Re: OT-CHAT: Lesson-HT Use Subject Tags-Long

Anner

This is the most delightful dissertation I've ever seen on subject tags.

Many Thanks

Colleen Modra
-----Original Message-----
From: hipsource@aol.com <hipsource@aol.com>
To: iris-talk@egroups.com <iris-talk@egroups.com>
Date: Thursday, 27 April 2000 4:27
Subject: [iris-talk] OT-CHAT: Lesson-HT Use Subject Tags-Long


>Greetings, all
>
>I'm having problems with my ChateauWhitehall account at Onelist this
morning
>so my mail to the list is coming from HIPSource, but it is not HIPS
Business
>unless I sign with my title.  A fine distinction but one I wish to note.
>------------------
>Okay,
>
>This long post is for New Members and any other persons who have been
>confused about HOW to use Subject Tags. Other people have already spoken to
>WHY to use Subject Tags. I just thought I might be able to help a little.
>
>First, the Subject line of a post consists of a Tag and then your title.
The
>Tag is an abbreviation that puts the post into a broad category. The title
>then introduces the content of the post. The goal of both is to get people
to
>open up your post and read what it is you are trying to communicate. In the
>subject line at the top of my post the OT-CHAT is the Tag. The rest is the
>title.
>
>When a post is written it should be assigned a Subject Tag. Almost every
post
>will fit into one of the Tag Categories. Many will fit into several. Tags
may
>be combined, but all you really need is one good one. Tags may not be
>invented. Everyone will not assign tags in exactly the same way. That is
>okay.
>
>Let us meet the tags, then we will see how to use or link them as
necessary.
>
>First, All posts are either ON Topic, or OFF Topic. The Topic of the list
is
>IRISES.
>
>On Topic posts carry the following Subject Tags.
>
>*KINDS OF IRISES* (These follow the divisions of the American Iris
Society.)
>TB, MED, AR, SIB, LA, JI, SPU, PCN, BULB, SPEC.
>Discussions of Tall Bearded irises get assigned a TB. Discussions of
Siberian
>Irises may be assigned a SIB. Discussions of Species irises may be assigned
a
>SPEC, and so forth.
>
>*SPECIAL KINDS OF IRISES* (Subgroups with passionate followers).
>REB: Assigned to Reblooming irises, or rebloom reports or REB issues in
>general.
>SA: Assigned to Space Age irises, or the issues surrounding them.
>HIST: Assigned to Historic Irises, or the issues surrounding them.
>
>*HORTICULTURAL TAGS* (Garden stuff)
>CULT: Issues concerned with how to grow irises, how to care for them, how
to
>fight pests, how to keep the beds tidy and so forth. This category covers a
>broad range of issues, and issues of broad appeal.
>HYB: This is for issues relating to hybridizing, which includes genetics
and
>practicalities.
>
>*SOCIETY ISSUES* ( American Iris Society Issues)
>AIS: Which is for posts dealing with AIS issues and AIS Business
>SHOW: Which is for topics associated with Iris Shows, and show reports.
>
>*SUPPORT ISSUES*
>REF: For discussions of books, publications and other reference resources
>CAT: For posts related to catalogs and commercial nurseries.
>COMP: For computer related discussions: databases and the like.
>PHOTO: For camera and photography issues and questions.
>AD: A tag by which a list member can advertise Iris related goods or
services.
>
>*OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS*
>OT-BIO: The tag for a a new member introducing himself, and others
welcoming
>her.
>OT-HUMOR: The tag for the story or clean joke you cannot resist sharing.
>OT-PLANTS: For questions or brief discussion of non-iris plants and their
>culture.
>OT-ART: For arts and crafts issues, noncommercial, see AD above.
>
>And there is ADMIN, which is restricted to use fo the List Owner.
>--------------------
>Okay, so now let's practice.
>
>Say you want to make a post asking where to find a list of the official AIS
>iris size categories like Tall Bearded and Median. Use AIS: REF. Moving
fast?
>Use: REF.
>
>You want to know whether to cut back your foliage in September? CULT will
do
>it. You want to make sure the SIB folks don't assume your post is about
>bearded foliage when you are asking about Siberians? SIB: CULT:
>
>You want to ask about the Historic Spuria MRS. TAIT and whether it is
really
>true that Bertrand Farr of all people introduced it? A good tag here would
be
>a combined one HIST: SPUR: That will catch the eye of both the people
>interested in historics and in spurias.
>
>You want to ask a question about germinating the species Iris stolonifera?
>Here you would want the aril specialists to read your post, so AR: CULT
would
>be good, but AR alone would probably do the trick since there are not that
>many posts in the category. You could also use AR: SPEC: CULT, but do you
>really need to?
>
>You want to know whether your TB BATHESHEBA COMES can be expected to
rebloom
>in Calgary? Use the tag TB: REB.
>
>You want to hear more about your harebrained idea of hybridizing
reticulatas
>that will rebloom in Texas? HYB: BULB: REB:
>
>You want to know about a good book on irises of the 'forties? Try REF, or
>better yet REF: HIST. You will get an answer. HIST: REF: would also be
okay.
>Most of the time it does not matter which of a pair of tags comes first.
>
>You want to ask about what was decided about the AIS Library at a recent
AIS
>Board Meeting? Use AIS. Just because books are involved doesn't mean you
need
>REF, too.
>
>You want to know whether the latest issue of the Medianite is being
received?
>Well, there are not that many hot choices here, but MED would work. REF
might
>but I'd use MED. It is a quick judgement call. Not an issue of fine points
of
>distinction that must be anguished over.
>
>You want advice about your Space Age Median HAGAR'S HELMET which is being
>devoured by borers? You could use SA, you could use MED, but the one you
>should use is CULT, because the real issue is a Cultural Problem: Borers.
>That the iris they are eating is a horned median is irrelevant unless that
is
>the only one in the yard they are interested in and you think that may be
>significant and want to emphasize that.
>
>You want to know about photographing your Juno species and getting the
photos
>loaded up and linked to your personal collection database? Use PHOTO: COMP
>and the techies will come out of the woodwork. You probably don't need BULB
>or SPEC since the kind of iris involved is not the point.
>
>You want to ask about corn poppies as companion plants? Use CULT since
irises
>are the plants being companioned and thus it is an Iris Culture Question.
You
>need to ask about something ghastly that has gone wrong with your pet hosta
>and it needs immediate attention and you don't know who else to ask. That
is
>an OT-PLANTS.
>
>As I said, often any of several different tags will work. If picking tags
is
>hard for you, keep it real simple. Most of the tags are rarely used by
>anyone, but the following tags are used a lot since they cover a lot of
>territory or represent popular areas of discussion.
>
>CULT, TB, SIB, REB, HIST, HYB, CAT, AIS, SA, SPEC, JI.
>
>Use your OT tags. They very important since those are posts that many will
>want to pass over.
>
>Every post does not have to carry every subject tag that could conceivably
be
>seen as appropriate. If I write a post talking about a possibly faulty
>description of an historic 1935 JI in a catalog that was published in 1960
>and later remarked upon ambiguously by an AIS  Board Member in an AIS
>Bulletin, it is not necessary to string out "HIST: JI: CAT: AIS: REF: Bum
>Description of ISHGABBIBLE?" HIST: JI is all you need.
>
>In short, the trick is to pick a tag that will catch the eye of those who
>will be interested in your post, or will have the answer you need. Pin down
>the main point of your question, and tag that, or one might say, FLAG IT
for
>special attention.
>
>I hope this helps a little.
>
>Anner, in Richmond
>HIPSource@aol.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>


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