SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
RIP: Dead/Expired Threads
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Book Detail Database
What a great idea! Will add to it as I get a chance
Wow Steph! I love this new feature. Great idea!
are we putting non-series books in this as well? What about genres besides UF and PNR?
I'll just jump in here...are we putting non-series books in this as well?
Yes. There's a handy button near the bottom of the form to say what kind of "family" the book has (an only, series, etc)
What about genres besides UF and PNR?
I think those of us who've been batting ideas about read a lot in those genres, so included them first, but ALL genres are welcome! The more info there is, the easier it'll be to find books to fit some of those hard challenges for letters, etc!
Exactly! Thanks for that, Judithe. :) UF & PNR would be my first input requests, b/c like Judithe mentioned, that's the focus of the group and would be of the most interest to all the members.
But, the database is essentially being created to help with ALL challenges. And we know that not everyone is limited to UF/PNR challenges, so feel free to enter other genres, after you've exhausted your knowledge of details for those two.
OF NOTE: Currently there is a field for genre on the spreadsheet. It appears empty, but if you enter your information using the form you will see check box options for the book's genre. I'm not sure why those options checked upon entry are not showing up on the spreadsheet. But, I'll work on trying to resolve that issue. For now, please continue to complete the form in it's entirety, to the best of your knowledge.
Thanks!! It's already growing like a kid on steroids! LOVE it! I appreciate everyone taking the time to input books and hope you'll find it a great resource down the road! :D
Ok, I added all my books to the spreadsheet. I cleaned it up a bunch to match, but there probably will still be some issues. But hey, we have a lot of data now.Shouldn't we have contemporary romance as a genre type if we have chic-lit and historical? My contemporary's are in there just with romance in the genre type.
Diane (deebotte) wrote: "Ok, I added all my books to the spreadsheet. I cleaned it up a bunch to match, but there probably will still be some issues. But hey, we have a lot of data now.Shouldn't we have contemporary ro..."
Yep, I meant to add that earlier today, but my ADD got me goin' in a different direction before I got to it. Off to do that right quick now. Thanks!
ETA: Contemporary romance genre added
Is anyone using Firefox? I keep getting an error, "A browser error has occurred. Please hold the Shift key and click the Refresh button to try again." when I try to access the spreadsheet. :( It will let me scroll down, but not across, and it won't let me sort by different headings (can we even do that?) I wanted to sort by author to make it easier to see who was already entered.
Boo hoo. :(
I'm using Firefox and Safari jointly...lol...have tons of windows and tabs open! But haven't had a problem...do hope it goes away soon. Did you try checking on the list view? You might be able to see it there at least...
Laura Lulu wrote: "Is anyone using Firefox? I keep getting an error, "A browser error has occurred. Please hold the Shift key and click the Refresh button to try again." when I try to access the spreadsheet. :( It ..."
I have firefox and I'm not getting an error and I can sort the author column. Maybe you should try re-booting?
Farts. I hate when the problem is me--I much prefer to blame it on something else, preferably internet browsers. ;)
Of course it's something else, not you! Hope it's sorting itself out!
This is pretty awesome. :)
Laura, sorry it's giving you problems. It's not YOU. Hopefully whatever IT is, will fix itself soon b/c bugger that sucks. I'm using Firefox and don't have any problems. I can sort columns as well. Good luck with it.
Thanks, AV. It's a joint effort and it's going great so far with everyone's input! :D
WOW! Thanks for everyone's help with the database! It's growing fast, thanks to everyone's time and hard work. :) Keep it going ....
Hi Steph or Judithe,I tried to pull up the spreadsheet this morning and instead of the spreadsheet coming up, the google sign in page came up. I'm looking for a book to fit a challenge.
I clicked on "spreadsheet" (above) under step one. Am I doing it wrong?
Thanks for your help.
Hmmm...I don't think so...do you have a google account? I'll look into it...and maybe Steph will know quicker...
Looking through a few things quickly, it seems you might need to be signed into a google account to use it...that's a rather inconvenient quirk I wasn't aware of...so sorry about the frustration! I hope someone else can step in and give you a fuller answer. I'm still a novice at using programs like that...
