# POLL: Should we have sub-boards in the Book Corner by subject?



## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

We are trying to determine if there is a need to add subcategories to the Book Corner for various subjects. On one hand, it would be nice to categorize books by subject, so members can easily find books in the subjects that interest them. On the other hand, if we keep all books in simple topics like "What are you reading" and "Book Recommendations" members may find books they wouldn't otherwise have found out about.

The poll is set up so you can vote to have NO SUBCATEGORIES, or if you would prefer subcategories, you can choose as many of the ones that are listed as you like.

Please don't check the NO SUBCATEGORIES and then choose categories below, it will skew the results. Please vote for categories you think belong, not just categories that interest you.

I know a lot of people lump Horror into Fiction or Science Fiction/Fantasy, but I added it because it is my favorite.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I think categories would be nice and was just thinking that today.  As mainly a Fantasy reader, sometimes I feel a little left out of book recommendations/discussions.


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## Suzanne (Nov 3, 2008)

This sounds like a great idea. This forum is growing in leaps & bounds and I'm having a hard time keeping up. With subcategories I can click on the genres that I favor.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

I disagree with the idea of adding sub-categories. To me, it adds too much clutter. Less is more.

Besides, what about those books that fit into more than one category? There are too many of those to name.


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## chynared21 (Oct 28, 2008)

*I voted to leave it as is...I've discovered so many books that I normally wouldn't read and it would take me less time to discover more if I only had to scroll through one or two threads. *


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I voted to leave it as is too. I like reading about books and genres that I normally wouldn't choose myself.


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Well, I voted to have separate categories, but upon reflection I agree that there's a lot of merit to leaving it as-is. Not sure if there's a middle ground or a way to have both? I know, I'm a big help...


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

I also voted "no categories" to keep it uncomplicated (though some may think it's more complicated having everything all lumped together) and because it's fun to find new stuff I might not otherwise find, because I'd go to fewer sub-boards if it started getting broken out too much.

I wouldn't mind seeing fewer pinned threads, though; it's getting so that there are almost more pinned threads on the first page than floating threads.


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Hmmm, maybe move the older pinned threads to their own sub-board?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I concur on pinned threads. . .I shall confer with my fellow moderators  

Ann


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

kreelanwarrior said:


> Well, I voted to have separate categories, but upon reflection I agree that there's a lot of merit to leaving it as-is. Not sure if there's a middle ground or a way to have both? I know, I'm a big help...


I'll jump on the bandwagon, but maybe mention the genre as a courtesy?


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## auntmarge (Dec 4, 2008)

I voted for a general NF category and separate categories for various fiction types, an arrangement I think probably reflects the major divisions in readership interest.  

Margaret


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## tc (Oct 29, 2008)

I don't know how to get around this problem, but the super long thread I tend not to look at.  Even if I have posted in it at some point, I just want to wade through it all.  If having sub-boards will help, I don't know.  kreelanwarrior mentioned she is not sure there is a middle ground, I don't either but something needs to happen.  I will just go with what happens.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2008)

I vote no.  But I do want sub-fora for the Book Clubs.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> I vote no. But I do want sub-fora for the Book Clubs.


I'll go along with that.


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## Rivery (Nov 10, 2008)

I checked all of the sub categories, but like others have said, I have read books that I wouldn't have otherwise considered.

I do like the idea of having the "category" in the title of the thread.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

I really like the idea of sub-categories. The only downside that I see is that we might have sparse or little activity in some genres in the early going, but that should pick up as the site continues to grow.

JMO.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Another thing to consider is *how* a book would be categorized and who decides. For instance, how would you classify the J.D. Robb "In Death" series? Are they mystery? Well, they feature New York cops and the cases that are solved is essentially the main story.  Are they sci-fi? They're futuristic since they're set starting in the year 2058 with somewhat of a different Earth than we know now, with regular off-planet travel, flying cars, and gadgets we don't have now.  Are they romance? They sort of prominently feature the relationship between the main cop and her husband, as well as other relationships between supporting characters. So what sub-board would they go under?

Another thread in this forum talks about books that could be considered "teen fiction" or "young adult" versus "children's fiction".  And the lines between mystery/suspense/thriller/adventure can really be hard to tell -- when it is "just" a mystery or when should it be dumped in fiction because it's a mystery but "more" than a mystery (if, for example, "mystery" is the only similar subcateory)?

