Organizing Public Story Layouts

I have a hard time checking through the public story layouts and I'm not the only one. It would be easier if the layouts were devided to categories.

There should be a category for layouts with no banners used, that's the category I would go for when writing a oneshot and just add the banner I want with BB codes.

Another category should be created for the layouts that are created for only one person to use. I've seen many, ''Don't use this layout'' with the reason its made for only one mibbian.

A category for the fanfic layouts that have featured members of bans, actors, singers and even covers from movies and all that great stuff.

And finally a category for all the layouts which are used for original fiction stories.

That's my personal opinion but I would like to hear what everyone thinks about it.

~Marian.

I think layouts, both story and blog, should be searchable. I definitely don't think we need categories for layouts since we have a tags system. When a user publicly shares a layout, they can tag it, but the problem is there's no way to search the layouts tags right now. It would make finding story and blog layouts much easier without having to create categories.

For the "Don't use - only for X" layouts, they do clutter up the layouts and make it hard to find one that is actually for general use, but I don't think most people are aware that you can add someone as a co-author, put the layout on the desired story, and then be removed as an author, leaving the layout behind just for that one story to use instead of making it a public layout. It'd help lessen the number of not meant for general use layouts in the story layouts if that information was widely known.

I like the idea of categories, honestly, so I say yes :)

I like that. I also like it to be searchable. So I vote for both.

I like the categories idea. It would definitely make looking for layouts less of a pain. I also like the search option. If we could have both that would be awesome.

mia san mia.:

but I don't think most people are aware that you can add someone as a co-author, put the layout on the desired story, and then be removed as an author, leaving the layout behind just for that one story to use instead of making it a public layout..

That's what I used to do. If not categories at least something to make the search on layouts easier. But I think the tags won't be more helpful than categories.

@ ladyschrei
@ Psychotic Secrets
@ DamnYouJackSparrow!
I am glad you three like the idea. I believe it would make the work of new mibbians easier and ours as well.

@ XXXataktoulaXXX
Actually, the tag system would be very useful because the categories system, from what you've described, would be very vague. There would be three categories and then users have to click through dozens upon dozens of pages with no way to search for layouts within those categories still.

What you seem to be describing with a categories system is making entirely new subsections like the tabs at the top of the Stories section, which would require making a new sharing method for layouts because then people would have to categorise layouts according to type like we categorise stories original, fanfic, or true.

If that's the case, to search through the categories, tags are still needed. Besides, the tags system is already in place whenever a user shares a layout, it's just not searchable. When users search stories right now, it's done by tags. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm attacking your idea, because I'm not. Categories could work. I just don't believe your statement that tags wouldn't be helpful is true.

If not by tags, what type of search system do you propose?

@ mia san mia.
Of course not. You are not attacking my idea, we are just talking about it.
If it was just the tags that wouldn't help though. Someone who would like to use a layout without a banner, what would he type on the search for tags?

@ XXXataktoulaXXX
I tend to tag by colour scheme if there's no banner. Like if it's a solid purple background, I tag it purple. If I used a floral pattern, I tag it floral. I tag wood when I use wood patterns since a lot of people look for those. Tags aren't limited to just whatever is depicted in the banner image. Even when I share layouts with banners, I still always tag the colour scheme (despite the fact tags are currently useless on layouts).

@ mia san mia.
You are right on that but other users will tag the colors even for layouts that have banners for fanfiction stories. And you will have to keep searching. Categories will make it easier I think.

@ XXXataktoulaXXX
I don't think I'm making my point very clear. Even if you have categories, you need a tag system to search within those categories. Like right now with stories, if you want a mermaid original fiction story, you can go to the advanced search, click original fiction, and type mermaid under keywords and it will bring up only original fictions tagged with mermaid. If you couldn't search by that tag under original fiction, then you'd have to search through 100 pages under the original fiction tab by yourself in hopes that somewhere in there is that mermaid story you want.

If you don't have tags and you search for a bannerless layout, you have to just click through dozens of pages checking to see if every single one is what you're looking for. With a tag system, say you want a damask pattern background, you can type it in the search, click bannerless layouts, and it will pop up only bannerless layouts tagged with damask.

Does that make sense? With stories we have three categories (original, fanfic, true) and then tags to narrow down your search within those three types. That's what I think there should be if we were to organise layouts the same way.

@ mia san mia.
Oh, I got it. Sorry, my mistake.
If we could do the same search we do with stories to the layouts that would be great.

I agree with this. I was looking for band related layouts and ended up going through all two hundred plus pages without finding very much that I wanted to use. It would have been easier to search the bands themselves.

@ TeamTonyVincent
Glad you like my idea.
Yes, the same thing happened to me too.

I would like to propose making a user's public layouts viewable on their profile page. Two users had layouts I was looking at, but I couldn't just choose their layouts, I had to search through everyone else's too.

@ TeamTonyVincent
I find your idea pretty good to be honest. Just like we have the stories section, we could have the layout section for blogs, stories, poems etc. What I don't know is if that complicates the stuff, maybe it's not as easy as it sounds.

What? What I'm proposing is that you can go on a person's profile and see their specific layouts. Like, if I go to someone's profile, and it lets me see their stories, poems, blog, pictures, and we can add story layouts. I have no idea what you're talking about.

I would really like if you could search for keywords on layouts! It takes forever looking through the pages of layouts and it makes me not want to search. It took me 40 minutes one time to find what I was looking for.

Okay, I actually like the category idea. I didn't even know this was here. But I do agree because I have the hardest time finding layouts that I want because I have to go back about 90 pages to get one I really like to use. It's quite tedious, if you ask me.

@ jaime preciado.
I like your idea but that doesn't help us to use all the layouts, or check them all out.

@ Raised.Oregon.Style @ AutisticAlice
I know it's the same with me.