[thesite] comment searches

[.jeff]

bruce,

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> From: Bruce Heerssen
>
> I think that any barrier to using a certain
> functionality of the the site (w.e.o specifically) is a
> huge mistake.
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in your opinion, where do you draw the line between what requires
registration and what doesn't?  is the line drawn by those things that
actually require user information to work properly?  or is the line
somewhere else?  if it's somewhere else, what criteria is used to determine
where that line is drawn?

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> The fact is, a whole lot of people do not want to
> register with the site.
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this begs the question why.

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> Nobody can change that, period.
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not completely, but surely we can lessen the number of people that feel this
way.

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> Not offering regular users the same search functionality
> as registered users discriminates against the former.
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it would be discriminatory if the users that were left out were left out
because of something they couldn't change.  however, 2 minutes of their time
and that barrier is no longer there.

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> At best, this will not affect evolt's image, at worst,
> it could do some damage if word got out.
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i see it exactly the opposite.  if i use a site for a while without
registering then find out all the additional functionality i get for
registering, i think to myself, "why didn't i do this sooner?"

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> On the other hand, if we allow regular users this search
> functionality, it should enhance evolt's image because
> regular users would see added functionality that other
> sites don't have.
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i'm sure it would, but at what expense?  if we give everything away for
free, what do we have left to give the non-registered users a reason to
register?

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> In this light, I fail to see how requiring registration
> for any sort of search of public areas in the site can
> offer any added value to our visitors, and by extension,
> to evolt itself.
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how about protecting the information of our existing member base?

by your theory, the user search should be available to the casual user.
what's to keep that casual user from harvesting all the information?  sure,
they could create an account and then do it, but that barrier seems to stop
most.

do you want the casual site user to be able to easily find your user record
in the system?

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> As for the hooks to registration, I agree that there
> should be some, but surely offering free web space is
> enough?
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m.e.o. isn't the core piece of evolt.org.  the centerpiece is w.e.o.  the
hooks for registration to w.e.o. need to exist within w.e.o.

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> If you want new hooks for registering, how about a code
> library or something?
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already created and recreated ad nauseam everywhere else and publicly
available.

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> IMO, the ability to search comments is not much of a
> hook.
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not as a core piece, no.  i wouldn't expect it be seen that way.  i see the
ability to post comments as the key hook with article submission, user
search, and comment search following it.  i'd like to work on additional
hooks, but i don't know what they are yet.

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> P.S. - Jeff, you posted a great comment on javascript
> today - the one explaining how variables work inside
> functions. I thought it was very clear and concise. How
> about encapsulating it in a tip sometime? Or maybe even
> an article?
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yeah, i've been asked to do that offlist by a couple other list members and
thought when i was writing it that it'd work well for that.  i'll do that as
soon as i have time to put some polish on it along with a few helpful
illustrations.

thanks,

.jeff

http://evolt.org/
jeff at members.evolt.org
http://members.evolt.org/jeff/