Tag

[dbfolks166mt]

     Has anybody else noticed that you can no longer TAG postings in this forum or am I just missing something? Did they move it somewhere?

[kensgiftshop]

@dbfolks166mt 

Like this?

[dbfolks166mt]

Like this?

     I wasn't referring to replies there used to be a ADD TAG button at the bottom of the post(s) where you could add tags like Old Post, Advertising, Promotion......   That button no longer appears. 

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Yes, I noticed and I'm hoping eBay did not remove that very useful feature because of approx 4 bad actors.

I asked Devon about it on the board meant for discussing forum issues. See this post:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Share-Community-Platform/Tags/td-p/34647713/jump-to/first-unread-messa...

[jg.mason]

They were useful. When I would see Dropshipper, Ukraine, China and others I would just move on saving me the time of reading the post.

I did notice a thread with people playing with the tags. So that may be the reason they're gone.☹️

[wastingtime101]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

you could add tags like Old Post, Advertising, Promotion. 

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That's not how the feature was meant to be used.

If a post is "old" then report it to the mods to lock; they act quickly on those. Hopefully responders are considerate enough to help the person that bumped the thread before asking mods to lock it, assuming it's someone that needs help and not just a rant or spam, and if they can't help then leave it unreported until someone else is able to help the bumper.

If a post is violating board rules about advertising, report it to the mods to review and they determine if it's violating rules or not. An "advertising" tag can be seen as naming/shaming if it's a new seller that does not realize posting on the forum is not the same as creating an eBay listing.

Tags are incredibly helpful when used appropriately. For example:

- Tagging an OP with their registered location to alert sellers that hey, this seller is overseas therefore different policies may apply and you should consider that before replying with answers for US-based buyers/sellers.

- Tagging an OP with a specific tag to track feedback on a site change.

- Tagging an OP with something like "EISD" or "eBay International Standard Delivery" so people will see that upfront and hopefully not post irrelevant responses about eIS / eBay International Shipping - an entirely different shipping service - which will do nothing except cause confusion for the poster asking for help.

- Tagging a post of a commonly asked question, when there is a clear, definitive answer. This helps others with the same question find it in search. For example "label size" or "ebay standard envelope" or "reserve fee" etc.

- Tagging an OP with "reported spam" when it is a 100% clear spammer that's posting sketchy external malicious links, so others know it's already been reported to the mods and they don't have to waste time doing the same.

- Tagging an OP with "duplicate post" so others can check to see the other thread and not waste time responding to the duplicate, and also reporting it to the mods so they can either delete the duplicate or, if there are already responses, ask the mods to merge it with the original thread.

[a_c_green]

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@jg.mason wrote:

I did notice a thread with people playing with the tags. So that may be the reason they're gone.☹️

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It does look like Khoros has removed that functionality; yes. This is why we can't have nice things.

[wastingtime101]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@jg.mason wrote:

I did notice a thread with people playing with the tags. So that may be the reason they're gone.☹️

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It does look like Khoros has removed that functionality; yes. This is why we can't have nice things.

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There were only a few posters that were using tags for name calling, etc - would have been better if eBay dealt with those specific posters and left the useful tagging feature for the rest of us that used it in all the ways it's truly helpful to this community.

[dbfolks166mt]

@dbfolks166mt wrote:

you could add tags like Old Post, Advertising, Promotion. 

That's not how the feature was meant to be used. My error I didn't realize there were rules around using the tag feature. I used those examples as just a few that I use hopefully to prevent others from wasting their time replying to the post. 

If a post is "old" then report it to the mods to lock; they act quickly on those. Hopefully responders are considerate enough to help the person that bumped the thread before asking mods to lock it, assuming it's someone that needs help and not just a rant or spam, and if they can't help then leave it unreported until someone else is able to help the bumper.

     I always report the old posts and generally advise the "bumper". 

If a post is violating board rules about advertising, report it to the mods to review and they determine if it's violating rules or not. An "advertising" tag can be seen as naming/shaming if it's a new seller that does not realize posting on the forum is not the same as creating an eBay listing.

Again I always report these as well. What's the difference in tagging and replying you can't advertise/promote on the forum? Both seem to be naming/shaming one via the tag the other via a reply. 

