LiteratureGeek.com Tagging System & Browse Interface

Project Overview

This project provides a comprehensive analysis and redesign of the tagging/categorization system for LiteratureGeek.com, Dr. Amanda Wyatt Visconti’s digital humanities blog spanning 2009-2026 with 200+ posts.

Key Deliverables:

Thematic Analysis - Deep analysis of blog content, identifying 80+ distinct tags across 8 categories
Rainbow Gradient Browse Interface - Interactive HTML page for exploring tags (inspired by peoplesgdarchive.org)
Implementation Guide - Complete technical documentation for deployment
Sample Tag Assignments - Practical examples showing the system in action

Recent Website Updates (February 2026)

The LiteratureGeek.com website recently underwent important maintenance and improvements:

Updates Incorporated into This Tagging System

Accessibility Enhancements: The browse interface includes WCAG AA compliant features:
- Skip navigation link for keyboard users
- Improved focus indicators for all interactive elements
- Proper ARIA labels and semantic HTML5 structure
- High contrast color ratios for readability
Link Integrity: Implementation guide includes:
- Broken link prevention strategies
- Regular link checking recommendations
- Redirect handling for changed tag URLs
- 404 error handling for tag pages
Design Updates: The rainbow gradient interface is designed to complement:
- Any logo updates or branding changes
- Modern, accessible color schemes
- Responsive design for all devices

Accessibility Features in Browse Interface

Keyboard navigation support
Screen reader friendly structure
Focus visible on all interactive elements
Semantic HTML throughout
Color contrast meets WCAG AA standards
Responsive design for mobile accessibility

What’s Included

📊 Analysis Documents

thematic-analysis.md (15,000+ words)

Comprehensive breakdown of blog themes, methods, and topics
Analysis of 200+ posts across 17 years
Identification of temporal patterns and career evolution
Structural analysis (post types, tone, length)
Proposed 80-tag taxonomy across 8 categories
Comparison to current 19-tag system

sample-tag-assignments.md (8,000+ words)

Concrete tag assignments for 50+ actual blog posts
Demonstrates tagging best practices
Shows tag distribution across categories
Implementation priority recommendations
Statistics on tag usage patterns

implementation-guide.md (12,000+ words)

Step-by-step technical implementation for Jekyll/GitHub Pages
Code snippets and configuration examples
Migration strategy from old to new system
Advanced features (tag networks, timelines, ML suggestions)
Testing checklist
Maintenance and governance plan
Success metrics

🌈 Browse Interface

browse-tags.html

Fully functional single-page application
Rainbow gradient color scheme (80 unique button styles)
Search functionality
Category filtering
Multiple sort options (category, alphabetical, by count)
Responsive design (mobile + desktop)
Interactive with hover effects
Live tag count display
JavaScript-powered filtering

Features:

Shows all 80 tags organized by 8 categories
Each tag displays post count in parentheses
Gradient flows from red → orange → yellow → green → cyan → blue → purple → pink
Search box with real-time filtering
Category dropdown filter
Sort by: category, alphabetical, most/fewest posts
Displays “Showing X of 80 tags” counter

The 8-Category Tagging System

1. Core Themes (12 tags)

Primary subject areas: Digital Humanities, Letterpress Printing, Zines, Book Arts, Web Development, Data & Visualization, Community Building, DH Infrastructure, Textual Scholarship, Literary Studies, Craft & Making, Public Humanities

2. Methods & Practices (15 tags)

Approaches and techniques: User Testing, Participatory Design, Minimal Computing, Web Archiving, Crowdsourcing, Data Physicalization, Network Visualization, Digital Editions, Metadata & Cataloging, Command Line Tools, Version Control, Laser Cutting, Screen Printing, Open Source, Experimental Methods

3. Tools & Technologies (12 tags)

Software and equipment: Jekyll, Gephi, GitHub, Omeka, Drupal, Hypothesis, Airtable, Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Laser Cutters, Printing Presses

4. Specific Projects (8 tags)

Named initiatives: Infinite Ulysses, Zine Bakery, Scholars’ Lab Website, View DHQ, #DHMakes, Statue Removal Project, DH Archiving Series, LGBTQ+ Book History Bibliography

5. Professional Contexts (10 tags)

Career stages and settings: Graduate Student Life, Job Market & Career, DH Center Management, Hiring & HR, Conference Presentations, Academic Publishing, Grant Writing, Teaching & Pedagogy, Dissertation Writing, Professional Development

Platforms and collaboration: Bluesky, Twitter/X, Mastodon, DH Slack, Blogging Culture, Community Moderation, Social Media Strategy, Online Communities, Mentorship, Collaboration

7. Values & Approaches (8 tags)

Ethical frameworks: Feminist DH, Queer DH, Accessibility, Open Access & Licensing, Generous Thinking, Experimental Scholarship, Sustainability, Inclusion & Equity

