New and Improved Guidelines for Cataloguing Posts

[Cindy C.]

Hi, all,

As Elkins mentioned, we thought it would be helpful to gather up the 
issues that we have discussed and put them in one message for easy 
reference.  We've also tinkered with the database a bit and refined 
how we'll handle keyword issues, so I'll explain how that has 
changed.


WHAT TO INCLUDE?

Our goal, of course, is to produce a catalogue of coherent and canon-
based posts on every conceivable canon issue that has been 
discussed, and particularly posts and threads that someone will 
eventually use to write or update a FAQ.  So we're looking for posts 
that are interesting, amusing and/or well-reasoned, and that have 
good analysis and good form.  No theory is too outlandish to be 
included in the database.  Let the FAQ editor decide whether "Lupin 
was an unpaid auror" makes it into the FAQ.

What posts should we *not* include in the catalogue?  We should not 
include posts that make no canon point (OT, LOL!, me too!), posts 
that have atrocious form (spelling, grammar, etc.), extremely short 
posts, posts that merely repeat what others have said much better in 
the same thread, and gibberish.  

That said, if you run across a truly awful thread and wind up citing 
no posts at all from that thread, please do go back and pick the 
best post from that discussion so that we won't miss entire threads.

What constitutes a thread?  Well, that gets a bit tricky.  You might 
run across a single post that drew no responses, or a new post that 
drew only one response, and you might find that nothing in these 
brief threads is worth preserving.  This can happen when someone's 
message does discuss canon but really is more of a statement of 
personal preference ("I sure hope Sirius doesn't die!")  or when the 
post that started the thread was just not very good.  In these 
instances, use your judgment about whether to jot down a post from 
the thread.  The idea here is that if there is some value in making 
sure that the thread is not lost and gone forever, then you should 
select a post from the thread.  Otherwise, don't worry about it.

Those reviewing messages should review all types of messages except 
for FILKs and ADMINs, including SHIP, FF and TBAY.

HOW TO CHOOSE KEYWORDS

When deciding what keywords to use to represent a post, you should 
try to keep in mind how the completed document is likely to be 
used.  It is inevitable that FAQ editors and other users of the 
finished product will have to enter multiple keywords in order to 
find posts that suit their purposes.  It is also a given that the 
users will be reading the contents cell to learn what the posts are 
about.  The function of the keywords is to allow users to narrow 
down their search; it is not to give a full description of the 
content of the post.  That is what the "content" cell is for.

So the key here is to keep the keywords simple.  Very simple.  Use 
them to designate the subject of the post on the broadest level -- 
by character name, by magical item, by overall concept –- and let 
the content cell serve to elaborate on the more nuanced elaborations 
and distinctions.  

We have allowed only three cells for keyword designation.  Sometimes 
you may find that this is just not enough.  When this happens, 
insert a new row for further description of the post.  Be sure to 
remember to give the new row the same message number!  Even though 
the message numbers of the two rows will be identical, Excel will 
still not recognize them as the same, and it will not be able to 
combine the keywords from both rows when it sorts.  Therefore, try 
to keep related keywords on the same line.  A combined post that 
dealt in a substantive manner with both the relationship between 
Snape and Dumbledore and the relative merits of the H/H and H/G 
ship, for example, might be given three separate rows in Excel, 
looking something like this:

30,489; Snape; Dumbledore
30,489; SHIP; Harry; Hermione
30,489; SHIP; Harry; Ginny

This layout would ensure that a SnapeFAQ editor, a SHIPFAQ editor, 
the editor of the Harry FAQ and the editor of a Ginny FAQ would all 
be able to call up this post by using sensible and obvious 
combinations of keywords.


CONSISTENCY ISSUES

Here are the general guidelines for selecting keywords.

1.	Character names – all students go by first name, all adults 
go by last, except for where this could become misleading or 
confusing (Weasleys, Potters).

So it's Draco, Neville, Harry and Ron.  Their fathers are Malfoy, 
Longbottom, James and Arthur.  Their mothers are Narcissa, Mrs. 
Longbottom, Lily and Molly.  Common sense should hold sway here, of 
course.  Obviously there is a Crouch Sr and a Crouch Jr.  A post 
about teenaged Riddle should be keyed to "Voldemort."  

2.	Animals and magical creatures should be referred to by name 
(Erroll, Winky) unless discussed generically (owls, house elves).

3.	Spells should be referred to in some logical fashion.  Defer 
to what has already been entered in the keyword database.  If the 
database already contains "Summoning Charm" and you prefer "Accio," 
be flexible and go with "Summoning Charm."

