Do non-librarians have these problems?

[hannah]

I've got a problem right now that I think would be best solved with reader input.

I've got a small fic journal over at Dreamwidth that I haven't given as much attention as it needs - there's a lot of stuff I need to format and crosspost so I've got everything in one neat repository. Everything I'm willing to admit to, at any rate. And one of the things I'd like to do over there is have a tag system to help make navigating that much easier. Although since I don't use tags here much, and I've seen them get abused easily, I'm not sure how many or how few would be best for maximum ease of use and minimum fuss.

At first, I thought just fandom, rating, ficverse if applicable, and Remix eligability would do it, although recently I've been thinking about adding pairings and ratings as well. I'm trying to base this system off what I know to be useful for myself and for others - I'll probably have a couple of master posts in there too, if the ficverses are big enough - and taking the memories system into account adds another level of classifications.

I'm wondering if memories would be a better place to store the specifics of pairings and ratings, or if I shouldn't bother with them at all, how much overlap would be necessary, what capacity they each serve. Would memories be a better place for the masterposts? Would that be a better place to keep stories that can or can't be used in Remix? Is noting for fic challenges and fests necessary, and if so, is it worth sorting stories by - and if that's the case, in memories or tags or just a note on the story itself?

When the Library of Congress has a classification for potato printing - yes, prints made with potatoes, but I'm sure other tubers and root vegetables are covered - it's tempting to go in as deeply but also to be as simple as possible. I'm trying to ask myself, "What would someone else need with this?" And that's a tricky one to answer.

I know I'll figure out something workable if I set aside an hour or so to consider the potential options. But getting information on general user patterns is a must before any collection reorganization.

Comments

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

You're giving me a lot to think about because I just tag my stuff with the fandom and the fact that it's fic. Any further information goes into the links in my fic index, which I have at the top of my journal (future-dated, here in LJ, although DW gives the option of a "sticky" post at top, wherein the date is irrelevant, and I like that a lot).

I love, love, LOVE when writers have a fic index I can scroll through. Corgigirl's is a great example.

Hm. Perhaps I ought to make a few more tags; I don't know. In any event, I do think I need to update the fic index.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

Now that you mention it and remind me, fic indices are really useful and effective at keeping data in one place for easy navigation. I'll have to add making one to the to-do list.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Have you looked at other fic-only journals to see how they organize their fics? Most people seem to use tags these days.

Dreamwidth has the ability to make nested tags, which might be helpful in organizing fandoms, ratings, ficverse and pairings. housefic on Dreamwidth uses nested tags; maybe you want to have a look?

I don't think you need to worry about fic challenges or fests in tagging. E.g. for Remix, the only stories ineligible are remixes you've written and the safe story.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I don't know of all that many fic-only journals - I mostly find stuff through rec lists, friends' posts, and general communities - so I'm not sure where to start looking for that.

I went and had a look, and it's a nifty device, but it didn't sit well with me. I think I'm getting my personal issues mixed up in my fandom again. I'd have to see how different those would look on my journal's layout, and whether or not I'd need that level of detail.

This year will be my fourth time around in Remix, which means six stories won't be eligible, and I'd rather put just one link in the box in the sign-up form rather than lots of them.

[tartary-lamb.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. Though I don't write that much, whenever I create a new community, I find myself in a similar situation.

Personally, I prefer tags to memories, but I try to provide both. All of the tags that you've mentioned, I'd use. I also like genre tags (au, etc), but that's a personal reference. If I was going to use memories, it would be by fandom.

I think the masterposts are a great idea and are probably best logged in both tags and memories, though they two could just be slotted in under fandom.

I don't think it's necessary to note the fic challenges and fests anywhere other than the header of those story.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to figure out which one would be better for general searches and which one would be better for specific ones - all my House stories in one go versus all my House stories with House/Wilson sexually explicit content. Although then that gets into the question of what I need to make a note of, as I don't need to make notes of what's not there.

Maybe I should move everything over and see what I need to catalogue before I start wondering about this stuff.