[RETIRED] Keeping track of your chapters

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Cori
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Post by Cori »

In the past, there were many ingenious ways to remember what chapters one had volunteered to read. Now, however, there is one Primary Way -- via the new catalogue.

New LibriVoxers will not have their own catalogue page until they have volunteered for at least one book chapter, play part, or posted at least one recording to a collection (such as the Weekly Poetry.) Once you've done that, and your request or contribution has been added, simply visit the Advanced Search page and type your forum name into the 'Readers' box.

Scroll down past any 'Completed works' and past 'Works in progress' and you will hopefully find your name there, as a link. Clicking on that link will take you to your personal catalogue page.

Here you should find any listed all the works containing chapters or sections you've signed up for. Blue (or mid-grey) lines are for works in progress (including those fully read, but being proof-listened or edited) ... green (or light-grey) lines are those both complete and catalogued. It's worth checking this page from time to time, just to make sure that chapters you've finished and sent have been marked off. If there's anything funny going on (you've asked for chapters that don't then appear on this page, or you've sent a recording which isn't later listed here) then contact the BC or MC, through the project thread or by a PM.


[Jargon:
BC: the book's coordinator, usually named in the first post of a thread - the best person to ask for your project-related questions
MC: their initials appear in the title of the thread, and they usually post to 'claim' the book within the first few posts (meta co-ordinator, they support the BC and catalogue the book when it's complete.)
PM: private message (through the forum's
messaging system)]
Last edited by Cori on March 8th, 2007, 2:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
There's honestly no such thing as a stupid question -- but I'm afraid I can't rule out giving a stupid answer : : To Posterity and Beyond!
Cori
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Post by Cori »

Other Tips for Keeping Track of Your Chapters (contributed by various Librivox Members):
  • If you like, you could sign up as a member of the LV wiki. Each wiki user has a personal page in their name. You could use your own page on the Librivox Wiki to keep track of your projects (as reader, BC, long-term listener, etc.) Or keep notes on books you'd LIKE to read! Or links to favourite online texts. Or to public domain music resources ... or ... or ...
  • Be aware and realistic of how much time you have and how long it takes for you to record and edit a chapter... then simply only sign up for what you can reasonably handle before the deadlines (easier said than done... we know *grins*)
  • If you find yourself way over your head, it's ok to return a chapter so that someone else can read it instead. Just keep in touch with your book coordinators and let them know what's going on. There are plenty of books to go around... and you can always do another version of the same book later when you have more time! :)
  • Bookmark the project threads for which you have made a commitment. (In the Firefox web browser, you can right click on one of your open tabs and click "Bookmark all Tabs") -- Tip supplied by Kri
  • If you use the Firefox web browser, you can use the QuickNote feature. (You can download the QuickNote utility here: http://quicknote.mozdev.org/installation.html ... to put the icon on your toolbar: Right click on any toolbar on the top (preferably the one that contains the menus). Click customize, and it will bring up a menu with all the toolbar items that you can add and remove if you'd like. Drag the Quicknote icon from that box into the toolbar where you want it.) -- Tip supplied by Kri and Kayray
  • If you are comfortable working with spreadsheets, create a simple one in Excel (or similar program) to help keep track of your commitments.
  • Consider using a to-do list website such as:
    http://rememberthemilk.com/ (suggested by rfrancis)
    http://backpackit.com/ (suggested by BradBush)
    http://43things.com/ (suggested by thistlechick)
  • Cori's tip: I've got a link to my catalogue page as part of my sig. on every forum post. Simply edit your profile, then copy & paste your own catalogue URL to the Signature: box. Or use BBCode to make your words of wisdom into a link! For example, the signature box in my profile currently contains code for the URL *and* a small font size:

    Code: Select all

    [url=http://librivox.org/newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=92][size=10]"I want me jar of dirt."[/size][/url]
    Experiment!! -- it's almost impossible to break this ... or just ask me if you want a bit of help!
    [Ummm, that's help in adding a link, not help in breaking things!]
There's honestly no such thing as a stupid question -- but I'm afraid I can't rule out giving a stupid answer : : To Posterity and Beyond!
Cori
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Post by Cori »