Tags are incredibly helpful when used appropriately. For example:

Again I provided a couple of examples. I have also used many of the following examples. 

- Tagging an OP with their registered location to alert sellers that hey, this seller is overseas therefore different policies may apply and you should consider that before replying with answers for US-based buyers/sellers.

- Tagging an OP with a specific tag to track feedback on a site change.

- Tagging an OP with something like "EISD" or "eBay International Standard Delivery" so people will see that upfront and hopefully not post irrelevant responses about eIS / eBay International Shipping - an entirely different shipping service - which will do nothing except cause confusion for the poster asking for help.

- Tagging a post of a commonly asked question, when there is a clear, definitive answer. This helps others with the same question find it in search. For example "label size" or "ebay standard envelope" or "reserve fee" etc.

- Tagging an OP with "reported spam" when it is a 100% clear spammer that's posting sketchy external malicious links, so others know it's already been reported to the mods and they don't have to waste time doing the same.

- Tagging an OP with "duplicate post" so others can check to see the other thread and not waste time responding to the duplicate, and also reporting it to the mods so they can either delete the duplicate or, if there are already responses, ask the mods to merge it with the original thread.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@jg.mason wrote:

I did notice a thread with people playing with the tags. So that may be the reason they're gone.☹️

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Unfortunately the ones that abused tagging were mentors that should of known better. ☹️  It is hard enough for new users to find the answers to their questions on these boards without being jumped on or insulted.

[a_c_green]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@jg.mason wrote:

I did notice a thread with people playing with the tags. So that may be the reason they're gone.☹️

---

It does look like Khoros has removed that functionality; yes. This is why we can't have nice things.

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There were only a few posters that were using tags for name calling, etc - would have been better if eBay dealt with those specific posters and left the useful tagging feature for the rest of us that used it in all the ways it's truly helpful to this community.

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That is true. I assume they went with the quicker solution rather than the better one. It might require new coding to implement, but if tagging ability was tied to an individual account, then users generating complaints could have a timeout on their tagging activity, similar to a timeout on posting.

I have a feeling that at least some of the abusive taggers were not aware that the tags were not actually anonymous, and that their ID could be seen. Perhaps Khoros will reactivate tagging once they have a better handle on it.

[wastingtime101]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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[quotes snipped for brevity]

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That is true. I assume they went with the quicker solution rather than the better one. It might require new coding to implement, but if tagging ability was tied to an individual account, then users generating complaints could have a timeout on their tagging activity, similar to a timeout on posting.

I have a feeling that at least some of the abusive taggers were not aware that the tags were not actually anonymous, and that their ID could be seen. Perhaps Khoros will reactivate tagging once they have a better handle on it.

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From what I saw there were 3 frequent and 1 occasional tag-abusers. And 2 of them were mostly fighting with each other and tagging each other's posts. (None were mentors - not sure what chevymontecarlo is referencing. Oh wait - there is one mentor that over-used tags in a very odd way, but it was not in a manner that was disrespectful to other posters.)

Seems like a no-brainer that eBay could privately deal with those few individuals in the same way they deal with posts that violate board rules. No need to reprogram tagging.

The rest of us should not be punished because of the actions of very few bad actors. The tagging tool is very useful and benefits community when used properly.

UPDATE: Devon posted a response here for those interested:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Share-Community-Platform/Tags/m-p/34647713#M37776

Turning tags off was intentional, but not necessarily permanent.

[ckimodog]

@wastingtime101 

Thanks for this...I noticed it as well.  I tagged a very hostile poster (not a regular) as being rather disruptive.  It was only to alert others that they might want to bring it to the attention of the mods as well....I got a slap.  For what ever it's worth, I feel most of the mods here are pretty proactive in my opinion. JMO. 

Happy Selling 😉

[chevymontecarlo88]

(None were mentors - not sure what chevymontecarlo is referencing. Oh wait - there is one mentor that over-used tags in a very odd way, but it was not in a manner that was disrespectful to other posters.)

I think we are referencing different posts. There has been a few times that mentors have involved themselves in this behavior.

[wastingtime101]

I don't read most of the post around here @chevymontecarlo88 so it would be very easy for me to have missed that. I'll take your word for it.