What improvements would you like to see for GE&T?

[Britonisea]

That just wastes topic title space.

[ViZion]

That just wastes topic title space.

This, in addition to the fact some companies/storefronts cover a wider range of products - not just a single industry.

[Kyrusia]

Additions to the title aren't something we've really discussed; I know we've been throwing back and forth various ideas for keywords, however, that would be posted in the thread (and thus searchable). The issue with these, while workable, is something ViZion highlights: not every storefront is single-industry. With what we have so far, we've been aiming to be broad, but not uselessly so ("!service" just... is useless, but "!mil.naval" isn't, while still being quite broad); it's tough to get a balance between "usefully broad" and "so narrow as to be niche."

Just to throw out some I recall off the top of my head (I don't have our list right in front of me, though it's being incorporated into a new sticky - one of two threads the GE&T Mints are working on ATM): !mil.arms, !mil.air, !civ.airline, !civ.transport, !civ.finance, !civ.accredit (for storefront accreditation... storefronts), !civ.vice (we actually tossed this one back and forth a few times, given while "cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs" aren't necessarily illegal, "vice" was our best, not burdensome or cumbersome selection), plus things like !MTech, !PMTech, etc. There are others, but again, don't have the list in front of me right now. I want to say we have ~20 as our test run, with additions to be made from suggestions from the community.

Of course, that will rely on these keywords being utilized, but not utilized needlessly just to show-up higher in a search. We figure there will be a problem with this no matter what happens (and pretty much regardless of the solution), but community pressure can serve as a powerful tool for improving player behaviors.

[Lamoni]

Here is the entire list of GE&T tags that will be coming out whenever the thread(s) come out. Please let us know if you have any questions about these storefront tags... we did try to make them relatively easy to understand.

!mil.arms
!mil.ground
!mil.air
!mil.naval
!mil.med
!mil.conglom
!mil.WMD
!mil.merc
!civ.space
!civ.med
!civ.energy
!civ.green
!civ.resource
!civ.tech
!civ.transport
!civ.airline
!civ.conglom
!civ.finance
!civ.accredit
!civ.vice
!civ.retail
!civ.food
!civ.entertain
!MTech
!PMTech
!FTech
!FanTech
!PTech
!slavery
!govt
!misc
!accredited

[ViZion]

Vice and accredit are?

Could we also get conglomerate?

[Lamoni]

Vice: Cigarettes, Alcohol, Gambling, Prostitution, etc. (such as the site rules allow)
Accredit: Storefronts that Accredit other storefronts.

We don't really see the need for a conglomerate tag, considering that the system (as originally envisioned) would allow the user to use multiple tags for their storefront, though Kyrusia has stated that each storefront would ideally use 3-4 tags.

But it would be simple enough to come out with that kind of tag: !civ.conglom

EDIT:

I also urge storefront owners that the use of the "civ" and "mil" part of the tags are essential, so that we can maintain a standardized system of storefront tags. These tags would also go in the OP of your storefront, wherever your storefront's formatting allows, without disrupting the rest of the storefront.

[Kyrusia]

"!civ.conglom/!mil.conglom" would be an easy way to send up the flag saying, "Hey! I've also got other stuff!" while not overloading on the search-tags to the point they become meaningless. Say your storefront provides arms, ammunition, tracked vehicles, chemical weapons, and kitchen sinks in an MT continuity, for (hilarious) example: "!MTech !mil.arms !mil.ground !mil.conglom"; keeps things fairly short, focuses on the primaries of the storefront, but also lets the searcher know there is more at play in the storefront.

"!mil.WMD" also probably wouldn't be a bad idea, speaking of; I know those are sometimes a thing, as well.

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

Super work - I'm delighted to see how you've taken our ideas forward!

Incidentally, I wonder whether you considered a !pact - to cover things like trade pacts, weapons pacts, etc. - or would you envision !govt and/or !civ.finance for them? And also at some point someone may want a !civ.services to cover professional services e.g. architects/legal? - or do you think we might just get a !civ.misc and a !mil.misc separately?

