While this probably isn't a good idea, what about adding some way to keyword a node as you post it and then the ability to search based on keywords? I know keywords have been kicked around a bit, but they would make a nice way to tag posts as perl6 without having to continualy mangle titles.
I know that this will sound like something I'm inventing just know to partecipate, but in all earnestness I'm thinking of a tags-enabled PM for some time now, mostly in relation to an entirely different issue, and like a dream: in fact I'm fully aware that even relatively simpler proposals more or less automatically get the "patches welcome" answer... what can be of one that would supposedly require massive additions and integration into an already existing infrastructure that was not thought for it?
Yet, in line of principle, I am strongly convinced that a tags system would be a great thing to have and that's why I continue to refer to it as a dream: I've come late to blogs and social bookmarking where they're typically used - and I'm still not terribly familiar with their respective nor similar technologies. But I've seen and to some extent used the thing and I perceive its full potential. Granted, even from such a naive POV as mine I can understand and even foresee myself jdporter's remarks about the difficulties of setting such a system in a reliable way.
As far as blogs are concerned, it's all up to the the blogger to choose tags in a sensible manner that will be useful to her readers... but when we come to tags a social means... how should they be managed? Completely freely on part of the users? Based on an officially approved set, possibly subject to collective discussion and revision? Comprising both possibilities? Should there be aliases? (E.g. 'webdev' for 'web' and 'development'.) Given that PM discussions have a hyerarchical structure too, should tags be properties of individual nodes or of threads? And in the former case should they be inherited automatically, provided that the author of a reply also could remove or add some? Should the supplied tags be subject to administration? If so, wouldn't that complicate things too much? How should we mediate between KISS and power, or better, get the maximum power out of the KISSest scheme? ("Seiryoku Zen'yo")
