"Question about indexing topics" Topic

Fellow bloggers,

I have started a blog in late January of this year and now have 72 posstings over a wide range of 18th century topics; armies, terrain building, campaigns, tactics and an ImagiNations continent.

How would you go about indexing diverse topics, say if someone wanted to look up a terrain project or all postings about my Archipelago Ameri-go?

Cheers,
Robert
18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com

'Label' them (it can ne done a posteriori under 'edit posts'). The're is a line to enter labels under the main window when you write a most. As I remember you can enter several at once, if separated by comma space? You can chose to have them classed alphabetically. Anyway when you type a label blogger offers you all thosse already entered starting with the same letters; you can also ask for 'show all' and select the one(s) relevant to the current post. Multi-labelling is often convenient (e.g. Amer-igo, native country, invader, battles…)

Jean-Louis,

Thanks for tip. I drafted an index last night (with future projects).

My first idea was to create a seperate page, whose link would be seen on the right side under "followers". This could be regularly updated and allow a bit more space for a descriptive title and the individual topic would link back to the origianl post.

Archipelago Amer-igo:
Inhabitants -link-
Flora and fauna -these would be in italics as future posts-
Wild-life
The Atlantis connection

Or would this be too much work?

New topics could be added to the page as an "edit" of a previous posting. Even after six months, I have a hard time finding a particular post.

cheers,
Robert

I asked my brother who has a sense of these things and this is his response. Hope this is helpful.

"That particular site – that allows you to set up your blog for free, does not have a specific indexing feature. However, all the text that is entered in the blog's topics is indexed as individual text, so if you use the "Search BLOG" box in the upper left hand corner – you can search the blog for whatever you want, e.g., "fort" or "Archipelago" or "Tactics"

So it is all generic full text search – not specific indexed to[ics within the blog topics."

Robert,

Our friend Jean-Louis is correct, the simplest method is with post "labels", which we use on the Wars of Louis Quatorze blog, and you can always add new labels as new topics are thought of.

warsoflouisxiv.blogspot.com

Or, if you prefer, you can go to "sub blogs" for specifically different periods or subjects, like Steve-the-Wargamer does with his main blog and then his sub-blogs on the WSS, the AWI and others, and still use the labeling system within each blog to let readers easily select only the labels they are interested in.

steve-the-wargamer.blogspot.com

genew49 is correct that the only way to to find a specific post, if you don't remember the post title or if its an older post, is to do a word search. However, you can simplify this by adding labels that are somewhat specific to a narrow subject. For instance, on the Louis Quatorze blog I have started creating uniform reference plates (or really painting guides) and created a new label, same with a review series on 15mm figures (along with new product announcements), so that interested readers can at least pull up just that sub-category. Hope this helps.

Bill

genew49… I did not realize that search feature was for that particular blog. That requires one to know keywords to search. Something similar to the search feature here.

burlesonbill… Thanks for the two example blogs. I shall try this out this weekend. Great maps. What software was used for creating those maps?

cheers,
Robert

Robert,

I assume you're referring to the "situational" maps on Steve's blog showing individual units on a gridded surface? If so, these were produced using a software package called "Battle Chronicler" that Steve has done a very good multi-part series and review on detailing a single game between himself and a longtime friend. I believe the purpose of the software is to manage campaigns or to manage individual games and generate turn-by-turn after action reports and situational maps.

In this case, I believe, its being used to manage a single game that is part of a long-term campaign, but by opponents who are physically two hundred miles apart. You should go back into last month's archives on the blog and follow the series, as its an interesting game and the software looks like it might have some very useful applications. You can build "units", give them activities to perform by turn (including digging trenches and the like), and plot ongoing unit positions and status. And don't hesitate to post a question in a comment on Steve's blog, he's very good about answering them, either by direct post or in an e-mail if you give him your address.

Bill

(I assume you're referring to the "situational" maps on Steve's blog showing individual units on a gridded surface? If so, these were produced using a software package called "Battle Chronicler" that Steve has done)

I do remember the thread and had bookmarked the link then. From your description, this would be useful to track the administrative columns (Savory): reenforcements, supplies, siege and pontoon trains, and prisoners of war. Thanks for the information.

cheers,
Robert