{"id":1032,"date":"2024-06-25T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2024-06-25T11:15:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:15:02","slug":"avoid-the-dreaded-text-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/avoid-the-dreaded-text-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid the Dreaded TEXT BOX!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Dreaded Text Box Metadata Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most dangerous metadata fields within a DAM are the fields where you allow the users to enter information as free text!&nbsp; I worked for an automotive company and was surprised how often uploading (or ingest) users would misspell the model names of their own vehicles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DO NOT give the users an opportunity to misspell!&nbsp; The reason is obvious: misspelled metadata values mean users will NOT be able to find the assets that they need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The solution: Use other metadata field types (drop downs and radio buttons, for example) whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s leverage the wristwatch metadata schema we developed in a previous blog and determine the appropriate field type for each metadata field:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Metadata Fields<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sample Metadata Value<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Field Type<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Rationale<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Title<\/td><td>Timex 440 Men\u2019s Pilot Wristwatch<\/td><td>Text Box<\/td><td>You have to depend on the user to provide a solid, thorough description for their own assets<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Brand<\/td><td>Timex<\/td><td>Drop Down<\/td><td>Avoid misspelling; make it easy for the ingest user to select.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Face Color<\/td><td>Silver<\/td><td>Drop Down<\/td><td>Avoid misspelling; make it easy for the ingest user to select.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Analog or Digital<\/td><td>Analog<\/td><td>Radio Buttons<\/td><td>Avoid misspelling; make it easy for the ingest user to select.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Band Color<\/td><td>Silver<\/td><td>Drop Down<\/td><td>Avoid misspelling; make it easy for the ingest user to select.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Band Material<\/td><td>Metal<\/td><td>Drop Down<\/td><td>Avoid misspelling; make it easy for the ingest user to select.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Date Taken<\/td><td>3\/3\/2024<\/td><td>Date (Transferred)<\/td><td>Leverage existing native metadata<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Camera Type<\/td><td>Hasselblad X2D<\/td><td>Text Box (Transferred)<\/td><td>Leverage existing native metadata<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Photographer<\/td><td>Magnum Studio<\/td><td>Text Box (Transferred) (Although this information may not be in the EXIF data)<\/td><td>Leverage existing native metadata<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ingest User<\/td><td>Jane Doe<\/td><td>Text (System-generated)<\/td><td>Leverage system-generated metadata<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Asset Ingest Date (Date when added to the DAM)<\/td><td>4\/5\/2024<\/td><td>Date (System-generated)<\/td><td>Leverage system-generated metadata<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ingest User Email<\/td><td>jane.doe@z-agency.com<\/td><td>Text Box (some DAM\u2019s offer an <em>email<\/em> type)<\/td><td>You will need the user to provide this information, as it may not already be in the system.&nbsp; This is information you want to expose to other users, so they can follow-up with the asset ingest user with any questions. &nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rights involved (Y\/N)<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Radio Buttons<\/td><td>Make it easy for the user to enter this information.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rights Information<\/td><td>Digital usage only; no geographic restrictions.&nbsp; Rights in effect until 12\/31\/2026.<\/td><td>Text Box<\/td><td>You need the ingest user to add this information.&nbsp; HOWEVER, we recommend you design a set of metadata fields to accommodate your organization\u2019s rights policy.&nbsp; See our blog on this topic.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t forget the OTHER Option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When designing metadata fields, don\u2019t forget to add OTHER as an option for most of your drop downs and radio buttons.&nbsp; The OTHER option allows you to keep the number of drop-down values to a minimum, particularly if the other values can describe a significant amount of your content.&nbsp; For example, in the wristwatch example, you would want to add \u201cOTHER\u201d as an option as the last option in several your metadata values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Face Color Values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blue<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gold<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Red<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transparent<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OTHER<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although 90% of the face colors could be classified in the listed even options, the OTHER category will apply to any other color (for example, pink or woodgrain). &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OTHER may not apply to certain options, for example, the <em>Rights Involved<\/em> field.&nbsp; Perhaps, \u201cDon\u2019t Know\u201d could be a value, but try to choose a value that users will not be abused (overviewed) for the sake of getting through the metadata form quickly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dreaded Text Box Metadata Field The most dangerous metadata fields within [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-300x199.jpg",300,199,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-768x510.jpg",768,510,true],"large":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"sydney-large-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-920x611.jpg",920,611,true],"sydney-medium-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-550x400.jpg",550,400,true],"sydney-small-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-230x153.jpg",230,153,true],"sydney-service-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-350x232.jpg",350,232,true],"sydney-mas-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-480x319.jpg",480,319,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>The Dreaded Text Box Metadata Field The most dangerous metadata fields within a DAM are the fields where you allow the users to enter information as free text!&nbsp; I worked for an automotive company and was surprised how often uploading (or ingest) users would misspell the model names of their own vehicles.&nbsp; DO NOT give the users an opportunity to misspell!&nbsp; The reason is obvious: misspelled metadata values mean users will NOT be able to find the assets that they need.&nbsp; The solution: Use other metadata field types (drop downs and radio buttons, for example) whenever possible. Let\u2019s leverage the&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/author\/adminharttalbot-com\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-300x199.jpg",300,199,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-768x510.jpg",768,510,true],"large":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text.jpg",1024,680,false],"sydney-large-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-920x611.jpg",920,611,true],"sydney-medium-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-550x400.jpg",550,400,true],"sydney-small-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-230x153.jpg",230,153,true],"sydney-service-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-350x232.jpg",350,232,true],"sydney-mas-thumb":["https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Fear-of-Free-Text-480x319.jpg",480,319,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>The Dreaded Text Box Metadata Field The most dangerous metadata fields within a DAM are the fields where you allow the users to enter information as free text!&nbsp; I worked for an automotive company and was surprised how often uploading (or ingest) users would misspell the model names of their own vehicles.&nbsp; DO NOT give the users an opportunity to misspell!&nbsp; The reason is obvious: misspelled metadata values mean users will NOT be able to find the assets that they need.&nbsp; The solution: Use other metadata field types (drop downs and radio buttons, for example) whenever possible. Let\u2019s leverage the&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/author\/adminharttalbot-com\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1032"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1033,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions\/1033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harttalbot.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}