How to Tag (the Special Extended Edition)
As threatened, here's a detailed explanation of merlinxarthur's tagging system. It will be linked to from the user info as well as the sidebar, which basically means I won't give any warnings anymore before sticking you with "unable to tag". ;)
Seriously, though: please read this.
1. Why do I have to tag my post?
This is turning into a pretty high-frequency community, and not everyone has the time to check every post every day. Not everyone has been around from the beginning, either. Tags give users the opportunity to browse merlinxarthur by category. That way they can dig their way through all the fanfic, or all the fanfic a specific user posted her, or all the fanvids, and so on. This grows more important as the series progresses. By the middle of next year, hardly anyone will want to go through each and every post just to see if there are any icons they might otherwise miss.
In other words, tags serve as both index and advertisement. They make life easier for all of us. If you don't tag your posts, they won't show up anywhere unless someone clicks on "unable to tag" to have a good laugh.
Please note: only authors and artists who have made at least five (5) posts in the community will get their own contributor's tag. Please use the "1st time posting" tag (which is explained below) until you've reached the 5 posts requirement. When you have made five entries in the community, you can request your own contributor's tag by commenting on this post or sending a message to one of the mods.
~~~
2. How do I tag ?
There are two ways for you to tag your posts.
a) You enter all the tags by hand.
People using clients mostly seem to do this. And sure, it's one way to do it. Problem is, if you mistype your tag, it won't show up on your post.
b) You choose straight from the existing tags.
To that end, choose "edit tags" right after posting. You can also edit your tags by choosing that option from the top of your post (there's a whole row of options: Previous, Edit, Tag, Memories, etc.). You'll be redirected to a new page, at the bottom of said page, you'll find a grey box holding all the tags this community offers. Hold the ctrl-button on your keyboard and click on all the tags you want to add. Save your changes. La voilà. This is the easiest and safest method to make sure you have all the tags you want.
Again, you can also type your tags manually into the small box right above the grey box. Take care not to mistype anything. Also, if you type in a tag and then choose one from the box, the one you just typed in will disappear.
~~~
3. Which tags do I use?
Being the awesome community we are, we have a variety of tags for different occasions.
a) Fan fiction.
The first tag you need is your contributor's tag ("contributor: username">. If this is your first post to this community, you naturally won't have your own tag yet. You can't create one, either; only the mods can do that. In that case, please choose the "1st time posting" tag. The mods are checking that tag on a regular basis and will add your own contributor's tag as soon as you've made five posts in total as an author and/or artist.
The second tag you need is the "fanfic" tag, simply so that someone browsing the comm by that category will see your post as well.
Finally, you need to give your post a rating and, if necessary, a warning. An explanation for our rating system can be found here at wikipedia.
There are also several tags for different genres. We greatly encourage you to add one or more genre tags to your story posts, but it's not a requirement like the other tags I just mentioned are.
b) Fanart (i.e. icons, wallpapers, drawings…)
The first tag you need is basically the same as with fan fiction: your contributor's tag ("contributor: username">. I will repeat this, just to make sure: if this is your first post to this community, you naturally won't have your own tag yet. You can't create one, either; only the mods can do that. In that case, please choose the "1st time posting" tag. The mods are checking that tag on a regular basis and will add your own contributor's tag as soon as you've made five posts in total as an author and/or artist.
The second tag you need is the "fanart" tag, again so that someone browsing the comm by that category will see your post as well, be it icons, doodles or the NC-17 manip to end all NC-17 manips.
Lastly, if it applies, please add a tag for the category of your artwork (e.g. "fanart: icons").
c) Fanvids
Simply add your contributor's tag (see above for first time posting) and the "fanvid" tag. That's all. You're always welcome to add a rating and/or genre, of course.
Other stuff
We have tags for memes, meet-ups, discussions, episode reviews, podfic, fic recs, pic spams, and whatnot (this is why we're working with the contributor's tags, btw: so the other one's won't be lost in the chaos). Most of them can be found under resources. Please not that they don't require a contributor's tag. It doesn't matter if, say, a fic search is posted by author A or artist B, now, does it?
If you're not quite sure which tag would fit your post, just ask. The mods will help you out.
~~~
4. I can't find the tag for first time posting.
The tag itself is named "1st time posting". Notice the one in there; this puts it near the top of the tag list, even before "admin". You won't find it under "f". The safest way to add it to your post is by choosing to edit your tags (see above) and pick the very first second tag in the grey box.
~~~
5. I can't get rid of that "unable to tag" thing.
You wouldn't. Once a mod has added a tag to your post, only a mod can take it away again. If you want to get rid of it, either drop one of the mods a message or wait until one of them checks the tag to see if anyone has edited their post in the meantime (I know I check every few days).
~~~
6. What if I need a new tag?
If your post falls under a category that doesn't have its own tag yet (like, say, "genre: kink"), feel free to request a new one. You can either add a line to your post saying, "Hey, mods, I need this new tag, please!" (making that line bold will greatly raise your chances of the mods actually seeing your request, btw) or send a message to either innovativecheat, finkpishnets or 1miracle.
