It would be helpful if each who posts here would us a label from the list of labels. See the bottom right "Show all" in the Create screen. You can also create a label of your own if you don't see a label which fits your post.
Labels allow for searching for posts more easily - by topic and by the one who posts.
Thanks.
And if you forget, don't sweat it. I believe, however, that the labels will add to ease of searching archives here at IBA.
18 comments:
This comes a bit late, doesn't it? It took me almost longer to browse through the fuzzy label-chaos to find some that were vaguely apropos than to write my last post.
I think a limited number of labels given by the administrators would be a better idea. As it is, they are definitely no help to search for a given topic.
No unkindness meant. Just trying to be constructive.
I have another possible solution. Get the Google toolbar. Whatever site you're on you can type in what you're looking for and hit "search this site." Pretty handy. I use it all the time.
But I will use labels on all my posts from now on.
Editrix,
I know what you mean. We have a plethora of labels.
I tend to stick to a few labels I use on a regular basis, though I do add others from time to time.
Sometimes I find that I can remember who posted something and use that means. That's why you see me adding "Always On Watch" to every one of my postings.
CW,
I'll have to check into the Google toolbar. I've never tried it.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I should have left a link. What was I thinking?
Google Toolbar
It is free, of course, and has other useful features like PageRank, AutoFill, and Highlighting. It's very useful.
The problem is that there is no "labelling discipline" among the authors. Case in point: Islam.
There are Islam, Islam Channel, Islam Expo, Islam in American schools, Islam in Europe, Islam in France, Islam in the UK, Islam in the USA, Islam in the West, Islam vs. Islamism?, Islamic culture, Islamic economics, Islamic extremism, Islamic Irony, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Saudi Academy, Islamic terror, Islamic values, Islamic Veil, Islamification, Islamism, Islamization, Islamization of Britain, Islamo-Fascism, Islamomania, Islamophilia and Islamophobia. In my opinion, two labels would cover all that, namely "Islam" and "Dhimmitude" (or "Submission to Islam" or whatever). Islam IS evil, Islam IS Djihad. Islam IS terror and Islamification and Islamization (I guess we can be grateful that we were spared "Islamisation") are the same. We do not need a sub-label for any marginal topic. (What about "Islam in County Durham"? Ha ha!) If I am writing about the Islamisation (sic!) of Germany and, for example, Chancellor Angela Merkel is mentioned, it would make no sense to create a label for that person.
Hell, people don't even bother to spell or capitalise their labels correctly!
It looks a horrible mess and is thus no credit to this blog and -- worse -- it renders the label functionality totally useless.
For searching purposes, I recommend adding the Blogger Navbar.
Again, no unkindness meant. I am trying to be constructive.
I tend to agree with Editrix about the number of Islam tags. I could have given my last one several; I opted for (I think) Islam in the UK. I try to use the most appropriate one each time, and not to add any. I did add "gay" since it wasn't there and I was asked to blog as the resident poofter, though not all my posts concern sexuality. However, that tag, I humbly submit, was needed. I do think the tag area needs a clean-up, however, since you may get Islam in Europe for one UK post and Islam in the UK on another, and someone using the tags to find relevant stories six months down the line may miss out on some because different authors have used different tags for very similar stories. Occam's Razor.
Andy,
You said: "I was asked to blog as the resident poofter, though not all my posts concern sexuality."
I say: Is that how I phrased it to you? LOL. I must be a jerk.
Blog as you blog. The subjects on Pink Triangle often deal with homosexuality and freedom vs. Islam.
I do think that's a topic that needs to be discussed here. However, I doubt you are the only gay writer here. You're just the only writer who consistently deals with the subject.
Thanks to all for the input here!
If you think of additional suggestions, please don't hesitate to make them.
Please note that I'm one of several adminstrators, and I do need to check with the most tech proficient of them to take any action. I don't want to foul up the site or, worse, make it crash.
To clean up the list of labels, an adminstrator has to go back through all the posts to do the cleanup, which is way too time consuming to get done any time soon, now that I'm back to work. I can, of course, work backwards and do some editing of labels. Keep in mind that once a label is on the list, that label is permanently listed.
Here's why we have so many labels: the option suddenly appeared as a new offering by Blogger, and those of us who chose to use labels went willy nilly with the new feature. With so many authors here, we have many different takes on what an appropriate label is; I've seen this same problem at other team blogs.
As to using broad categorization via labels, that pulls up loads of articles. IMO, some specificity is needed. For example, a general label followed by a more specific one such as Eurabia followed by UK or anti-dhimmitude followed by Nethelands.
The lack of consistency is the biggest problem. But a site with this many authors is never going to be perfect with regard to consistency, especially with each of enjoying so much autonomy.
Another problem: the old Blogger/new Blogger limitations. For example, at one of my new Blogger sites, the labels are indexed on the sidebar, and that listing much facilitates searching via any particular label. I don't think that old Blogger offers that option. And IBA is an old Blogger site, I think.
And, to complicate matters, switching from old Blogger to new Blogger can result in losing all the customizations on the sidebar.
I'll need to look into installing the tools mentioned in the above comments. But, again, I'll have to work around my work obligations.
The reason I mentioned adding an author tag to each post: I use IBA for reference. Much of the time I can recall who posted something and like to search that way. But, hey, that's just me.
Andy,
I agree that you needed to add the label.
Pastorius, me old mucker, me old mate. No, I wasn't saying you'd used those words. In keeping with conventional courtesy when insulting people, the straights among you (and I suppose there are a few) aren't allowed to call us poofs poofs, but we poofs are! Not that I mind. I've been called worse things! Yours in blogging brotherhood, the Resident Poofter. Just don't call me old.
hahahah, what a childish blog, grew up man
I was joking. I knew I didn't say that to you.
:)
But, just for the record, I've been called a poofter and a fag more than my share. I know what it's like.
When I was younger, becuase of the way I looked (I was a singer in a rock band and I had a very flamboyant person and style) I used to get harrassed all the time.
I know what gay people go through.
I had a group of construction guys throw nails at me one time. That's pretty fucking dangerous.
So yeah, I know what it's like.
I was joking. I knew I didn't say that to you.
:)
But, just for the record, I've been called a poofter and a fag more than my share. I know what it's like.
When I was younger, becuase of the way I looked (I was a singer in a rock band and I had a very flamboyant person and style) I used to get harrassed all the time.
I know what gay people go through.
I had a group of construction guys throw nails at me one time. That's pretty fucking dangerous.
So yeah, I know what it's like.
I was joking. I knew I didn't say that to you.
:)
But, just for the record, I've been called a poofter and a fag more than my share. I know what it's like.
When I was younger, becuase of the way I looked (I was a singer in a rock band and I had a very flamboyant person and style) I used to get harrassed all the time.
I know what gay people go through.
I had a group of construction guys throw nails at me one time. That's pretty fucking dangerous.
So yeah, I know what it's like.
I have never found a way to remove labels once they've been created. If you find out how, I'd love to know.
So even if you DID take the time to narrow the labels down to a few, the enormous list would still show when you're writing a blog post, and it would not indicate which were the ones we were using now.
Either everyone use the Google Toolbar, or add a search box in the sidebar. I can get you the code for one if you like.
CW,
I may take you up on that offer.
What benefits does it have over the Blogger search box at the top left of the site?
If you prefer, you can reach me via email, which is available at the top of my home page.
Post a Comment