it wasn't immediately apparent that the two are linked.
I'm not against leaving the nodelet as is, but perhaps have a textbox beneath the title and allow the author to add them sperated by a comma or <ADD YOUR FAVORITE DELIMITER HERE> at creation time, and then translate them to the nodelet after submission for further addition and subtraction of keywords.
This puts the idea of metadata right infront of the author, who might actually spend a second and think about it, and gives us, as data miners, more data points to search across.
C-.
