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HOW TO CREATE YOUR ATPoBtVS
Step 1: Create and index your archive. |
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STEP 1: Create and index your archive. Title: TITLE OF FIRST POST IN THREAD The date format (for the sake of non-Americans who put the month/date in different order) should be the month’s name, the numeral day, and the year in four digits. Use the three-letter abbreviation for the month. For instance, instead of writing 05/15/01, write May 15 2001. Once you’ve done the heading, list the thread's participants and their paragraphs in the thread. Post #1: AUTHOR OF POSTAnd so on to the end of the thread. (The example shows three paragraphs per post, but there may be more or less. This is just an example - you do not have to force your post into only three paragraphs!) Bear in mind while you edit that this is intended for archives. You may prefer to edit out any shorter off-topic comments, or you may choose to keep them. While there’s plenty of space right now, there may not always be, so judicious editing for length is always a good idea. In some cases you may have several posts from one person in a row. You may choose to edit these posts into a single posting, and designate the different responses by including text such as “In response to...” or “getting back to the original post” to alert readers of the direction of conversation or the main recipient of the poster’s response. Index your thread using Masquerade’s handy cross-referencing pages as a starter point. Make an list of all keywords you can find in the thread. (Don't number the list.) These should also include the date in the same format as noted above, as well as any episodes, characters, or philosophical/ psychological theories or arguments (except for "Buffy" unless you're specifically speaking of the character). Include board-common shorthand such as “ATLtS” or “ATLtR” but only if you’re also spelling them out for those who may not know what ATLtS means, etc. Edit out any repetitive words such as “the” whenever possible, which means listing “The Gift” as “Gift.” Include shorthand versions of the titles as well, such as “IWMTLY” or “IWRY.” Since it’s hard to guess how someone may search the archives later, doing a thorough indexing now will save later readers the hassle of trying to figure out whether your thread contains the full-name version of the episodes referenced, or just the short-hand ones. Include the names of all posters in the thread in the keyword list. Don’t include the editor’s name, if not one of the posters, since this is just for keeping straight who did what if there’s confusion about code or text. return to list of steps STEP 3: Insert and edit the HTML code. <head><title> <body bgcolor="white" link="black" alink="blue" vlink="black"> TITLEIf the editor is the same as the author, then you could change the line to say “author” instead of “editor.” If your archive is a direct continuation of writings on the main ATPoBtVS pages, such as a character analysis or essay, insert a summary before the body of the archive, using the following code. <tr><td colspan="2"><font size="2">This is a <a href="http://www.URL.htm" target="_new">continuation</a> of a character analysis on Masq's ATPoBtVS pages.</p></td></tr>This first short section of code won't be repeated, but it needs to be put in before you start inserting the actual threads. Just copy it into your file, and keep going. </table><table>Continue with the following code. This will be repeated for each post. <tr> <td width="15%" valign="top" align="left">If you only have one paragraph in the post, then delete the following two lines from the above code. PARAGRAPH 1Remember to insert </p><p> between each paragraph when you add more paragraphs. If the poster changed the subject line in the thread, insert the following code to the HTML code for the body of the archive. <tr> <td width="15%" valign="top" align="left">For alternating posts, use the following code to change the colors. <tr> <td width="15%" valign="top" align="left">Add the rest of the posts in the thread, then conclude with the following code. <tr> <td width="15%" valign="top" align="left"> STEP 3: Save, test, and email. year month date # _ name . htmFor example, a file would be saved as 010515A_SO.htm, and if there's a second archive that started the same day, that file would be 010515B_SO.htm, the third would be 010515C_SO.htm, and so on. Test your file in a browser, then email your file to Liquidram, who’s going to archive these for us (at least for the time being). Notify Masquerade that you've transferred an archive, and send her the Voy Forums URL of your very first post in the thread. Also send her the exact title of the starting post in your thread, which should also be the title of your new archive file. STEP 4: Treat yourself to chocolate as a reward! |
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