My Steemit Library - Status and Progress Report
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
– Albert Einstein –
From the "threats becoming real" department:
I am finally beginning to make good on my threats to learn something about interacting with the Steemit world as the geek/programmer/developer that I am.
So many books... So little time...
Image courtesy of Yaroslav Blokhin and http://unsplash.com
Most of my followers know I'm a "dabbler."
One of the interesting discoveries of my life has been that I am, by God's design, interested in everything. I've found this reality to be both a blessing and a curse.
Being interested in everything is a blessing in that, generally speaking, I'm never bored. There is always something interesting to read or do or think about.
However, being interested in everything is a curse when I find myself frustrated by things beyond my control, and when I discover that I don't have the time to make and do and interact in all the areas of my interest simultaneously.
As a Steemit content creator,
I've never enjoyed the feeling of being only as good as my latest article. The Steemit User Interface is extremely temporal, and absolutely at odds with the notion of blockchain permanence.
The standard Steemit UI gives you access to a strictly chronologically ordered collection of an author's work. If you happen to read an entry by an author who was having a bad day, you're likely to go "ho-hum" and move along, never to return.
Well, I'm sorry, but I insist on being more than my most recent post. I want you to have access to the whole nine yards.
CLICK the Image Above to Access My Steemit Library
My Steemit Library
Building, maintaining, and improving my personal Steemit library has been one of my Steemit projects and passions since my early days on Steemit. You can read much of the history and rationale for the library here:
...A ~Better~ Way to Steemit...
I was appalled recently to discover that a change in the Steemit User Interface has broken the most recent version of my library. The article links now all have a superfluous "https//" embedded in them, causing the links to fail.
Another utterly frustrating discovery was that the standard UI now ends at the first article of last year (2017). What the heck?
[Deep Sigh]
These disheartening discoveries have, nevertheless, added some motivation to my ongoing quest to update, expand, and improve my library technology.
What's not to love about the library?
Image courtesy of Alex Iby and http://unsplash.com
Up until now,
creating my library has been a painstaking manual process. But thanks to a couple of Steemians I've recently met, I have begun to learn how to access a database containing a complete, organized, up-to-date snapshot of the entire Steemit blockchain.
I'd like to give a huge shout-out to @archange, a Steemit Witness who has taken it upon himself to create and maintain SteemSQL. Please follow @archange and give him one of your witness votes. If you're interested in using SteemSQL, here are some of the most important information links:
I struggled for a while, unable to access the database, so I joined the SteemSQL Channel on Steemit Chat and asked for help.
As a result, I would also like to give a big shout-out to @geekgirl who very kindly stepped in when I was struggling with gaining access to the SteemSQL database. She encouraged and advised me, and pointed me to her tutorial article here:
With the help of her tutorial article, I overcame any remaining obstacles and became able to access the SteemSQL database.
I've been experimenting with Python and SQL commands, and have renewed hope that I'll be able to accomplish my plan for my Steemit Library.
What plan is that?
My nefarious plan is to continue with my self-education about SQL and Python, and to reach the point where I will have some custom Python utilities for maintaining my Steemit Library.
In my fevered imagination, these utilities will be able to scan my entire collection of Steemit articles and output the results according to my specification into a hierarchical collection of Steemit posts that will provide topically organized access to my Steemit articles.
The surprising reality is that I'm making some progress...
In the longer term, I'd like to make those utilities available to fellow Steemians who might like to do the same with their Steemit writings.
Wish me luck!
~FIN~
Einstein was right about this...
Image courtesy of AZ Quotes
For more Steemit articles, please visit our Library Steemit Shelf - Just CLICK the shelf below.
Introducing: The SILVERengines proton - Image by @creatr
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.
⬇️To Check Out @creatr's World⬇️CLICK Each Image Below⬇️
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I laughed heartily at the truth of this statement for myself - life never grows dull.
Your perseverance in this quest is inspiring and it is encouraging to see you find some options - coupled with that is the servant heart you have to share your findings with non-programmer people. Well done @creatr!
Thank you for stopping in and encouraging me today, my friend! :D
I'm making baby steps of progress toward the next version of my library... Still have some obstacles to overcome.
Better progress in the Exchange department lately, which is a very good thing. :D
Sounds like an interesting project, basically like having pages once you develop a nice UI for it I guess?
