Blog Categories

[Brother Tyler]

We are close to changing the limit on the number of blogs that members can create from 1 to unlimited. The one thing that we need to settle on before that happens, though, is the Categories. We currently have two Categories: Members and Advertisers. The Advertisers Category will be kept, but the Members Category will be replaced with a slew of other Categories.

 

Two quick notes...

 

When capitalized ("Category(ies)"), I am referring to the Categories at the Blogs feature level - the Categories into which all blogs are organized. When not capitalized ("category(ies)"), I am referring to the internal categories that members create for the internal organization of their blogs. This discussion is solely about the Categories that apply throughout the Blogs feature. As much as possible, members will have complete freedom in creating their own blog categories.

 

An important aspect of the content architecture is tags. We will create a system of Categories that works under most circumstances, with tags complementing the Categories. Since members will be given as much freedom as possible in both the organization and content of their blogs, there may be times when the baseline Category structure doesn't quite work. For example, we have opted to not create Categories for different games. Instead, projects that are focused on specific games should include the appropriate tags.

 

Here is the current list of Categories that we are considering:

 

Miscellaneous

Imperium

Adepta Sororitas and Ecclesiarchy

Adeptus Astartes/Legiones Astartes

Black Templars & Descendants

Blood Angels & Successors

Dark Angels & Successors

Deathwatch

Grey Knights

Imperial Fists & Successors

Iron Hands & Successors

Legio B&C

Legion of the Damned

Raven Guard & Successors

Salamanders & Successors

Space Wolves & Successors

Ultramarines & Successors

White Scars & Successors

Talons of the Emperor

Adeptus Mechanicus and Cult Mechanicus

Collegia Titanica

Astra Militarum & Solar Auxilia

Imperial Knights

Chaos

Chaos Daemons

Chaos Knights

Heretic Astartes

Alpha Legion

Death Guard & Nurgle

Emperor's Children & Slaanesh

Iron Warriors

Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus/Black Legion

Night Lords

Thousand Sons & Tzeentch

Word Bearers

World Eaters & Khorne

Xenos

Aeldari

Asuryani

Drukhari

Harlequins

Genestealer Cults

Leagues of Votann

Necrons

Orks

T'au

Tyranids

Modeling, Sculpting, and Painting

Game Play

Editorials and Opinions

 

To illustrate the envisioned outcome with the tags, imagine that a member is working on a project to create an Ultramarines army. Regardless of game system, that blog would be placed in the Ultramarines category (under Imperium and Adeptus Astartes). If that army is for the 10th edition of the Warhammer 40,000 game, it might be given the tag WH40K 10e (or it might not - the Warhammer 40,000 game is assumed to be the default, so it might be omitted unless you want to specify a previous edition). If that army is for the Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness game, it should be given the appropriate tag (we haven't settled on that one yet, but it may be something along the lines of HHAoD 2e). It would be entirely possible for the member to simply create a massive blog intended to cover all of their Ultramarines projects, across different editions of different games, and possibly including all kinds of other things like battle reports, homegrown rules, etc. In this case, the member might use different categories within their blog, assigning appropriate tags to each category and/or the entries within. For example, the member might have both a Primaris army for the WH40K game, a firstborn army for the Horus Heresy setting/game, a fleet for Battlefleet Gothic, a kill team for the Kill Team game, homegrown rules for Captain Invictus, etc. The member might decide that each of these might be a separate category within their Ultramarines blog, assigning each the appropriate tag.

 

There are going to be times when a member's concept for their blog doesn't fit neatly within the overall Category structure that we create, in which case the Miscellaneous Category is there. In this case, members should use (meta-/sub-)faction tags to help members to find the content in which they are interested. For example, At one time I created tokens for the 2018 version of the Kill Team game. These tokens spanned all of the various factions of the game. Tokens don't really fit into one of our Blog Categories, so I would have located that blog (had we had Blogs at that time) in the Miscellaneous Category and assigned the Kill Team 2018 tag to the blog, then I would have assigned tags for each entry in which I presented a faction (e.g., the entry with the Exorcists tokens would have had the Exorcists Chapter tag).

 

All that said, if you think we need to make any changes to the proposed Categories, please post your suggestions here.

 

Also note that the increase to unlimited blogs means that there will be a progression of achievement badges for creating blogs. The achievement for creating a blog has been changed to green (from gold). We are looking at the entire achievements system, though, so we won't implement the entire progression until we get the overall system redone. That is still a work in progress, though, so it won't happen for a bit. Once the revision is implemented, though, achievement badges will be retroactively awarded.

[Bouargh]

I like It, yet I am not sure I really understand what is underneath the GamePlay category. Does it refer to Bat Reps, leagues ... or other things? Or does it include also other stuff such as gaming aids, rooster sheet... and eventually the tokens mentionned as example?

