Select multiple categories for a story?

[openthighs_sarah]

I was just wondering if anyone had ever suggested to Laurel/Manu the idea of allowing stories to be placed into multiple categories. I'm sure it's come up before, but I was wondering if a response was ever provided.

Almost every story on the site, I would think, could be placed in at least two categories, if not more. I recently posted an "incest" story, and a number of readers told me they wouldn't ordinarily have read that category. (Okay, so maybe that's a standard line on the Lit site, but still...) I think a lot of stories would get read much more frequently if they could be cross-indexed on the site.

I know this isn't nearly as simple a change as, say, changing the "Toys" category to "Toys and Masturbation" (thanks Laurel!), and maybe it really would be too difficult to implement. But it might be a nice new feature if the powers that be ever decide to do a major overhaul of the site...

If this has already been covered and re-covered many times, I apologize. Just a thought.

~sarah

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

openthighs_sarah

Your best bet (probably) is to use the keyword function to indicate other categories that may be involved with your story. I've got a hunch putting a story in several different categories would require a slug of extra storage space.

By the way, you received a nice compliment on the Story Feedback forum. I believe the thread was titled, "Couples Stories".

Rumple Foreskin

 

[openthighs_sarah]

openthighs_sarah

Your best bet (probably) is to use the keyword function to indicate other categories that may be involved with your story. I've got a hunch putting a story in several different categories would require slug of extra storage space.

Maybe, but I think it would be more a matter of changing the database design. Instead of storing the category as an attribute of a story, a separate table would store links between stories and categories. Big table, but only two fairly small fields in each row. Then the primary logic of the site itself would have to be modified to join both tables together on retrieval. <turns to show diagram on blackboard, then blushes and runs off...>

And I know the keyword thing works... but does the average reader use keywords? I wonder what the statistics are on that...

By the way, you received a nice compliment on the Story Feedback forum. I believe the thread was titled, "Couples Stories".

Rumple Foreskin

Thank you! -- I'll check that out...

 

[Lovepotion69]

Regarding the keyword function. I didn't even know they had that too be honest until I posted my first story. Normally I just go by the index.

Maybe I just never looked too far down on the Story Index page to see that there were search functions available...

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Lovepotion69

I've got a hunch openthighs_sarah is right about it being a very underused function. However, it can come in handy when looking for cross-category stories such as Interracial Love & Loving Wives. Someone was looking for a particualr story that had a military background. Going to search, picking Erotic Couplings and then entering miliatry came up with a bunch of hits, including the story he wanted.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[peterpan]

This thread sounds familiar

By using checkboxes on the submission page, the keywords could be formalised. (or just a piece of text explaining lit keyword conventions: ff,mff etc)

Its been argued that people would just put their story under everything, but personally I would like to be able to search by excluding keywords.

I hate reading tales that go somewhere I have no interest in going some pages in.

 

[pointless]

i've often wondered if they could just make up some sub-categories, but i'm sure that wouldn't be too easy either.

 

[Guest]

This thread sounds familiar

By using checkboxes on the submission page, the keywords could be formalised. (or just a piece of text explaining lit keyword conventions: ff,mff etc)

Its been argued that people would just put their story under everything, but personally I would like to be able to search by excluding keywords.

I hate reading tales that go somewhere I have no interest in going some pages in.

_____

The conventions peterpan mention are becoming standard: very simple radio-button-picks used by other erotic websites for categorizing stories--single clicks of the mouse by the author are all that's needed to indicate categories for FF, or MFM, or MF, etc., etc.

I would like to see Lit (one day) use this conventional system, and it would actually simplify the database and indexing, not complicate it.

 

[MathGirl]

New category, new category

I've always been disappointed that there's no category that my stuff fits into. When are they going to open a new category called just plain, "Smut?"

MG

 

[SlaveMasterUK]

When I posted my story, it was suggested I put it in Novels and Novellas with a whole bunch of keywords linking it back to non-consent, BDSM and Lesbian type stories. I found that the keyword space wasn't long enough to cover the whole scope of the story.

I have used the Search function in the past and didn't realise it only worked on keywords. I read a story once and tried to find it again by typing in some words I positively knew existed in the story, assuming it would search the story files, but didn't find any matches. I've still never found the story.

I deliberately put some very specific words (i.e. Words I Made Up) in my stories so I can find them on-line, but if other sites use this keyword facility I won't find my stories there.

ax

 

[susurrus]

Regarding the keyword conventions: (mf, ff, mdom, etc)

I first came across keyword abbreviations on asstr (some dangerous and sick shit there, got to be careful). Especially there, those keys are helpful, so you have some idea before you get into a story whether there's something lurking that you don't want to poke your nose into.

Of course, not *all* stories there have those keywords... So let the reader beware...

 

[HedbangerSA]

Multiple Categories

I posted a new story yesterday, asking if I could put it in both NonConsent and Incest - the story is still pending and I haven't heard an answer yet. I'll let you know what I hear. BTW, I loved your new Anal story ( the rest stop one - gave you a "5") I had a little trouble picturing how the coupling, especially the anal, through the wall would actually work, but it was so much fun thinking about it I didn't mind much! I was expecting Dave (?) the guy on the other side, to expand enough that he'd get stuck, the rest stop wall acting as a giant cock ring. But I guess that's another story.

 

[openthighs_sarah]

Re: Multiple Categories

I posted a new story yesterday, asking if I could put it in both NonConsent and Incest - the story is still pending and I haven't heard an answer yet. I'll let you know what I hear. BTW, I loved your new Anal story ( the rest stop one - gave you a "5") I had a little trouble picturing how the coupling, especially the anal, through the wall would actually work, but it was so much fun thinking about it I didn't mind much! I was expecting Dave (?) the guy on the other side, to expand enough that he'd get stuck, the rest stop wall acting as a giant cock ring. But I guess that's another story.

Thank you! And please do let me know what you hear, as I'm very curious (although I think ProofreadManx's idea about selecting attributes via checkbox for each story is an excellent idea).

As far as the actual mechanics of the coupling in that story, I worked under the assumption that "Dave" was big and flexible enough -- and pretty much impervious to pain -- so that anything was possible. My credo, stolen from Hallmark stores everywhere: "Anything is possible if only you believe."