4.	Please key contests/puzzles and results to the 
keyword "Contest."

5.	Posts dealing with romantic or sexual relationships between 
characters should carry the keyword "SHIP" even if the poster forgot 
to use the prefix on the list itself.  Do not attempt to convey 
ships by means of any other keyword.  Instead, leave that to the 
content field.  A LOLLIPOPS post, for example, might have 
keywords "Snape," "Lily," "James," "SHIP," and (if it were a TBAY 
post) "TBAY."  Do not use the slashed shipping shorthand (H/H, R/H, 
etc.) as keywords.

6.	For SHIP, TBAY and FF, please use the prefix and other 
keywords depending on canon point.  Please do not include separate 
keywords for acronyms; we have over 200 different acronyms in use on 
the list.  Instead, use appropriate keywords to describe the canon 
point of the post, using the comments field for the acronym.  
Remember, garden variety acronym posts are not TBAY and so do not 
require the prefix.

7.	You might encounter SHIP posts and TBAY posts in which the 
prefix was used improperly, either because the poster neglected to 
use the appropriate prefix or because s/he used it when it was not 
necessary.  Go ahead and rectify these errors when you catalogue.  A 
post which makes reference to an established theory by means of 
shorthand (ie, Fourth Man, Big Bang, MAGIC DISHWASHER) and does not 
elucidate the meaning of that theory in the post should still carry 
a TBAY designation, even if the poster did not write in a "TBAY 
style."

8.	For posts which deal with literary analysis, do your best to 
describe the subject matter of the post (Foreshadowing, Deus ex 
Machina, Characterization), but go with what is already in the 
database whenever you can.


ADDING KEYWORDS TO THE DATABASE

As we are rapidly approaching 200 keywords, try not to duplicate 
concepts in the keywords database.  When sitting down to do a day's 
cataloguing, make sure that you have the most recent version of the 
database before you begin.  When confronted with a new concept or 
subject, look over the list first to make sure that someone has not 
already entered a word that would suit your purposes.  There is no 
need to get too finicky about distinctions in connotation.  If there 
is already an entry for "Pride," for example, then you probably do 
not need to add a new keyword for "Stubborness."  The two words do 
not really have the same meaning at all, but they are close enough 
in how they are generally used on the list to refer to the same type 
of post.

Similarly, try to keep a lookout for antonyms (Age and Youth, 
Responsibility and Irresponsibility).  While there are a few 
exceptions, generally speaking a single keyword will suffice for 
both a concept and its antithesis.

If keeping all this in mind you still find nothing in the current 
database that suits, then come up with a new keyword that you feel 
best expresses the concept you are attempting to define.  Do try to 
keep your keywords relatively broad in scope.  Remember that we are 
using character names as keywords, but we are not adding character 
names to the database.

Before adding any new keywords to the database, be sure to refresh 
the database and give it one last scan to make sure that no one has 
recently added any synonyms for the concepts that you wished to 
define.  If someone has beaten you to the punch on the keywords, 
then please go back to your catalogue and make the appropriate 
changes.  "Search and Replace" is your best friend here.

If, however, there are still no keywords covering the concepts you 
have defined in the database, then go ahead and add your new 
keywords.  It is often useful to give an explanatory definition in 
parantheses after the word itself (ie, "Apparate [includes 
Disapparating]").  Remember that what seems an obvious usage to you 
may not be at all obvious to others; try to make your meaning as 
clear as you can when you add new words to the database.

Because we have a number of people working on this project (and hope 
to have even more doing so in the future), it is best to work from 
as recent a version of the database as possible when cataloguing.  
This greatly reduces the chances that you will have to go back and 
replace the new keywords that you have used while cataloguing.


DATABASE CHANGES

I went through the database and made some changes to make it 
consistent with what we've said on the subject recently:

I changed "Analysis (posts dealing with how readers see and react to 
canon)" and made it "Reader Reaction (posts dealing with how readers 
see and react to canon)."

I deleted "Apparition" because we already had "Apparate."

I deleted "ENSLAVEMENT," "SOPE," "LOLLIPOPS" and "FLIRTIAC" because 
they are acronyms.

I deleted "Get Fuzzy (comic strip)" because it sounds OT.

I deleted "Movie" because movie posts would be off-topic and should 
be skipped for that reason.

I deleted "Troll (refers to the poster, not the creature)" because 
it sounds OT.  If someone later comes across a post discussing 
trolls as magical creatures, feel free to add "troll" back in.

It might be best to go ahead and global replace now if you used any 
of these deleted terms.  If you feel that you are too far along to 
make the corrections now (or if you're not comfortable with 
the "Replace" feature), just start using the keywords in the 
database from this point forward and we'll clean up your keywords 
later.

Does all of this make sense and sound workable?  Are there any other 
general guidelines that we've missed?  Let us know.

Cindy