[Brother Tyler]

That's one that would need a description. It's about tactics, battle reports, and stuff like that. I could see members creating homegrown rules blogs therein (unless they want to focus them in faction-specific Categories).

[ZeroWolf]

I think it's a solid list and in your breakdown you answered a question before I could even ask it (my blog drifts from one topic to another depending on my current whims, I've been using tags to sort them).

[Brother Tyler]

If you haven't seen the announcement, the expanded Blogs Categories have been implemented and there is no longer a limit on the number of blogs that members can create.

 

Those of you with existing blogs are free to turn each of your categories (presumably each as a separate project) into a separate blog. You'll have to create each such new blog first, then you can move the existing categories into the new blogs. I'll post a tutorial later.

[Bouargh]

Hi,

 

Just started the process of spliting my Blog into new ones focussing on specific aspects/alliegence.

I created one for latter moving all my AdMech stuff into the new structure. I noticed the changes on the "Category" management but so far I did not found how to move these from one Blog to another. I will resume once the tutorial will be available.

 

Incidentally I also have a question: if the former blog was designed with some broad categories mixing stuff, is there a easy possibility to move not the whole category but only one entry for example? Not that it is critical in any way, but just to know.

 

Thnx

[Brother Tyler]

Yes, you can move blog entries. I'll include that in the tutorial. I've been distracted with some real world stuff and my article about the Codex Astartes, but the tutorial is on the high priority list.

[Bouargh]

Just noticed something:

 

While creating a new Blog, I associated it with the Category "Asuryanii", whcih in the structure covers Aeldarii, Drukharii and Herlequins should I remember properly. Yet by doing that, it looks like the Blog cannot be reached by the shortcut access set under each subforum. It cant be reached only by the subcategory table on the Blog Landing page clicking up to Assuryanni. Just as the BLogs from the Misc. category.

... My mistake. I was maybe (secretly) hoping the linkage would make it available in an indistinct way from each subforum associted to Asuryanii. Which was presomptuous.

 

 

Yet after that it looks like one cannot update the connection himself while going through the "Manage Blog" menu in order to reassign the Blog to a subcategory associated to an hypertext link.

I am not convinced the option to reaffect needs to be set in the "Managing options" and may be such mistakes should be corrected by request to the Admin, should one ask for a relocation. But is it even possible?

[Brother Tyler]

I think the easy answer at this point is for me to add links to the Aeldari and Harlequin blogs (in addition to the link to the Asuryani blogs).

 

I'll look into the ability for blog authors to recategorize blogs/entries. I'll have to enlist someone's help with that (and I'm already working on that) since I have broader permissions as an Administrator and don't always see the limitations that other members work under.

 

I noticed that one of your entries isn't published. Was that deliberate?

 

Speaking of enlisting someone's help, I'm working on that so that I can get the tutorials done for everyone. I already created my additional blogs and moved things around, so the only way for me to create the tutorials would be for me to either create a bunch of new entries (I am far too busy for that right now) or get help from someone else. That person has just agreed to help, so I hope to have the tutorial up late this weekend or early next week.

 

[Bouargh]

9 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

I noticed that one of your entries isn't published. Was that deliberate?

 

Yes, it is deliberate. I am still not fully satisfied by what I wrote. And I also tend to wrote in advance and use the scheduled publishing ("... So that my huge and immense fanbase is is regularly fed with the so excellent content I can propose!" -> Self convinction exercice . Autohypnoses would probably give far better results...).

 

9 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

 

Speaking of enlisting someone's help, I'm working on that so that I can get the tutorials done for everyone. I already created my additional blogs and moved things around, so the only way for me to create the tutorials would be for me to either create a bunch of new entries (I am far too busy for that right now) or get help from someone else. That person has just agreed to help, so I hope to have the tutorial up late this weekend or early next week.

 

 

If you need someone to test the procedure for moving entries and categories, I can take part in the beta testing burden. I've planned to move stuff around at least into the 2 new Blogs I've created (Mechanicus and Asuryanii, the former being qtm an emplty shell), so why not take the opportunity? I have moreover very limited internet and computer use abilities so I can also play the role of the Dummy. If I can do it, anybody can.

 

 

 

@Brother Tyler: Just share the tutorial and I will play test from Sunday eve.

[Brother Tyler]

Okay, it turns out that members can't move blog categories/entries. I've confirmed by using a Frater Domus account, and I determined that there wasn't a setting that I could change to enable blog category/entry movement by members.

 

All you can do in this effort is create the new blogs in the appropriate categories. Once you have created all of the new blogs that you want, you can contact me to let me know which categories/entries to move from your existing blog into the new blog(s) (and which blog to move each into).

[Brother Tyler]

D'oh! I couldn't move another member's blog category/entry into one of their new blogs. All I could do was move it into one of my own blogs (I didn't do that, of course, but that's what my options were limited to).

