Topic: name_(<character_owner>) should be the preferred character tagging scheme

Current preference for full name adds unnecessary obstacles to character tagging. Would be better to prefer name_(<character_owner>) format, as it provides additional information that makes it easier.

The most common case: artist omits character names from original post description, and the only information you can go off of is character owner. If a character is tagged with full_name on e621, usually you have to rummage through their gallery to hopefully find it mentioned somewhere. With name_(<character_owner>), you can search on e621 for *<character_owner>*, or even put <character_owner>) into tag box to have it pop up as a suggestion.

It's extremely rare for artists to provide full character names. At best it's the first name and character owner. If a character is tagged with full_name on e621, and the name is not unique, you either still have to rummage through their gallery, or search for firstname_* and hope to find the character there. With name_(<character_owner>), just type it in that format.

The full_name format provides for the least ambiguous naming for characters with potentially common names, especially in cases where there are two distinct characters of the same name that is also owned by the same owner.
It is also uncompounded by any character owner name changes, different owner aliases (e.g., john_(johnsfw), john_(johnnsfw)), repeated names (e.g., john_(john_doe)), or possibly lengthly owner names that would be harder/longer to type out.

It should also be noted that these are just general guidelines and not hard-and-fast rules that we would force everybody to follow.
There are exceptions we have made to allow popular or colloquial names/nicknames to supercede a character's canonical full name (e.g., master_chief).

One problem with preferring the character owner format would be that characters frequently change hands.

Though, with it already being the fallback, that shouldn't be too big a deal.

waydence said:
The most common case: artist omits character names from original post description, and the only information you can go off of is character owner. If a character is tagged with full_name on e621, usually you have to rummage through their gallery to hopefully find it mentioned somewhere. With name_(<character_owner>), you can search on e621 for *<character_owner>*, or even put <character_owner>) into tag box to have it pop up as a suggestion.

This is where aliases will help. I'm not against preemptively adding firstname_(owner) -> firstname_lastname aliases in cases where a character is likely best known by their first name and who owns them, so people can attempt to tag or search for firstname_(owner) and get the appropriate results for firstname_lastname.

Preferring firstname_(owner) runs into the opposite issue of preferring firstname_lastname. For characters that are known by their full name and not the name of who owns them, or the particular name the owner went by at the time the tag was made or the name we decided to use, it becomes a problem to find the right tag if all you can see is firstname_(<various names>). Just look at the artist tags and how often an artist will end up with multiple tags in active use, because some know them by one name on one site, and others know them by a different name on another site, and yet others think their real name is best to use. Not to mention instances where a character owner can have multiple characters with the same first name but different last names.

Presumably this would also apply to public media characters, not only personal characters. Which would equally be a problem.