hannah: (Reference - fooish_icons)
hannah ([personal profile] hannah) wrote2011-02-20 12:15 pm

Do non-librarians have these problems?

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.

[identity profile] blackmare.livejournal.com 2011-02-20 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2011-02-21 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
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.