Fanlore:Categories
- See Fanlore:Sitemap to see the category hierarchy.
- See Help:Categories for a practical guide to adding categories to a page or creating new categories.
- See Special:Categories for an alphabetical list of all Fanlore categories.
Fanlore's Category Philosophy
In line with our Plural Point of View policy, we have chosen to use generic language in our category structure/sitemap rather than fannish vernacular. This is because we acknowledge that the diverse range of fan communities have different terminology for often similar practices.
Rather than suggest that there is a single "correct" term, and to avoid alienating fans by attempting to describe their practices in terms that do not apply to them personally, the terms we've chosen rather describe the nature of the subject or practice in question.
If you believe this sitemap could be expanded, or you have a problem with it, please contact the Fanlore Committee or use the talk page associated with this article to open a discussion.
The Fanlore Category Structure
The category structure for Fanlore was developed to provide a reliable structure within which articles could be easily stored and located. At the same time, we're keen to provide foundations for Fanlore that will allow room for expansion, as we hope for the wiki to grow organically as fandom places demands upon it through use.
The core structure is based around four top-level categories:
Within those categories are a number of sub-categories. You can see the whole hierarchy at Fanlore:Sitemap. Some categories, such as Category:Glossary and Category:Fanworks are "floating" categories, that exist more for ease of use than to fit with the sitemap.
The sitemap has been developed from the beginning to ensure that usability through order is maintained for both contributors and users. The software Fanlore is based on includes many different inter-linking features that promote both controlled and organic browsing, allowing users to find articles that form collections or are related to each other with ease.
For example, wikilinks construct an interconnected network of articles on the wiki. Every time you use a [[Wikilink]], that link is registered on the "Related pages" feature of the page in question. For example, if you are looking at the Slash article and you click on "What links here" (under the "Toolbox" heading on the list), you will see a list of Fanlore articles that link back to the slash article.
Cross-categorisation
With MediaWiki (the software Fanlore is built on), categories function more as tags than strict enforcement of classification. This means that pages can (and should, where appropriate!) be cross-categorised. For example:
- The Organization for Transformative Works could be categorised under Category:Organizations & Corporations and Category:Activism
- AnimeMusicVideos.org could be categorised in Category:Websites and also Category:Anime Music Video
Cross-categorisation means that classification of articles is not a restrictive practice; it allows readers to locate articles through various paths and interpretations.