8. Post Format (5 tags)

Content types: Tutorial, Reflection, How-To Guide, Project Update, Resource List

Key Findings from Analysis

Content Patterns

180+ posts explicitly about digital humanities
45 posts on zines and zine making (concentrated 2024-2026)
40 posts on Infinite Ulysses dissertation project
35+ posts each on letterpress, web development, tutorials
Strong community focus - ~30% of posts about building/sustaining communities

Evolution Over Time

2009-2015 (Graduate Student): Dissertation development, learning, experimentation
2015-2017 (Early Career): Job market, Purdue DH initiative
2017-2020 (Director): Scholars’ Lab management, team building
2020-2024 (Established): Zines, letterpress, social media pivots
2024-2026 (Current): Zine Bakery research, intensive making

Post Characteristics

Length: 50-70% are 500-2000 words (mid-length)
Tone: Conversational, generous, experimental
Audience: Graduate students, DH professionals, makers
Style: Tutorial-heavy, meta-reflective, community-oriented

How to Use This System

For Blog Implementation

Review thematic-analysis.md to understand the taxonomy
Follow implementation-guide.md for technical setup
Use sample-tag-assignments.md as tagging reference
Deploy browse-tags.html as your tag browsing page
Tag each post with 3-6 tags from across categories

Tagging Best Practices

Every post gets: 1-2 core theme tags
Most posts get: 1-2 method/tool tags
About half get: A professional context tag
Some posts get: Project-specific or values tags
All posts get: One format tag

For Other Blogs

This system can be adapted to other academic/professional blogs:

Adjust the 8 categories to your domain
Keep 50-100 tags for optimal browsing
Maintain rainbow gradient for visual appeal
Use search + filter for discoverability
Balance specificity with browsability

Technical Requirements

For Browse Interface

Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
JavaScript enabled
No server-side dependencies
Works as static HTML file

For Full Implementation

Jekyll static site generator
GitHub Pages (or similar hosting)
Ruby 2.7+ (for Jekyll plugins)
Basic command line knowledge
Git for version control

File Structure

literaturegeek-tags/
├── README.md (this file)
├── analysis/
│   ├── thematic-analysis.md
│   ├── sample-tag-assignments.md
│   └── implementation-guide.md
└── website/
    └── browse-tags.html

Design Inspiration

The rainbow gradient tag browsing interface is inspired by:

People’s Graphic Design Archive (peoplesgdarchive.org/topics) - Button-based browsing with counts
Maximalist aesthetics - Reflecting the blog author’s design preferences
Neon color palettes - Bright, engaging, joyful
Community archives - Accessible, exploratory interfaces

Statistics

Taxonomy Scale

80 total tags across 8 categories
12 core theme tags (primary subjects)
15 methods tags (how work is done)
12 tool tags (what’s used)
43 context/format tags (remaining categories)

Expected Distribution

Based on analysis of existing content:

Digital Humanities: ~180 posts (90% of blog)
Zines & Zine Making: ~45 posts
Infinite Ulysses: ~40 posts
Conference Presentations: ~40 posts
Web Development: ~40 posts
DH Center Management: ~40 posts
Tutorial/How-To: ~60 posts combined
Letterpress Printing: ~35 posts

Improvements Over Current System

4x more tags (80 vs 19) for better specificity
Organized by category instead of flat list
Multiple discovery paths (search, filter, sort, browse)
Visual hierarchy through rainbow gradient
Better balance between broad and specific tags

Color System

Tags use a rainbow gradient organized by category:

Core Themes: Red → Orange → Yellow
Methods: Yellow-Green → Green → Teal
Tools: Cyan → Blue → Light Blue
Projects: Indigo → Purple
Professional: Purple → Dark Pink
Social: Pink → Rose
Values: Warm reds and oranges
Format: Neutral grays and browns

Each tag has a unique color using CSS gradients for visual interest and category identification.

Next Steps

Review the thematic analysis for accuracy
Customize tag names/descriptions as needed
Test the browse interface in your environment
Begin tagging posts using sample assignments as guide
Deploy the browse page to your site
Monitor usage via analytics
Iterate based on user feedback

Credits

Analysis & Design: Claude (Anthropic) Blog Author: Dr. Amanda Wyatt Visconti Blog URL: https://literaturegeek.com Design Inspiration: People’s Graphic Design Archive (peoplesgdarchive.org)

License

This tagging system and browse interface design are provided for use with the LiteratureGeek.com blog. The analysis documents may be adapted for other blogs with attribution.

The HTML/CSS/JavaScript code is provided as-is and may be modified as needed.

Contact

For questions about implementing this system, consult the implementation-guide.md or refer to Jekyll/GitHub Pages documentation.

For questions about the blog content itself, visit https://literaturegeek.com

Last Updated: February 1, 2026
Version: 1.0
Documents: 4 files, ~35,000 words total