Keeping track of your BC projects

This applies to soloists, or those who are leading collaborations ... there are two ways to see what books you are currently BCing:
  • From anywhere, or to get a general list ... type your forum name into the 'BC' box of the catalogue search page. The links there will take you to the project discussion thread for each one.
  • From the forums, or to edit readers, listen-links, etc. ... go into the database by clicking an "edit" link under any Magic Window. Then click the "Search your projects" link on the upper right side of the screen, type in your forum name, tick the "Hide completed projects" box, and click "Reset Filter" to see your full current list. The "View Full Project" link on the far right of each entry will take you to the full database entry for that project.
Handy hint: you could put links to your ongoing BC projects on your Own Wiki Page!
There's honestly no such thing as a stupid question -- but I'm afraid I can't rule out giving a stupid answer : : To Posterity and Beyond!
kayray
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Post by kayray »

Just wanted to point out the spiffy "Bookmark Topic" feature of our new forum software. I'm using this to help me keep track of my DPL jobs and my solos and a couple of other threads I need to keep an eye on.

At the top of left every thread, just under the "Post Reply" button, is a little "Bookmark Topic" link. Click it!

To see your bookmarked topics, hit the "User Control Panel" link on the top right of any page. You'll see the "Manage bookmarks" link on the left.

Easy-peasy!
Kara
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Guero
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Post by Guero »

kayray wrote:Just wanted to point out the spiffy "Bookmark Topic" feature of our new forum software. I'm using this to help me keep track of my DPL jobs and my solos and a couple of other threads I need to keep an eye on.

At the top of left every thread, just under the "Post Reply" button, is a little "Bookmark Topic" link. Click it!

To see your bookmarked topics, hit the "User Control Panel" link on the top right of any page. You'll see the "Manage bookmarks" link on the left.

Easy-peasy!
I'm loving the Bookmark Topic feature too. It's definitely helpful. In addition to what you've pointed out, Kayray, I use it for those items that don't appear in my Projects list -- like those projects for which I have only PLed sections to help out without becoming the DPL.

Great stuff! :D
John
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ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

I really do like the personal catalog page with the hyperlinks to all my assignments. Makes it very easy to see what trouble I have gotten myself into and then get to what I have to do. Great sense of accomplishment as sections move from the incomplete to complete tables, and then the wonder of color change in the listing background when something is released! (Well, I have only seen the color change once so far, but it was a great moment.) AND I can quickly check status of one of the projects without even logging in. Really nice feature.

I am DPL for a book now and it is a bit harder to get to my DPL assignment. While as mentioned above in this thread bookmarking the DPL assignment works, I have to log in to get to my bookmarks, and then I can go check to see if there are sections in need of listening. Even harder, I have to remember to do so as a separate action when I am checking project status as above! (Actually, the author I am DPL for is done with all her sections so there is no question involved in this case - Everytime I open Librivox I know there are chapters to listen to, but you get the idea.)

I wonder - if each book listing in its MW assignment of sections included a DPL section assignment then a link would automatically show on the personal catalog page of the DPL as well? (It would be just like in the dramatic readings where various MW section numbers are used for the consolidated chapter edit tasks. No extra work required to set up a section assigned to DPL methinks?) The personal catalog page listing would then have a nice nagging reminder that I need to go listen as much as I need to go read, and a nice hyperlink right to the appropriate project thread.

Thanks, Todd
annise
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Post by annise »

The DPL concept was a later addition , so has less attached to it. When I started it was not even mentioned in the catalogue
There have been discussions about having an extra column in the MW to mark PLing being finished for that section but for anything to happen will take changes that are fairly major and are not likely to happen soon. Dramatic works cataloguing requires major fiddling of the system to get it catalogued, for everything else 1 MW line= 1 file = 1 chapter/section = 1 reader is what makes cataloguing work , so I think a different way is needed . But as I said - better DPL information is on a wish list as part of a redesign process.

Anne
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Post by Starlite »

annise wrote:The DPL concept was a later addition , so has less attached to it. When I started it was not even mentioned in the catalogue
I believe I was the first unofficial DPL. It was more difficult then to track your assignments. :mrgreen:

This is a list of your assignments: https://catalog.librivox.org/projects.php?who=ToddHW&hidecomplete=on&filter=Reset+Filter

It uses your MW login (I think)

Esther :)
"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people." George Bernard Shaw
philchenevert
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Post by philchenevert »

I would like to vote again for the marvelous 'Bookmark' feature. It allows me to have instant access to everything I am interested in ... very easy , very peasy.

