Abandoned AmericaJan 3, 2023

It's strange to me that people are so focused on quote toots (which would be nice but I don't have particularly strong feelings about) when, in my opinion, what Mastodon desperately needs is a functional search bar. There is no better way to find out what is going on with a given topic.

Yeah, I know about hashtags, and I really don't think they are a suitable replacement.

Show threadAbandoned AmericaJan 3, 2023
I'd like to add here that the majority of concerns I have heard about implementing searches could be easily addressed by making them something you choose whether to be a part of or not at an individual or instance level. I get that they're not for everyone but removing the option for others bc you personally don't want it (and yet could opt in or out) is not a great look imo
Show thread☕️🥞 Jelly Doll 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Jan 3, 2023
@AbandonedAmerica and what happens if the search choses to ignore your selected option .. Mastodon isn't monolithic.
Show threadAbandoned AmericaJan 3, 2023
@0xc0ffea I mean, that would be something that would have to be addressed at an admin level. But just because you could hurt someone with a hammer doesn't mean hammers as a tool should be banned
Show thread☕️🥞 Jelly Doll 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Jan 3, 2023
@AbandonedAmerica For here, analogy is more like "why give people hammers when there are no nails."
Anything here that defers to instance admins to "figure out" on behalf of all their users or "moderate away" isn't really viable.
Federation only works if there is minimal fragmentation.
Show threadAbandoned AmericaJan 3, 2023
@0xc0ffea the analogy doesn't work because the nails here are the people that could use search and want it. The utility does exist. I get the concern about making life complex for admins but a simple opt in on both an individual and instance level seems like it would clear that right up
Show thread☕️🥞 Jelly Doll 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

@AbandonedAmerica We kind of already have an opt in search, the problem is one of expectation brought over from twit (which keys off all words because it needs that aggregate data to drive trending and algorithmic content amplification)

We have hashtags, the use of one marks content findable and the user has to deliberately put them in. It's not the same as a monolithic platform search, but we couldn't have that even if we wanted it.

Jan 3, 2023 at 5:19pmWeb
Show threadAbandoned AmericaJan 3, 2023
@0xc0ffea ugh hashtags are not great though. Either you add one for every relevant word, which is ugly and cumbersome, or you do the broad themes, which makes the finer points very hard to sift (in the archaeology tag doesn't help much if I want a specific discovery in Egypt). I am understanding the tech limits a bit better but I do think it's a discussion worth having and a problem worth addressing better