 

I'm going to have to dig into this more. It's perplexing that I can move my stuff around but others can't be given similar permissions. My assumption is that I'm missing something (and must therefore submit myself to the pain glove once I figure it out).

[Brother Tyler]

Okay, my search for some setting(s) has been fruitless.

 

I've come up with a workaround. It involves a lot of work for me, but I'm willing to do that work for anyone.

• First, you need to create all of the new blogs into which you want your existing blogs/blog categories to be moved. If you don't want the original blog in the Miscellaneous category, don't create one of the new blogs (ideally the one that has the most entries in your original blog) - I'll change the category of the original blog (see below).
• To keep me honest (you'll find out why this is important below), you should take a screenshot of the listing of all of your blogs (and as much more as you want). This is for your protection.
• Then you'll need to post a reply in this discussion telling me:
  • Which new blog each of your categories/entries [in your original blog] should be moved.
  • The name of the category that you want each blog category/entry to be moved into.
  • Which category you want your original blog moved into (assuming you don't want to keep it in the Miscellaneous category).
• This is where things get shady (hence my recommendation for screenshots above)...
• Once I have your PM, I will change ownership of all of your blogs to me. This will allow me to move everything around according to the instructions that you provide. After that, I'll delete the now empty categories in the original blog. Once I've completed all of that, I will change ownership of all of your blogs back to you and I will post a reply in this discussion letting you know that the work is complete. The reason I suggest replies in this discussion rather than PMs is so that there is public visibility (another element of keeping me honest).

This won't be a difficult task, but it will be time-consuming - the more projects you plan to have, the longer it will take (and I don't mind that one bit).

 

Now if you don't want to go through this hassle, that's completely up to you. However, the staff is in the process of revising the achievements and there will be a progression for the creation of new blogs. There is already a progression for the creation of new blog entries, so those won't be affected whether they all remain in a single blog or they are spread around multiple blogs. If you have a dozen or so projects collected in a single blog (i.e., your original blog), you'll only earn the achievement for that one blog. If you create blogs for separate projects, however, you'll earn multiple achievements. The choice is up to you.

 

If you want to see the outcome of the process I've described above, take a look at @Ioldanach's blogs here. He was the guinea pig that was trying to help with the tutorials, then found out that only the admins can move blog entries around (so it's all his fault ).

[Bouargh]

 

Hi,

 

@Brother Tyler: So let's see how it works and if it does not make you crouch and crash under the burden:
 

First ste, my List of Blogs :

-          Bouargh´s miniatures´ closet clean-up

-          Pointy and Spiky - (“Aeldari”)

-          AM Not-Stygies - A Blog about building a new Army - (“Adeptus-mechanicus-and-mechanicum”)

-          Bad Mood Rising – (“Miscellaneous”)

-          How to pretend not starting an army – (“Astra-militarum-and-imperial-army”)

 

All have been created.

 

Second step: identification of existing categories from the original Blog to be moved to New blogs.

 

Category from Bouargh´s miniatures´ closet clean-up	Move existing category to Blog :
Freeblade	AM Not-Stygies - A Blog about building a new Army
10th Edition	Pointy and Spiky
GorkaMorka	Bad Mood Rising
New Year/New Army	AM Not-Stygies - A Blog about building a new Army	For some reason this category appears as being in duplicate. Both should be moved.
Milestone	Bad Mood Rising
Edito	Bad Mood Rising
Bitz Box Management	How to pretend not starting an army
Epic 2nd Ed	Bad Mood Rising
Review	Bad Mood Rising
Not GSC	How to pretend not starting an army
House Rules	AM Not-Stygies - A Blog about building a new Army
Aeldarii	Pointy and Spiky
Drukhari	Pointy and Spiky

 

All and any category unlisted stay in the Bouargh´s miniatures´ closet clean-up, where it was born and raised initially.

By the way this process made me notice that some Categories exists in duplicate or more. I ignore why...

 

Third step: Reset/relocate Bouargh´s miniatures´ closet clean-up from “Miscellaneous” to “Modeling-sculpting-and-painting”

 

I guess I have it all. I keep it like that, without adding extra complication such as moving some individual posts too. 

 

Thanx

 

 

[Brother Tyler]

All done, hopefully correctly.

 

If I screwed anything up, please let me know ASAP so I can fix it.

[Bouargh]

@Brother Tyler I would say only 2 things:

1. It looks like everything is OK 

2. A big Thank you for the job done.

[W.A.Rorie]

So I was able to create new Blogs (Adepta Sororitas, Grey Knights, Imperial Fists & Successors, and Astra Militarum) and move the posts I wanted in the new blogs. I left my original Blog with the subjects that either I did not want to move or that will be moved when I restart the projects they are assigned to.