When logging in my automatic route now is to 1) the forum, 2) User Control Panel, 3)Bookmarks in 3 quick clicks and there displayed for me is everything I am interested in in any way (because I bookmarked them). All my BC projects, DPL commitments, solos, and anything I want to watch. and of course the ones with new posts are blinking at me for easy finding.

True, they are not differentiated as to Solo, BC, DPL, etc but it really isn't a problem at all.

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kwdavids
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Post by kwdavids »

The catalog would seem to be a great way to keep up with ones chapters, but in practice there is a snag. What I have seen in two projects I've worked on recently is that sections are being marked COMPLETE as soon as they are uploaded, and not when they are PL OK.

I was happy as a clam managing my projects with the catalog, then I saw one move from incomplete to complete and happened to visit the forum just as a matter of curiosity to see how things were coming, only to be surprised to see that my sections hadn't been proof listened.

As a result I have to keep checking the threads to see if the PL is done or not. It really discourages me from making small contributions to many projects because of the difficulty of keeping track of them, particularly now that my catalog of completed projects (which may or may not really be complete as to my recording) grows longer.
Kevin
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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Hmm. The usual process is to mark it Complete, then watch the MW for the PL notes. As mentioned above in a different context, the whole PL thing was instituted after the Magic Window was created, so there wasn't functionality to separate the two states of being in the catalog page.

About all I can suggest at this point is to keep checking the threads until the sections are PL'd. This is also one reason we really want timely PL'ing!

With the Mellon Grant updates, I know that in the future LibriVox Magic Window 2.0, we're going to have more status options than just Available, Assigned, and Complete. We'll have options for PL as well. I've not heard how that will connect up with the readers' catalog pages, though.
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Post by RuthieG »

I bookmark the forum threads that I need to keep under surveillance (using the forum software bookmark function at the top of each thread). When I log on, I just look at 'Manage bookmarks' in my User Control Panel (at the top right of the page) to see which threads have had new posts, open each in a new tab, and just zip through them all to see if anything concerns me.

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kwdavids
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Post by kwdavids »

TriciaG wrote: About all I can suggest at this point is to keep checking the threads until the sections are PL'd. This is also one reason we really want timely PL'ing!
Just for my understanding, what possible advantage is there in marking something complete until it's ready to go? It doesn't help the proof listener who can see "PL Needed" in the MW. It distorts the statistics and makes the user catalog page useless for managing projects.

I mean, if folks didn't mark things complete until they were complete, then all any reader would have to do is go their catalog page and see the status of all their recordings. By marking them complete, folks have to visit each individual project (sometimes for weeks), and they have take extra steps (book marks, lists) to keep up with what projects which projects are pending.
Kevin
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Post by TriciaG »

As a reader, I prefer to have them marked Complete before PL, because I use my catalog page to see what I have to record, not what is recorded but hasn't been PL'd yet. ;) Since I subscribe to threads I've submitted sections to, I get emailed when there's a new post in the thread, so I can check to see if it's been PL'd that way. Once I'm completely done with a project (all PL'd, and I don't plan on doing any more), I'll unsubscribe from the thread.

If sections aren't marked Complete before PL, one still wouldn't know if it has been PL'd yet or if there are PL notes. So one would have to go visit the thread anyway to see if there are PL notes. The only case it wouldn't require a check back in the thread is if the file is PL'd pretty quickly and marked OK on the first listen. If it sits there as not complete for any length of time, one would be checking the thread anyway.

As a BC, I prefer them marked Complete because I can see at a glance how many sections are still to be recorded. That's more important to me than whether they're PL OK.

All that said, some BC's don't mark them Complete until they're PL OK. It's more a matter of BC taste, I think. When I read for a BC that does this, and the section is taking a while to PL, I'll ask them to mark my section as complete. Ha ha!
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Availle
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Post by Availle »

Actually, I find it annoying when I upload a chapter and it's not marked complete.

I use my LV page to see which chapters I still need to record and edit and upload. Once they are uploaded, they are complete for me (as I mostly get a PL OK anyway), so I don't want them cluttering up my top of the list anymore.

If I do need to check them later on, I can always go down and look for any projects that are still blue, then there's something missing - either from me (unlikely) or from others. Doing that once per week or so is usually sufficient - I record in the weekend, so if I know by Friday afternoon which sections need corrections, that's good enough for me.

ETA: Essentially what Tricia said :wink:
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