I didn't think about that, Judithe. I will try it.I just set up a google account this morning, as I want to import my reading schedule and use it thru google docs. I've been using one of those little usb thingys, but it is so inconvenient. By using the google docs, I can access the spreadsheet any time. Otherwise, I have to remember to carry that darn usb thingy.
I'm just realizing the potential convenience for documents I don't mind being more public...and one less thing to have to remember is always good! Good luck with setting things up!!
I was filling out the form for a book and it won't let me leave profession and Tags blank. The main character is a teenager, so she doesn't really have a profession (although I guess I could call her a hunter). Since it isn't paranormal, none of the tags fit.
Judithe wrote: "I'm just realizing the potential convenience for documents I don't mind being more public...and one less thing to have to remember is always good! Good luck with setting things up!!"*Happy dance, happy dance*
I'm sooo excited. I got all my spreadsheets uploaded today on google docs. Got all three reading lists I'm working off of. And most importantly, I got my spreadsheet containing my monthly reading schedule. Woooo hoooo!
I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...I'm about to loose control and I think I like it! LOL
Diane (deebotte) wrote: "I was filling out the form for a book and it won't let me leave profession and Tags blank. The main character is a teenager, so she doesn't really have a profession (although I guess I could call ..."So, for profession, "None/hunter?" or something like that. Tags can be "other" and filled in/left blank...Thanks for adding books!
southpaw285 wrote: "Happy dance, happy dance* I'm sooo excited. I got all my spreadsheets uploaded today ..."
Congratulations!!!!
Judithe wrote: "Diane (deebotte) wrote: "I was filling out the form for a book and it won't let me leave profession and Tags blank. The main character is a teenager, so she doesn't really have a profession (altho..."Tried leaving tag other as blank and with just a space and it won't accept it. I guess I'll type in None.
OK...that works for us!
I'll have a look at it. Diane what book was it?
Diane was it Hunger Games? I'll have a look at the form and give it a tweak if I can. But someone is adding books right now, so I'll come back in a little while.
Southpaw, Sorry for the issues with the spreadsheet initially. I didn't think you needed to (1) have a google acct or (2) sign in if you do in order to view it. :( I want it to be accessible to anyone (in our group), google member or not. I'll look into it and see what I can find out. Congrats on importing all your docs. It's a very handy way to store them. I love it and use it A LOT.
Diane, sorry for the problems you've had as well. Hopefully Sandra will be able to enter it for you. But, in the future, just enter NONE or N/A (for not applicable) for any "required fields" that don't fit for the book you are listing. There are certain fields that we've made "required" so that we compile the most information per book as possible.
Thanks for adding to it!
HmI entered the Karen Chance series today and noticed that the Main female and Main male categorys arent showing up in the spreadsheet
Also I wondered about perhaps having a field for identifying what sort of paranormal the main characters are?
Sandra wrote: "Diane was it Hunger Games? I'll have a look at the form and give it a tweak if I can. But someone is adding books right now, so I'll come back in a little while."
Yes it was. I entered it with none for tags.
Judithe wrote: "I'm using Firefox and Safari jointly...lol...have tons of windows and tabs open! But haven't had a problem...do hope it goes away soon. Did you try checking on the list view? You might be able t..."I use Firefox and it was fine - maybe clear your cache if ist still a problem.
As to sorting - you need to click on the letter header for the column you want to sort (eg E to sort by Author) and then go to Tools> Sort By and you can sort alphabetically.
GENERAL SUGGESTION: I'd like to recommend that if you are adding one of a series - add all of the series, since the fields are auto fill it is pretty quick, and it means others won't have to look for and fill in gaps :)
Ok, I logged out of my Google acct and clicked on the spreadsheet, but I didn't have any problems. No sign-up page, just the spreadsheet. Maybe try again, SP. Hopefully it'll correct itself or not be an issue for you (since you now have an acct w/Google).Shelleyrae, the "mains" are in the spreadsheet now. Not sure where they went (LOL) but, they are back now.
