Hi

I wanted to give two suggestions on improving user experience on mangaupdates.com

1. Search function using Tags:

Currently, on mangaupdates.com users can search mangas via the "Advanced Search according to Genres" OR "Tags/categories found mentioned in on the Manga information page".

I would like to suggest a third way to search for mangas; "Auto-Tag". The idea is, just as one can use genres to search, how about something for multiple categories (or tags)? Example:

We are looking for tags "Strong Protagonist" + "Secret Organizations" + "Web Comic". The search is run against the entire data bank to return titles of mangas which have these tags mentioned. Ideally, I would imagine, something like Google Suggest, where as you type the tag, the computer auto suggests possible (similar) tags.

Pros: a. Currently, we have a Discussion forum "I am Looking for" . The threads it contains are often repetitive in nature and the usual queries could easily be sorted by the new search system. I don't think this system should be thought of as something that will replace the "I am looking for" forum but it will provide a faster way to search of titles of interest. The forum will continue to provide suggestions which can (and do) contain personal opinions and brief summaries of the stories.

b. Personally, I feel the system will generate search results more suited to user interests and better than the Category Recommended system. The current category system gives scores like 164 etc, but honestly, for some mangas, those titles really dont have anything in common. I feel the Category Recommendation system is an indexation of how similar something is GIVEN an average of number of tags common. In comparison, "Tag Search" function suggested, is narrower in searches, more customizable and definitive. Again, "Tag Search" is not to replace, Category Recommendation but to enhance over all user experience.

Cons: To be honest, I have no idea how easy is the programming for something like this. The basic premise of searching is easy, matching tags. But auto-suggesting tags is something I am not sure of; is it an advanced level programming or simplistic?

2. **** Personal Recommendations: ****

This is more on the lines of a personal newsletter. I am not subscribed to any mangaupdates.com newsletters, so I don't know if this exists. However, I think I would be nice if based on a certain user profile, the system could recommend titles to us that we like based on the following criteria:

a. Genres: if a reader has a lot of Shojo mangas on the reading / complete list, then the recommendation system suggests more Shojo Mangas.

b. Authors: if a reader has read a number of titles by the same author and rated his work highly, then the system recommends similar works by the same author which have similar ratings. To be honest, I had no idea Bakuman was written by the same author as DeathNote (I would have read it sooner), even though the genre is so difference.

c. Tags / Categories: if the reader reads a particular type of category / tag example: Web Comic. Then the system recommends webcomics.

Lastly, these recommendations would be filtered into two slots: Hot (those which are read by a large group of users) and New (for new releases).

Pros: Readers will be able to read more mangas that interest them.

Cons: Again, it maybe a complicated system to develop.

3. ****Mangaupdates + ****:

To be honest, this website is amazing and its potential is just waiting to explode. My personal view is that this website can become the platform which connects new manga readers to titles they have never heard of before, basically bringing manga to the world (or conversely the world to manga).

It can also go one step further, by being a forum which encourages people to get together create their own works which in turn attract publishers.

I would love to go into the details of this idea with everyone, but this is a very controversial topic. What should mangaupdates.com be? and want to be? Is something personal for the creators/mods of this website to decide. 🙂 However, if acceptable by the general public and mods, I would love to share my ideas on how we can take mangaupdates.com to the next level.

...you can already do your first suggestion with the advanced search...? You just put the tags you want in the box. Since you already seem to be aware of that search I'm confused why you're still suggesting that.

世界のどこかに必ず
キミの居場所がある筈

_< somehow I never saw that.... you have opened my eyes... (now committing seppuku)

...you can already do your first suggestion with the advanced search...? You just put the tags you want in the box. Since you already seem to be aware of that search I'm confused why you're still suggesting that.

The suggestion function would still be welcome though. There are too may categories to count and I, for one, always needs to check on spelling and/or correct punctuation/slashes.

Quote from Hartland

The suggestion function would still be welcome though. There are too may categories to count and I, for one, always needs to check on spelling and/or correct punctuation/slashes.

Yeah, I agree. I tried my hand at it yesterday, and found it rather irksome and difficult. I wasn't 100% sure if what I was typing was already there in the database list. So then I had to refer to the Tag list....but that was rather tiresome....so, maybe change to it might be, suggestion. Mangafox and mangareader both have it for manga title search. As you type in the search bar (for these respective sites) the name of a manga, it suggests all titles beginning with those spellings. If you misspell ofcourse it does not suggest anything.

So, if I type "Strong" , tag search suggestion would list all tags which have strong in it (Strong Male Lead, Strong Female Lead etc).

Quote from saxenas1

2. Personal Recommendations:

This is more on the lines of a personal newsletter. I am not subscribed to any mangaupdates.com newsletters, so I don't know if this exists. However, I think I would be nice if based on a certain user profile, the system could recommend titles to us that we like based on the following criteria:

...

3. Mangaupdates + :

To be honest, this website is amazing and its potential is just waiting to explode. My personal view is that this website can become the platform which connects new manga readers to titles they have never heard of before, basically bringing manga to the world (or conversely the world to manga).

It can also go one step further, by being a forum which encourages people to get together create their own works which in turn attract publishers.

I would love to go into the details of this idea with everyone, but this is a very controversial topic. What should mangaupdates.com be? and want to be? Is something personal for the creators/mods of this website to decide. smile However, if acceptable by the general public and mods, I would love to share my ideas on how we can take mangaupdates.com to the next level.

These two are never going to happen since they both go against the philosophy of the site.