~~~
7. I still have a question!
Leave a comment, then. :)
Feel free to help me speak your language by pointing out any grammatical errors.
Seriously, though: please read this.
1. Why do I have to tag my post?
This is turning into a pretty high-frequency community, and not everyone has the time to check every post every day. Not everyone has been around from the beginning, either. Tags give users the opportunity to browse merlinxarthur by category. That way they can dig their way through all the fanfic, or all the fanfic a specific user posted her, or all the fanvids, and so on. This grows more important as the series progresses. By the middle of next year, hardly anyone will want to go through each and every post just to see if there are any icons they might otherwise miss.
In other words, tags serve as both index and advertisement. They make life easier for all of us. If you don't tag your posts, they won't show up anywhere unless someone clicks on "unable to tag" to have a good laugh.
Please note: only authors and artists who have made at least five (5) posts in the community will get their own contributor's tag. Please use the "1st time posting" tag (which is explained below) until you've reached the 5 posts requirement. When you have made five entries in the community, you can request your own contributor's tag by commenting on this post or sending a message to one of the mods.
~~~
2. How do I tag ?
There are two ways for you to tag your posts.
a) You enter all the tags by hand.
People using clients mostly seem to do this. And sure, it's one way to do it. Problem is, if you mistype your tag, it won't show up on your post.
b) You choose straight from the existing tags.
To that end, choose "edit tags" right after posting. You can also edit your tags by choosing that option from the top of your post (there's a whole row of options: Previous, Edit, Tag, Memories, etc.). You'll be redirected to a new page, at the bottom of said page, you'll find a grey box holding all the tags this community offers. Hold the ctrl-button on your keyboard and click on all the tags you want to add. Save your changes. La voilà. This is the easiest and safest method to make sure you have all the tags you want.
Again, you can also type your tags manually into the small box right above the grey box. Take care not to mistype anything. Also, if you type in a tag and then choose one from the box, the one you just typed in will disappear.
~~~
3. Which tags do I use?
Being the awesome community we are, we have a variety of tags for different occasions.
a) Fan fiction.
The first tag you need is your contributor's tag ("contributor: username">. If this is your first post to this community, you naturally won't have your own tag yet. You can't create one, either; only the mods can do that. In that case, please choose the "1st time posting" tag. The mods are checking that tag on a regular basis and will add your own contributor's tag as soon as you've made five posts in total as an author and/or artist.
The second tag you need is the "fanfic" tag, simply so that someone browsing the comm by that category will see your post as well.
Finally, you need to give your post a rating and, if necessary, a warning. An explanation for our rating system can be found here at wikipedia.
There are also several tags for different genres. We greatly encourage you to add one or more genre tags to your story posts, but it's not a requirement like the other tags I just mentioned are.
b) Fanart (i.e. icons, wallpapers, drawings…)
The first tag you need is basically the same as with fan fiction: your contributor's tag ("contributor: username">. I will repeat this, just to make sure: if this is your first post to this community, you naturally won't have your own tag yet. You can't create one, either; only the mods can do that. In that case, please choose the "1st time posting" tag. The mods are checking that tag on a regular basis and will add your own contributor's tag as soon as you've made five posts in total as an author and/or artist.
The second tag you need is the "fanart" tag, again so that someone browsing the comm by that category will see your post as well, be it icons, doodles or the NC-17 manip to end all NC-17 manips.
Lastly, if it applies, please add a tag for the category of your artwork (e.g. "fanart: icons").
c) Fanvids
Simply add your contributor's tag (see above for first time posting) and the "fanvid" tag. That's all. You're always welcome to add a rating and/or genre, of course.
Other stuff
We have tags for memes, meet-ups, discussions, episode reviews, podfic, fic recs, pic spams, and whatnot (this is why we're working with the contributor's tags, btw: so the other one's won't be lost in the chaos). Most of them can be found under resources. Please not that they don't require a contributor's tag. It doesn't matter if, say, a fic search is posted by author A or artist B, now, does it?
If you're not quite sure which tag would fit your post, just ask. The mods will help you out.
~~~
4. I can't find the tag for first time posting.
The tag itself is named "1st time posting". Notice the one in there; this puts it near the top of the tag list, even before "admin". You won't find it under "f". The safest way to add it to your post is by choosing to edit your tags (see above) and pick the very first second tag in the grey box.
~~~
5. I can't get rid of that "unable to tag" thing.
You wouldn't. Once a mod has added a tag to your post, only a mod can take it away again. If you want to get rid of it, either drop one of the mods a message or wait until one of them checks the tag to see if anyone has edited their post in the meantime (I know I check every few days).
~~~
6. What if I need a new tag?
If your post falls under a category that doesn't have its own tag yet (like, say, "genre: kink"), feel free to request a new one. You can either add a line to your post saying, "Hey, mods, I need this new tag, please!" (making that line bold will greatly raise your chances of the mods actually seeing your request, btw) or send a message to either innovativecheat, finkpishnets or 1miracle.
~~~
7. I still have a question!
Leave a comment, then. :)
Feel free to help me speak your language by pointing out any grammatical errors.