June 12, 2005

2:48 PM

Could "history" be added to the list of ask.me categories? I know that theoretically there could be an endless number of these but "history" seems to be a pretty big omission. I put my recent history question in "society & culture", and so did flexxer, while cuke put his in "grab bag" and my wife put hers in "writing & language".
posted by Kattullus to feature requests at 2:48 PM (8 comments total)

"Those who do not learn from History are running things"
posted by wendell at 2:58 PM on June 12, 2005

The ask.me categories are topical, while your suggestion is temporal.

Ask yourself: history of what?

Just add a tag.
posted by Gyan at 4:15 PM on June 12, 2005

I hate to suggest something that creates work, but I think it's a pretty good idea.
posted by absalom at 4:39 PM on June 12, 2005

Creates work? This is probably very easy to add, since it isn't an entire new feature, but rather an extension of an existing feature. I consider it a good idea.

As for Gyan's concern, if you mark something History today, tomorrow it will still be History. It isn't the same thing as a Future tag that would eventually be invalid.
posted by odinsdream at 7:56 PM on June 12, 2005

It was no biggy, but I had the same dilemma when I wanted to ask a question about the Holocaust.

I can't remember what category I eventually chose.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:31 PM on June 13, 2005

odinsdream : "As for Gyan's concern, if you mark something History today, tomorrow it will still be History. "

That's not my point. Culture, education, shopping, health are concerned about something (in a literal sense). History concerns a time-course of something. A thematic difference.
posted by Gyan at 6:16 PM on June 13, 2005

So since there is a definite thematic difference, a question regarding a time-course of something should not really be categorized as culture, education, shopping, health, or for that matter, "grab-bag" or "writing and language."
I think it's a good idea. Not of supreme importance, but a good idea.
posted by arcticwoman at 6:50 PM on June 13, 2005

Huh? A thematic difference is exactly why History doesn't fit. All current categories demarcate by type, History is a different sort of attribute. Just saying, it's no biggie...
posted by Gyan at 8:31 PM on June 13, 2005