I am not too keen about deleting all the crazy keywords manually, as I'll have to do it every time a new podcast downloads. Seems like a lot of work just to get back old functionality.
It's one solution. There may be a way we can automate deleting the keywords from podcasts as they are imported; not really sure, as this is new territory for me. I don't use podcast functionality with MC.
As to #2, I've attached a screenshot. For some reason, the list now is not behind the taskbar, but that's not the main issue. I can't see where one can enter a value that is not already on the list.
Ok, I see the problem and the cause. You're using a half height tagging window. Click the little circle in the title of the tagging window to make it full height. Then the list entry box will work correctly for you.
And really? People find it easier to work with huge lists of items than to use autocomplete? I must be an anomaly in this, as I am in many other things. For me, this makes tagging slower, not faster.
Yes really.
Here's the deal: Pretend you have a list of 51 to 100 keywords that you use constantly. You assign 2, 3, 4, maybe 5 of them to almost every file you import. So you select your newly imported file, click keywords, and up pops your list of (as many as) 100 keywords. Because they are in alphabetical order, you quickly find what you want, by using the mouse scroll wheel, and click check boxes next to the keywords you want, as you go down the list. Click, scroll, scroll, click, click, scroll, click, Done. Very, very fast.
Trying to do this same operation by searching is way, way slower because you have to type at least part of each word. Or, at least you have to click on the search box each and every time you want to add a keyword, then scroll the list *from the top* each and every time. Repeat this for 5 keywords and it's VERY slow by comparison to scrolling one list.
This would work great for you, except that your keywords list is "contaminated". It keeps getting new keywords inserted into it that you did not intend. Which brings me to a possible alternate solution for you actually:
Make a new Library field, with a new (but easy to remember) name. Something that really describes what you are using this field for. Then, simply copy over the 12 or 15 words you are using from the files you care about (NOT the podcasts!). You can do this in one shot by highlighting and doing a field copy operation.
Then, your NEW list will not ever be contaminated with un-needed and un-wanted words. It will only be maintained by you and shouldn't require any changes. It should look just like the old list.
If you want to try this and need help with any details, just ask, and I'll try to help you along.
Good luck!
Brian.