I don't have the programming skills to develop anything like this, but I'd welcome it: it'd make the platform much more popular.
On my WP blog (approx. 4 million visits/ annum) my pages are the draws, which are basically my library.
Good idea for sure, and all of those sql people you mention are awesome!
Hi, Karl, nice to "meet" you here on Steemit. Thanks for your comments.
I have mad programming skilz, but need to extend them into the network programming area, which I am (slowly) beginning to do.
I guess it is sort of like WP pages? Have you visited my library to see the current "state of the art?" Of course, as I mentioned in the article, it is currently "broken," and I'm hoping soon to do an update...
What is your WP blog URL? I'd like to see how you draw 4 million visits a year... ;)
Might you have any interest in doing some affiliate marketing of my colloidal silver maker product?
Thanks for your visit!
Likewise to 'meet' you too. I did check out your library, it's very useful... you've basically got a personalised homepage: the idea of a database query programme (I'm sure there's a techy phrase for this which I don't know) that creates this automatically from past posts is great too.
What I think we really need is to have your 'boxes' of categories turned into page links at the top of the page - steemit needs some kind of add on so you can have 'my pages' added below the trending/ new/hot/ promoted links - so you have 'stories/ photography' et just as links wrapped around the regular steemit blog...
My main blog is revisesociology.com (link on my 'profile' I didn't want to spam it here - let's just say it's not 'all that' but there's a captive audience during exam time, also big topics like globalisation and research methods do well, helped I like to think by clever use of slugs. I need to give it a proper make-over now I know it's a solid concern. Anyway, enough of that.
I'll catch you in chat about the affiliate marketing, maybe over the weekend.
And don't worry about the steem if you don't wanna sell at the bottom, that's understandable!
Bit long that soz.
Hi again, and thanks for the link to your blog. :D
I appreciate your sensitivity about comment spam, but no worries when I ask for it, right? ;)
I'm in and out of the chat fairly rarely, and I need to research affiliate marketing tools... but definitely need to expand my market!
And being cash poor at the moment, I can probably be persuaded to part with some of my Steem...
So, To Be Continued. Cheers!
Some of the greatest more success people I learn about all say how reading is so important to progress. I was always an underachiever and never read much at all. Over the past few years I have started to read more and more. Now it is a daily habit of mine and one of my biggest priorities in life. This in my opinion will get me to where I need to go and learn about everything I want. Not to mention, reading is the most stimulating activity for me out there. This is similar to Steemit itself. Thanks for this reminder @creatr!
Thank you, @bitdollar, for stopping in and commenting.
Although I must apologize for the present problem issues with my Library, you can still access it (click on the GIF below) and if you "copy link location" for any article of interest, and edit out the extra "https//" you can still find the articles...
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Thanks I will do so! Following you now. Look forward to expanding my knowledge with you. :D
I agree with you dear
And this remains the ONE thing that strangely bugs me about our community. Here we are, creating this great library of information in a permanent format... and it's hardly accessible.
I totally appreciate what you're doing, and it has interested me since you first mentioned... on top of which it seems to me like someone should be developing an app for the front end here so large scale creators could organize their content somehow, for the public.
I was just visiting one of my old haunts-- HubPages-- and I can easily access my content from 10 years ago. It reminded me that it's really a feature I miss here. And there's something almost counterintuitive about it, because Steemit yields stellar rankings on Google searches...
But anyway, congrats on making progress with the library!
Hello, my friend @denmarkguy,
Thank You so much for your very encouraging response. Yes, I couldn't be happier to be making some headway on this problem. The usual frustrations apply as far as "fitting it in" to available time. I hope I will be able to give it some priority, and to share it with you and others in the community when I reach some "presentable" level of usefulness...
I will certainly keep you (and everyone) posted. But it is very good to know of your interest, Thanks! ;)
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I have to give you credit for having the drive and determination to overcome the obstacles presented to you. That speaks well of your character and indeed helps the steemit community. Thanks for the update and the post @creatr.
Thanks, Troy... but hang on to the credit until I get this done!
I am thankful for the feedback on this progress report, it will help move me along... ;)
Steem libraries look beautiful, you are looking so beautiful, you are good to hear a programmer, I am a web design and developer,
thanks for sharing outstanding photography...
Thanks for your visit.
Carry on, my Happy Booker :)
LOL!
Thanks, John, I shall... ;)