Also, I think we'll stick with "tags" for any descriptors re: supe type, etc. Instead of adding another column to the spreadsheet.
And, I like your suggestion to add the entire series at once. That would only work if someone's read the entire series though. I have read a TON of book 1s, but haven't read #2+ for many of those, at least not yet.
OK, Shellyrae, the main characters were there but hiding, if this happens again you'll see little arrows up in the heading, just click on them.Diane, I've added Ordinary Human to the tags for those books that aren't paranormal, and I've changed your listing accordingly.
Apart from that the database looks to be going great. Thanks to all those adding books :D
:D Thanks, Sandra!
Steph wrote: "Southpaw, Sorry for the issues with the spreadsheet initially. I didn't think you needed to (1) have a google acct or (2) sign in if you do in order to view it. :( I want it to be accessible to ..."Steph, there is a way to make it accessible to all without an a/c:
1. Right click on the doc.
2. Go to "Share" then "Sharing Settings".
3. Next to "Private" click "change" and it will give visibility options.
4. In this case you might choose "Anyone with the link".
Hope this helps. :)
I just checked out the settings, and it's set to:"Anyone who has the link can access. No sign-in required."
So, I think this should be OK. Thanks for the tip, Amy!
Phew. I thought that's what I'd set it as. So I was sure there wouldn't be problems with people w/out an acct using it. Part of what baffles me. Oh well. Thanks, southpaw and Judithe. Hope it doesn't give anyone else problems. :)
PS: Miss Judithe, were you up and posting at 1:15a? You need your rest, Sensei. :)
FYI, I had just finished proofreading, aka Work! So, relax and read mail after work...etc...and what were you doing up at...ahem....5 a.m. ???
LOL! Busted while busting you! How's that?! :DSandra & I were participating in the Read-A-Thon over at "Who's Your Author". Thankfully the mods were gracious enough to allow us to split the 24hrs over 2-3 days. Just finished our 24 hours today.
Congrats!!!
It was great reading with a buddie. Esp since Steph was so funny, made the time disappear.
Sandra wrote: "It was great reading with a buddie. Esp since Steph was so funny, made the time disappear."scratching head in puzzlement Reading same books? Commiserating over a book you HAD to read to complete another D*** challenge you just fell into?
Though, friends can make anything more fun...and put the two of YOU together....lol...Danger, Will Rogers....(or something like that!)
Judithe wrote: "Sandra wrote: "It was great reading with a buddie. Esp since Steph was so funny, made the time disappear."scratching head in puzzlement Reading same books? Commiserating over a book you HAD to ..."
LOL
We could pick whatever books we wanted. LOL. We each picked books for our reading relay over at RRRC. A couple of mine Steph had read, which made it even funnier. Then we did the quote thing, which is hilarious when taken out of context.
Then we started quoting SciFi TV shows.... it was fantastic.
Especially as neither of us had ever done anything like that before.
I went and peeked! Cracked a much needed smile while falling on the floor laughing Son said: Ka-san (aka mom, mum, NO, not the house-slave!)...are you ok? You need an ambulance?
The purpose of the database is to provide a place where members can search for a book with specific details (ie: certain setting, character name, genre, etc).
In order for the database to be a success, we will all need to pitch-in and enter data for the books we've read. The more data input, the better resource the list will become.
If you have any questions re: either the form or the database, please post them here (in this thread). If you have questions or comments re: what you'd like to see included in the "Challenge Help Center" in general, please post them here.
The spreadsheet columns can be sorted alphabetically to assist in your search. If you have any problems accessing the following links or using the form, please let me know. Thanks & Enjoy! :)
In the meantime, your help is needed!
Step 1:
Check the spreadsheet for your book.
Is your book listed? If yes, you're done. If no, move onto step 2.
Step 2:
Complete the form , making sure to include as much information as possible and all *required fields. Then, click "submit". You're done. The data you enter into the form will be automatically entered into the spreadsheet (once you click "submit").
Another Option for entering an entire series: Data can be input directly into the spreadsheet bypassing the form. If you are familiar with programs like Excel, Google's spreadsheet works the same way. I'm happy to help if you have any questions.