Lunchtime poll!

[corinna_5]

So, after quite literally years, I am finally updating my fic site. I'm also tweaking the site architecture a little, to accomodate the writing I've done in that time. There are a couple of decisions I've gone back and forth on, so rather than decide arbitrarily, I thought I'd ask

Comments

[ratcreature]

I said that I prefer a single index page for all stories, but that is only if there's a reasonable number of stories. I mean, if there are 500 stories in twenty fandoms for example I prefer them to be split up, but if there are 15 stories in three fandoms I prefer them on a single page.

[corinna_5]

Yeah - I think some of my hesitation is that I end up somewhere between "not many stories in a fandom" and "too many stories in a fandom" if you know what I mean! Thanks for the feedback.

[corinna_5]

So noted!

[some_stars]

If a fandom has more than, say, fifteen-twenty stories, or if there's subcategories within a fandom, it should have its own page. Otherwise I prefer as few separate pages to deal with as possible.

[corinna_5]

Subcategories within a fandom!?! Jesus, woman, it was hard enough figuring out how to describe my Angel/SGA fusion story without giving it a subcategory!

[gchick]

"other"?

[nestra]

I don't really have a preference in terms of multiple index pages or a single index page, as long as things are clearly marked.

And under "what have I left out", I didn't have room to type "a sensible organizing principle." Not that I'm concerned about your site, as I'm sure you will be sensible. But about once a month, when I check links for PolyRecs, I find someone's site where fic is organized either by date or by length. I have no idea when you wrote this story! I have no idea what the word count is! Would you call it a "ficlet" or a "short story"? NO IDEA.

And then I give up checking links and just reread fic.

[corinna_5]

Rereading fic is always a good idea.

But if you want, I'll draw you a sitemap also :)

[isiscolo]

You don't like organization by date? Personally, I dislike alphabetical organization. Because if I want to find a story by title I use the 'find' function in my browser. But if I want to find what's been added since the last time I was there, the only way I can do that is if dates are listed, and it's a lot easier if they're organized that way.

But I agree about sensible organizing principles. I did a poll a while back ( here, and to my surprise, the biggest plurality was in favor of organizing by pairing.

[nestra]

I don't mind organization by date if everything is on one page because, as you said, I can always use Find. Same case with alphabetization. My problem is when, say, I click on a fandom, and the resulting page has links to "2006 stories," "2005 stories," and "2004 stories." At that point, Find is useless, and I weep like a child.

I did a poll a while back (here, and to my surprise, the biggest plurality was in favor of organizing by pairing.

That's a surprise to me too, and it seems like it could cause problems with stories that are gen, or are hard to classify by pairing. Thinking about it, I would guess that explicitly dating stories isn't that important to me because I assume that I would read something in an author's LJ rather than on their site. It's definitely a big change from the way I used to consume my fan fiction.

[gchick]

RSS!

Also, (like the other comments) I hedged on one index vs. separate ones by fandom -- I dislike working through a whole flurry of pages with only a link or two on each just as much as a long page with all 5000 of Mlle. Uberprolifica's stories, so I think it has to depend on the size of the chunks.

[corinna_5]

RSS? It's called LiveJournal :)

I have like 20 Smallville stories, and maybe 20 more in everything else total -- I'm hedging by combining all the fandoms I haven't written more than 5 stories in into an "Other" category so far.

BTW, if I can figure out the links to LJ, I'll be sending you the folder Real Soon, like within the next day or two. You can't hook me up with a login of my own, can you?

[gchick]

What can I say? I've been thinking a great deal about content syndication lately. (You could make everything into pdf's and then distribute them as a podcast! Didja know that?)

I should be able to hook you up with a proper login with no problem - I'll look into it tonight. But ping me if I get distracted.

[corinna_5]

Ping! ;)

[zing_och]

I'd like there to be a feedback button on the bottom - I don't really care if that leads to LJ or whatever, but if there isn't, I'm always too lazy to leave feedback.

[corinna_5]

If I had the patience to code a comments box directly into the site, I think that would be my preferred choice - since I don't, it'll have to be LJ for the stories that have LJ links, and maybe e-mail or a link to a LJ announcement post for the rest.