Even with broad sweeping categories, there could be discrepancies between how I would categorize a book and how someone else would.  I say tomayto, you say tomahto.    So even if we do decide to do some breakdown, it won't ever be exact.

Just some random thoughts on a Tuesday morning.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Steph H said:


> Another thing to consider is *how* a book would be categorized and who decides. For instance, how would you classify the J.D. Robb "In Death" series?
> 
> Even with broad sweeping categories, there could be discrepancies between how I would categorize a book and how someone else would. I say tomayto, you say tomahto.  So even if we do decide to do some breakdown, it won't ever be exact.


Which is one of the main reasons I'm against the idea.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I voted leave as is. I don't like it when its so spread out. Its like the posters are split up and segregated into formats. I personally am not familiar enough with what category is what yet and I would worry to post in the wrong section. I also find there are always lots of gray area's and some books would have to be forced in a "drawer" so to speak. 

But my main issue is with splitting up people. Its such a great mingle right now of everyone. I have checked out books I would have never thought about because it was talked about in a thread along with others that I might be interested.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Atunah said:


> But my main issue is with splitting up people. Its such a great mingle right now of everyone. I have checked out books I would have never thought about because it was talked about in a thread along with others that I might be interested.


Atunah has a good point about remaining a single community. For the record, I also voted keep as is. And I, too, have decided to try books I'd otherwise have skipped over: _Outlander _being one that springs to mind. I think the separate threads, clearly defined, is enough for now. . .we may need to make some more 'file folders' as our 'drawer' gets fuller.

Ann


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## Scathach (Dec 5, 2008)

I kinda like the idea of categories, as a newbie here the book forum seems kinda all over the place and a bit overwhelming.  Would be nice to be able to go to one section when I have an itch for a particular type of genre and easily read what other folks have to say.  Just my 2 cents


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Scathach said:


> I kinda like the idea of categories, as a newbie here the book forum seems kinda all over the place and a bit overwhelming. Would be nice to be able to go to one section when I have an itch for a particular type of genre and easily read what other folks have to say. Just my 2 cents


Your 2¢ are worth as much as any one else's.

Maybe the thing to do is leave the book forum as is, but once a number of similar threads get going and start to get tangled, move 'em to a dedicated sub-forum? I can see where, just joining now, it would seem like there are 'billions and billions' of threads to wade through to find anything. . . . .a veritable Gordian knot of books and ideas.

Ann


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2008)

^^^ I can also see Ann's point.

*waffles*


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## BookishMom (Oct 30, 2008)

I didn't vote because I'm torn -- having subcategories will help folks find relevant posts more easily, but they will result in less conversation (free-flow community). That's been my experience in managing online communities, at least. This is more of a community than just an informational forum, so I think I'd swing toward not having subcategories. If you guys were less friendly, and more focused on just sharing info, then I'd vote for the subcats. Clear as mud?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Lots of good comments here, I've got my own ideas but what matters most is what works for all of you, so keep the brainstorming going.  I like the idea that you all are willing to think outside the box and not only consider the poll categories but suggest others, too.  This thread is going to help us to make the Book Corner a better place.  Thanks to Pidgeon92 for the poll and for all of you for your comments!

Betsy


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I voted for categories, but not 9, maybe 5.  I think my votes were fiction, non-fiction, romance, SF/fantasy, and religion/spirituality.  There seems to be a pretty strong contingent for each of the latter three here, and everything else could go in the general fiction or non-fiction threads.

I also agree with one of the PPs, I just avoid some threads because they are sooooo long.  Once a thread gets past about 3 pages, it's probably devolved from its original subject, at least in my experience.  And I also agree about the stick threads.  Like the book recommendations for November should be un-stickied, IMHO.  For that matter, why do we need a thread dedicated to recommendations.  Isn't that pretty much the purpose of posting in this forum, to recommend/not recommend books?


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## DawnOfChaos (Nov 12, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> I'll jump on the bandwagon, but maybe mention the genre as a courtesy?


I like this. Maybe if someone recommends something they can just make a note saying 'Mystery' or 'Romance' or whatever. I also can look it up myself if I need to.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

marianner said:


> I voted for categories, but not 9, maybe 5. I think my votes were fiction, non-fiction, romance, SF/fantasy, and religion/spirituality. There seems to be a pretty strong contingent for each of the latter three here, and everything else could go in the general fiction or non-fiction threads.
> 
> I also agree with one of the PPs, I just avoid some threads because they are sooooo long. Once a thread gets past about 3 pages, it's probably devolved from its original subject, at least in my experience. And I also agree about the stick threads. Like the book recommendations for November should be un-stickied, IMHO. For that matter, why do we need a thread dedicated to recommendations. Isn't that pretty much the purpose of posting in this forum, to recommend/not recommend books?


