RFC07: Add SiteMap as an option in the top level banner. 
 {User Id} {Message/Bell}{Sitemap}{Language}{Help}{Sign out}

If you are new to LibraryThing, it can be quite difficult to know where to start and where to find things. I suggest an extra link in the top line so it would read

{User Id} {Message/Bell}{Sitemap}{Language}{Help}{Sign out}

The text would be “SiteMap” and would have the link

https://www.librarything.com/search.php?

which is nearly same as clicking on the magnifying glass with an empty search field i.e. “Search LibraryThing” is blank.

That's not a site map, though.

>2 keristars: Agree. I think it leads to a lot of empty links. I.e every link I click on under Bibliographic just expands/collapses the menu, but doesn't do anything useful.
I don't think I'd vote for that "SiteMap".

That is most decidedly not a site map. I'd vote to be able to open that search page in a new tab easily though.

As it says in the OP, clicking on the magnifying glass with an empty search field is effectively the same thing, so why not just do that?

>5 jjwilson61: If meant in response to me, it opens in the same tab. If you have a secret way to open it a new tab, I'll send you all my Xmas cookies

>6 SandraArdnas: Nope, I was just responding to the original post. I used all my tricks and couldn't find a way to get it to open in a new tab, but you can two-step it by right-clicking on one of the other LT "tabs", like Zeitgeist and opening that in a new tab and then clicking on the magnifying glass. Two more clicks. Best I could do.

There's an RSI here to treat the magnifying glass the same as the LT "tabs" so it has the button right-click menu and not the image right-click menu.

>7 jjwilson61: Yes, that's what I do, only I middle click on Home

I accept it is not a "sitemap" but based on the comments above, then how about "Search" as title and with the action that it opens in a NEW tab.

So you want a search directly above the search?

>10 Aquila: I'd really like to see a use case for the suggestion in >1 JonathonL88:

My current proposal is
{User Id} {Message/Bell}{Search}{Language}{Help}{Sign out}
where Search opens in a new tab.

I do not understand what you mean by use case?
Would people use it ? or something else?

>10 Aquila: So you want a search directly above the search?
-----------------------------------------------------------

Yes, because I do not think most people will ever tap on the magnifying glass with an empty field, let alone Newbies.

If you put something in then depending on the match LT will usually display hits in Works > Books without realising the other matches in other categories. (Remember this suggestion is for Newbies).
Also if you get a new tab, then this qualifies for SandraArdnas Xmas cookies prize. (see above)

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I collect cookery books
Try searching in "SearchLibraryThing" for A_WELSH.
This looks as if it has failed, but it actually returns Tags = 1.
Following the trail and you will find it is 3 Welsh cooking books collected by myself.
Ok that is reasonable.

Now try searching in "SearchLibraryThing" for A_BALKAN = > Nothing
but
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?tag=A_BALKAN shows TWO books with A_BALKAN
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?deepsearch=A_WELSH. shows the three books as before

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?deepsearch=F_FAV1* shows my Favourite cookbooks FAV1 (27 count)
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?deepsearch=F_FAV* shows FAV1,2,3 (83 count)

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?tag=A_BASQ%2FSPAIN shows A_BASQ/SPAIN. (%2F = / )
as does
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?deepsearch=A_BASQ%2FSPAIN
https://www.librarything.com/catalog/JonathonL88?deepsearch=A_B* shows Basq, Baltic, Balkan, British etc
Now try searching in "SearchLibraryThing" for A_B* = > Nothing
Now try searching in "SearchLibraryThing" for A_W* = > Nothing does not find A_WELSH

So there just is not any consistency and I do not understand how A_WELSH worked.

NB: Special characters are %20=space, %2F=/ see https://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.ASP for more.

.

>12 JonathonL88: Just some plausible example of how using it would help with something.

>14 bnielsen: It is targeted at the newbie to say this is how you can search across the different LT thing categories.
It is not designed for an experienced user.
For example when I wanted to find a fellow user, let us say Abigail, as a newbie to see the time difference.
My initial experience was this only returned AUTHORS with Abigail.

Using the Search option (as proposed)
I would have gone to Search then Social then Members.
Later I would realise I could get there directly from Search LibraryThing completely.

>13 JonathonL88: My guess is that A_WELSH is used more than A_BALKAN and that there is a cutoff in the index for the search engine. (LT has 234 million books registered, but I don't know how many tags people use pr book.)

For anything fancy I have scripts looking in the export file rather using Site search, so I've stopped wondering about its quirks :-)

>15 JonathonL88: Even Tim has problems with Abigails :-)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/332274

>16 bnielsen: A_WELSH is used only by ME and used three times; found
F_FAV3 is used only by me and used 38 times; not found.

Would appreciate a definition of what is meant by
Bibliographic > Tags i.e. Tag Search

Bottom line. What is special about A_WELSH?
What is the scope of Tag search?

When did you enter the tags?