Also, when you do release this list, are you planning on releasing it with brief notes for how you're envisioning some of the tags being used? E.g. a few notes about !civ.vice and !civ.accredit, and perhaps also clarifying whether !civ.airline is envisioned to include aircraft manufacturing and also airlines themselves, and whether !civ.transport includes both logistics companies (inc. airliners) and vehicle (inc. civilian aircraft) manufacturers, whether !mil.naval and !mil.air should include flying boats, whether !mil.air should include naval aircraft and spacecraft, and what sort of thing you're including in !civ.retail ?

[Lamoni]

We will be adding explanations for each tag in the final product, but at this stage, we wanted to get some community feedback on the idea, as well as potential new tags that we had not thought of. I will keep editing the above list of tags as new ones are approved.

[Stormwrath]

!civ.tech, anyone? For the electronics/technology storefronts?

[Gandoor]

I haven't posted in GE&T in literal months but this whole tag thing does seem interesting, although I do need to ask how will it be 'enforced'? Like I get that you probably aren't going to mandate that everyone adds these tags to their storefront OPs but how will you go about I guess encouraging people to actually start using them?

(Am I also correct in presuming that things like my Gandoor Broadcasting Corporation storefront would fall under !civ.entertain using these tags?)

[Lamoni]

List updated!

Manufacturing airliners would be covered under !civ.transport, while airlines would be covered under !civ.airline ... this way both are fully covered. As mentioned previously, full explanations will accompany the completed version of the list.

Gandoor,

The tag program will be voluntary, but it will make your storefronts easier to locate when someone does a search for a particular type of storefront. Kyrusia envisioned that each storefront would use from 3-4 tags, though I doubt that we would go around enforcing that unless things get out of hand. As for encouraging people to use the tags, we would like to point out that it will make your storefront easier to locate in searches, which can lead to increased business. We might add in more encouragement to us teh system, we shall see.

Yes. GBC would go under !civ.entertain

[ViZion]

I haven't posted in GE&T in literal months but this whole tag thing does seem interesting, although I do need to ask how will it be 'enforced'? Like I get that you probably aren't going to mandate that everyone adds these tags to their storefront OPs but how will you go about I guess encouraging people to actually start using them?

(Am I also correct in presuming that things like my Gandoor Broadcasting Corporation storefront would fall under !civ.entertain using these tags?)

TBH, I don't think that'll be an issue - anyone who wants their business/storefront to have an additional "leg up" on the competition would be... smart to use it. I wouldn't have to ever be asked to use it, if it gets more eyes into my storefront I'll do it. I'm pretty sure most everyone will also do the same.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

I haven't posted in GE&T in literal months but this whole tag thing does seem interesting, although I do need to ask how will it be 'enforced'? Like I get that you probably aren't going to mandate that everyone adds these tags to their storefront OPs but how will you go about I guess encouraging people to actually start using them?

(Am I also correct in presuming that things like my Gandoor Broadcasting Corporation storefront would fall under !civ.entertain using these tags?)

TBH, I don't think that'll be an issue - anyone who wants their business/storefront to have an additional "leg up" on the competition would be... smart to use it. I wouldn't have to ever be asked to use it, if it gets more eyes into my storefront I'll do it. I'm pretty sure most everyone will also do the same.

I'm pretty sure even with tags my store still wouldn't get much traffic by virtue of being a fantasy-tech one & my refusal to accommodate those that wish for a Modern-Tech equivalent (I'd say that dismissively waving my hand at transportation & storage of goods in/to a different-tech nation that doesn't want magic is different from nations that simply ignore my sort of fantasy-tech storefront because there's at least some activity in the former).

[Libraria and Ausitoria]

I imagine you'll be pleasantly surprised - over the course of about a year, as these tags become widespread, I expect they'll make it a great deal easier for fan tech and future tech nations and pmt nations to navigate and participate here.

As mentioned previously, full explanations will accompany the completed version of the list.