Good points. I've been debating unstickying the book recommendations for November but was waffling. Will do that and am going to eventually combine/eliminate some of the book klub stickies.

Betsy


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

My vote is definitely for subcategories! The current threads are simply too long to wade through--which is why I don't even bother looking at them any more. Plus they are often dominated by a category that does not interest me at all, so it feels like drudgery to read through so many posts just to find a few suggestions that might appeal to me buried in there somewhere. I know some of you have said you don't want to lose participation by separating things....but I feel like some of us are not participating right now because lumping everything into one single category is just too cumbersome. And getting more so as the number of members posting increases. And for those of you who like being exposed to book suggestions which are outside of your normal interests---all you would have to do is click on the threads for some of the different categories. All that variety will still be there for you, it will just be more organized so that those of us with limited time on-line can access things a little more easily/quickly. It seems like this would be a win/win situation for everyone.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

On the other hand, I look at it as having limited time online (sometimes) means I'd rather only go to one sub-forum to find everything instead of in and out of several sub-forums.

See how we all look at organization differently?


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Wisteria Clematis said:


> My vote is definitely for subcategories! The current threads are simply too long to wade through--which is why I don't even bother looking at them any more. Plus they are often dominated by a category that does not interest me at all, so it feels like drudgery to read through so many posts just to find a few suggestions that might appeal to me buried in there somewhere. I know some of you have said you don't want to lose participation by separating things....but I feel like some of us are not participating right now because lumping everything into one single category is just too cumbersome. And getting more so as the number of members posting increases. And for those of you who like being exposed to book suggestions which are outside of your normal interests---all you would have to do is click on the threads for some of the different categories. All that variety will still be there for you, it will just be more organized so that those of us with limited time on-line can access things a little more easily/quickly. It seems like this would be a win/win situation for everyone.


Wisteria all you have to do is stay up all night and not sleep like me to stay caught up!!


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2008)

Most of the best literature transcends and crosses thematic lines.

Is To Kill a Mockingbird a coming-of-age story or a legal thriller? Are YOU wise enough to put it into one category and exclude fans of the other?

What about Lord of the Flies? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Angela said:


> Wisteria all you have to do is stay up all night and not sleep like me to stay caught up!!


Lol. I hear you Angela!


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:



> Most of the best literature transcends and crosses thematic lines.
> 
> Is To Kill a Mockingbird a coming-of-age story or a legal thriller? Are YOU wise enough to put it into one category and exclude fans of the other?
> 
> What about Lord of the Flies? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?


I would put all of them in the fiction/literature category, which is where you would probably find them in most actual bookstores and libraries. We don't need to make this more difficult than it actually is. Sure classifications are somewhat arbitrary but they do make it easier to locate books. That way someone who is looking for suggestions for a good biography, for example, doesn't need to wade through pages of reviews of horror stories and technical manuals (those last two categories actually do overlap for mechanically challenged persons like me).


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## Wannabe (Nov 6, 2008)

I second Wisteria's comments. I also like Mariannner's idea of the 5 broad categories rather than 9. You wouldn't be excluding anyone, just organizing information. You could check out your favorite category on a regular basis, and venture into the others whenever you feel like a change of pace.


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## cat616 (Nov 4, 2008)

We could keep the Free Books, Bargain Books and Book Recommendations stickies at the top.  This allows for crossing Genres and expanding our horizons.

Then we add all the subcategories as Stickies below them for people who want to discuss individual books or that particular genre as a whole.  So, if you find a Book in say Book Recommendations that you wish to discuss further you would start a new Topic under the appropriate Genre.

As for deciding which genre a particular book goes in I would take my cue from how the Author/Publisher/LOC categorizes it.  If you do not know that information, just do your best.  Hey, we are not librarians, we just want to discuss things that interest us with others with the same interests.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

If anyone is truly stumped as to what category a book belongs in they could always go with whichever category Amazon puts it in (sometimes this is more than one).

Here is a serious question for everyone who likes the current system of mixing all types of books into one thread: I hear that this may be working ok for you right now, but will you feel the same way four months from now when there will be thousands of additional posts?