>19 MarthaJeanne: Hmmmm, just checked my "oldest" books and there does not appear to be any correlation with entry date.
Even if the "update" maintenance was run say once per week, then they should be correct by now.

Wow. This proposal reads like someone who used to design websites in the 1980s and has not updated their design manual in 40 years.
People no longer use site maps. They go immediately to the forums (as seen by the 99% of teens posting asking for unblocked sites and the people who are asking questions about how to download books.)

Well yes, I was designing web sites in the 80s, but the latest proposal mentioned earlier is

{User Id} {Message/Bell}{Search}{Language}{Help}{Sign out}
where Search opens in a new tab.

I can't see how a link saying "search" is any more useful for the purpose of "look at the other things you can search" than the magnifying glass.

In both cases, you would get to the same page with other search options on the left. For newbies, it would be more useful to have a banner at the top suggesting they try the other options if the default Works search isn't right.

And none of this RSI would do anything for members with narrow screens, where the proposed link would be hidden under the hamburger menu, and the lefthand column disappears into a drop-down. For us, the search box is the most prominent thing in the top bar.

(being able to open the search in a new tab, though, that's absolutely a needed option!)

>13 JonathonL88:

I do not think most people will ever tap on the magnifying glass with an empty field

That's the standard method on most websites, at least the ones I use.

>24 lilithcat: I do not think most people will ever tap on the magnifying glass with an empty field
-----------------------------------------------------------

Sorry that was my assumption.

>23 keristars: I really only use LibraryThing on a full size screen via a web browser. So that is my experience.

I can but do not like, surfing the web on anything less than a reasonable iPad.

>26 JonathonL88: I should have specified: narrow screens or zoom levels that effectively are narrow screens.

Many of us disabled and/or poor people don't have the luxury of screen preference.

I love the idea of a sitemap. Yeah, a real old fashion 1980s sitemap, being a newbie and spending the first 2 months here just trying to navigate without people having to provide me links every 5 minutes in Welcome to LibraryThing! (They are blessed and kind souls that answer beginner questions, and so quickly.)

You got to admit LT has a LOT of features.

The "Search LibraryThing" is powerful, but I find it does not always give a simple answer, or any answer. Like for example TriviaThing, type that in. It won't get you there. A search in the wiki gives you a blank page. You have to know to go to More at the top, then scroll down. A sitemap would have an alphabetized list showing TriviaThing's link. Bam.

Newbies flounder; and lesser mortals give up.. (I've heard this from quite a few who have accounts here but use it minimally. Mostly as a backup to their GR account. What a shame!)

I've been thinking about some sort of sitemap for ex GR users (or wannabe ex GR users) in either the group* I set up and/or in a wiki. It could illustrate what is here, and send people to things that might interest them.

*
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24977/Welcome-Goodreaders-to-LibraryThing

Thank you for your support to the idea, so we could have :-

{User Id} {Message/Bell}{Search}{Language}{SiteMap}{Help}{Sign out}
where Search opens in a new tab and
Sitemap opens a SiteMap.

I think I direct route to a sitemap is justified given the number of features LibraryThing has.

>28 DebiCates: I think Librarything has too complicated a structure for a sitemap to work. Obviously you can't list every bookpage on the sitemap, but there are also a number of features that can be approached from different directions on the site, which hiuerarchal heading do you lsit them under in a sitemap?

>29 JonathonL88: I doubt that an unofficial sitemap in a group wiki would be given a link anywhere other than in the description for that group.

>30 Aquila: Not to mention the effort it would take to keep it up to date. LibraryThing is also not a static site. There are constantly changes, large and small, some made by staff, but others happening as the result of members' actions.

>30 Aquila: The basic problem I was trying to address is that as a Newbie, one gets lost or you do not know what question to ask or what you did last time.

Maybe reverse the solution and give a two column list
on the lhs: What you are trying to do ?
on the rhs: The route or routes that get you there.

ihs? In hoc signo, Indian health service, international headache society
rhs? Royal Horticultural Society, rectangular hollow section, right angle hypotenuse and side

sorry
left hand side
right hand side

Some of you have made my point. It is complicated, thus the need for some fundamental help for those new to the site.

I spent just an hour last night setting up a start to help newcomers (from GR specifically). Not hierarchical. Simple alphabetical. Links until they better know the navigation. It will never cover everything, newbies aren't interested in everything and a lot of people won't have the patience I had the first 2-3 months I came to LT. They just want to know how to get around to do the basic things they do on any book site.

If you want to check it over and make helpful comments, please do!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/376341#n9040585

>32 JonathonL88: The basic problem I was trying to address is that as a Newbie, one gets lost or you do not know what question to ask or what you did last time.

That's my exact experience. At one point on my early learning journey, I'd have 15 windows open for fear of losing anything I wanted to get back to.

>32 JonathonL88: By the way, clicking on search with a blank search box has been helpful! I've been using that for the links I need in my mini site-map. I can give them a link without already filled information. Then my instructions are to click on the left side, then fill in their specific search desires at the top of that screen.