Sorry, must have missed that - splendid!

[ViZion]

I imagine you'll be pleasantly surprised - over the course of about a year, as these tags become widespread, I expect they'll make it a great deal easier for fan tech and future tech nations and pmt nations to navigate and participate here.

I'd have to agree - this will especially benefit those in a more niche market, as it's much harder for someone of, say, FanT RPing, to find FanT products on GE&T since you're one of the lone current sellers. Many may not realize you even are on GE&T, so it'll be easier to find you quickly in the thousands of GE&T pages and tens upon tens (hundreds?) of active storefronts.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

I imagine you'll be pleasantly surprised - over the course of about a year, as these tags become widespread, I expect they'll make it a great deal easier for fan tech and future tech nations and pmt nations to navigate and participate here.

I'd have to agree - this will especially benefit those in a more niche market, as it's much harder for someone of, say, FanT RPing, to find FanT products on GE&T since you're one of the lone current sellers. Many may not realize you even are on GE&T, so it'll be easier to find you quickly in the thousands of GE&T pages and tens upon tens (hundreds?) of active storefronts.

Me storefront isn't even open yet & the fantasy tech component isn't a huge part of i — wait no I have the Psytrines, they can have a part. Still, I've not a lot of time nor motivation to do the research for the different products, & there will be a fair number of products, each with something of a life story, I'd wager. Eventually, smaller companies might also use the Two Seas Trading Company in order to trade, which would mean I'd also get not only new life stories for products to create, but also company histories. Those will probably come after the creation of the main locations of the Thryllasian Region & Psytronius, whose products would be:

Papyrus
Hemp
Bamboo
Perfume
Alchemical Supplies
Scrolls/Tomes (although in most other nations these wouldn't work since in my universe all worlds are either created with a system of magic or no magic, although Psytrine portals can emit some magic into the nearby area, so the introduction of magical power is possible)
Psytrine Schools
Canopia's numerous drinks
Renstar Furniture
Renstar Jewelry

& more later on, once other companies, both NPC & maybe player-owned ones as well, start using the Two Seas Trading Company as a medium to advertise their goods. Inevitably, I'll also probably figure out a way to cause this list to change due to my Nation Maintenance, which may or may not come one of these days but I have to write for like thirteen characters.

[Western Pacific Territories]

Forgive me if this sounds quite noobish but how exactly would the tag system work?

[Lamoni]

First, you would put the applicable tags in the OP of your storefront, if you have one. Then, you would be able to search for a tag corresponding to the type of storefront that you want, since others would also apply the tags that fit their own storefronts. The tags basically make it easier to find specific types of storefronts.

[Etoile Arcture]

If the mods are still looking for key word suggestions, I would humbly ask them to consider "!civ.mining" for all the oil and mineral extraction storefronts, and "!civ.merc" for the mercenary and PMC storefronts.

[Maltropia]

Why would mercenaries not be military? accepting that they might just be hired as security guards. How would you feel about grouping resource extraction together with other resource extraction industries (e.g. forestry, fishing) under something like "!civ.resource"? I realise that these are much less common than oil/mining, but we're trying to a) keep things from getting too specific and b) avoid having so many tags you can't keep track of them all.

[Lamoni]

I think that we'll go with !civ.resource, and !mil.merc, in order to keep things loose and simple.

EDIT: List updated.

[Prosorusiya]

Lamoni, how about !civ.med and !mil.med for Medical storefronts? I know at least one storefront that would apply to...

[ViZion]

What would electric/energy and other environment-focused products (think: electric car batteries, solar-power equipment, waterless urinals, etc) go under? (I sell products such as these)

[Etoile Arcture]

Resource is much better than Mining, and I'm kicking myself for forgetting to suggest "!civ.energy" as well.

What would electric/energy and other environment-focused products (think: electric car batteries, solar-power equipment, waterless urinals, etc) go under? (I sell products such as these)

Those would seem to me to all come under the category of ecotechnology, so perhaps a tag like "!civ.eco" or "!civ.green"?