How would you feel if you wanted to browse for something new to read on Amazon and they had no categories whatsover? Just one huge list of books that couldn't be sorted by genre? Because that is what it might be like trying to find book recommendations here at KB without some sort of organization.

Just asking.....I really love that we are all invited to give input about this and can toss around all the pros and cons with each other.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Well, when I am searching for something on Amazon, I expect a clinical search engine. I don't really see this board as such. I come here to read peoples comments, thoughts and memories about books. All kinds of books. 
It would make me uncomfortable having to decide what format or category or whatever its called a books is suppose to be. I just don't always know that. Heck, I don't even know what the categories are called half of the time. I only have 2, fiction and non fiction.  

I don't know if everyone would have the time to research first and dig around Amazon for the correct category just to make sure before posting a book recommendation. I find this puts pressure on some, especially if new and not familiar with the formats. 

I wouldn't want the board to be intimidating. Thats just my opinion of course. 

There is a warmth on the board right now and I think its because we all mingle.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Left to my own devices, I would never venture into a sci-fi/fantasy thread and would definitely have missed out on some good books.  So, I'm still in favor of leaving things as is.

One thing I would suggest is providing a link (with or without image) only.  A couple of descriptive lines is all that's necessary for me to know if I want to research further by clicking on the link.  This would really shorten the number of pages we have to scroll through.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

It doesn't really matter to me.  I do not even look at the sub-boards.  I navigate the board through..."show unread posts since last visit" and "show new replies to your posts" links. 

Having said that, I think no categories exposes people to other genres.


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Left to my own devices, I would never venture into a sci-fi/*fantasy* thread...


Says the Harry Potter addict.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

sebat said:


> Having said that, I think no categories exposes people to other genres.


Except for the folks who stop looking at suggestions at all because they find fifty page threads a little overwhelming to read through.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

One doesn't really have to read all pages of a long thread though. I know I didn't. I would have sat here for days. What I did was click on the end of a thread and started there. Then next time I came back and there were new posts, I just clicked the new button and I was directly brought to the start of the new posts. Then when I had a little more time, I went backwards in the long threads until I read most of it. 

One can just jump in from today's date and never go back and still be part. Love that "new" button.  

I was also wondering what constitutes being a long thread. I mean in this forum the longest I see is 24 pages or so? The rest are mostly an average of 5-7 pages.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Says the Harry Potter addict.


Are you trying to tell me Harry Potter isn't real? It's *fantasy*? I'm devastated. I'm going to put on my sorting hat and commune with Godric Gryffindor.


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Are you trying to tell me Harry Potter isn't real? It's *fantasy*? I'm devastated. I'm going to put on my sorting hat and commune with Godric Gryffindor.


Watch out for the magic sword and the phoenix droppings.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I want to mention here, not as a pro or con of sub-boards, just for information...

In addition to the "Show unread posts since last visit, Show new replies to your posts links" above the topic listings and under your user name and avatar, you can also go to Profile, Look and Layout Preferences, and click "Show most recent posts at the top."  This way, whenever you go into a thread, you will see the latest posts first.  

Also, if you click on the little "new" when shown next to a thread's subject at the board level, you will go to the oldest of the posts in that thread since your last visit to that thread.  This might be useful to all of you as the threads get bigger, even if we have subboards.

Betsy


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Bacardi Jim said:


> Watch out for the magic sword and the phoenix droppings.


I have my magic sword, thank you. It makes very nice swishing and clanging noises. The house elves take care of the phoenix droppings. See, I'm not into fantasy at all.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Woohoo Gertie hit 1000 posts! Party!










Betsy


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Woohoo Gertie hit 1000 posts! Party!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks, Betsy, I didn't even notice that. Butterbeer for everyone!!


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## mwb (Dec 5, 2008)

Wisteria Clematis said:


> Except for the folks who stop looking at suggestions at all because they find fifty page threads a little overwhelming to read through.


Bingo, that's exactly why I'd like some sub-forums.

As the site gets more popular it will make life easier.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Thanks, Betsy, I didn't even notice that. Butterbeer for everyone!!


Congrats Gertie on 1000 posts!


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## jah (Oct 28, 2008)

If there is a sub-board base on subject, keep in mind that some book fall into muti-subject. I voted no, because I find myself read books I would never have thought of in subject I might not have try if it were not for this board.
Just my .02


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