A cataloguing question (or three, or nine...)

[Cindy C.]

Kimberly asked:

> -Is there a list somewhere of accepted topic names/terms so I 
>don't use the wrong descriptor and screw up searching, or is it 
>pretty much just whatever makes sense?  

Yup, there's a list, all right.  Click on "Database" and 
select "Catalogue Topic Terms."  This will give you a database of 
about 250 keywords that we are using.  If you click "Printable 
Record," you will get one long list of these words that is 
scrollable and searchable (CTRL + F to find terms).  We're not 
cataloguing character names at all, instead using last names for 
adults and first names for students for the most part.  

Before you add a new word to the database, page through it and see 
if you can find a keyword that suits your needs so that the database 
doesn't get any bigger.  If you decide to add a new key word (I had 
to add "Humor" just today in fact), be sure to define it so that 
others will understand how to use it.  You add key words by going 
back to the database and hitting "Add Record."

 
> -How do you prioritize topics?  

Hmmm.  I've been using keywords to describe the discussion in the 
post that is the most in depth or interesting.  Subsequent keyword 
are then used to further define/cross-reference that discussion or 
to refer to another discussion in the same post.  So let's say I 
have a huge post discussing how the Marauders fooled Dumbledore, 
SHIPing between Neville and Ginny, and Peter's devotion to 
Voldemort, with a few uninspiring one-liners dealing with animagi.  
I'd code that something like this:

MWPP Dumbledore
SHIP Ginny Neville
Pettigrew Voldemort

 
> -I can just skip posts that don't say much of anything, yes?

I've been skipping such posts or, in close cases, cataloguing them 
with a description in the comments section that indicates that the 
post isn't great.  For instance, today I was cataloguing a *huge* 
discussion on religion and whether Hogwarts is secular.  A few 
posters had little to say other than, "I'm Jewish, and I *love* 
Easter eggs!"  Given how excellent the rest of the discussion was, I 
skipped the posts that added nothing new.  Similarly, the discussion 
veered wildly off-topic in some posts.  I dealt with that by either 
skipping it entirely (the post was completely about the poster's own 
experience with religious education, for instance) or cataloguing it 
and mentioning that the post was OT but interesting in the comments 
section.

 
> -Also, for posts on multiple subjects, should I make a new row for 
> each subject but with the same post #?

If you need more key words than 3, you'll need to add another row 
that includes the message number.  Again, though, if the post makes 
3 excellent points and 2 unexceptional ones that couldn't possibly 
interest a FAQ editor, I would just catalogue the 3 excellent 
points.  On posts that require a lot of key words and extra Excel 
lines, I've been grouping them in a logical way, even if that leaves 
some keyword columns blank.

 

> kimberly
> -embarassed to show my face after my interminable delurk was 
>posted  (I promise I'm not always that long-winded!)

Aw, not to worry, Kimberly.  We all endured the FAQ list de-lurk 
ritual.  You'll be fine, really you will.  :-D

Cindy