User:Pknkly/WikiProject Chicago/Categories/Categorization scheme

The Chicago Project categorization scheme is meant to accommodate the general reader and those desiring to be editors. In addition, the scheme is meant to meet the needs of the Chicago Project members as they go about performing administrative and maintenance tasks in support of the readers and editors. The categorization scheme is sustained using the category elements described at Chicago Project categories.

The categorization feature of Wikipedia's software allows and encourages users to develop their own categorization scheme. This beneficial element of the categorization feature sets up an environment within which multiple categorization schemes must coexist and not interfere with each other. Among all the category schemes one needs to be developed and maintained by the Chicago Project members so that they can fulfill the categorization aspect of the Chicago Projects mission. That one categorization scheme among the many is the Core Categorization Scheme which needs to be understood, developed, and documented. The other schemes are the Incidental Categorization Schemes and may not be clearly understood by other readers or project members and they are probably not documented other than through the use of cmboxes (see effective categories ). Incidental Categorization Schemes are a vital component of the categorization feature of Wikipedia and expresses the philosophy of users' freedom to define meaningful categories.

General approach
The scheme is built by taking an approach from two points of view and groups categories within content and project categories:


 * An outside-in view from the general readers/editors point of view that starts from Main Page.
 * A top down point of view for general editors and Chicago Project members starting from Category:Contents.

Based on these perspectives, There seems to be three major Chicago Project Parent PSC014 pages:
 * Category:Chicago Wikipedia administration and its sub-categories. These are for PSC014s that are used for the administration of the Chicago Project. These are to be placed on pages that are meant to be used by Chicago Project members and not for the general readers or editors. Please note that talk pages are placed into its sub-categories by use of the project banner template.


 * A critical subcategory is Category:WikiProject Chicago articles into which bots automatically place all the talk pages that have within them the Chicago Project Banner. All pages that are within the scope of the Chicago Project must have a WikiProject Banner within the talk page. Therefore, all the pages within Category:WikiProject Chicago articles are the pages that are within the scope of the Chicago Project.


 * Category:Chicago and its sub-categories. This is a primary content category for providing a list of PSC014s that are to be assigned to Basic pages. Editors use this category to group articles whose content is related to the City of Chicago. This category is not a tracking or project category.  Neither does it contain project subcategories.  This category and its subcategories are directly related to the contents of the articles to which they are assigned.  Nevertheless, project members will use this category to validate proper use of the category and its subcategories.


 * Category:Chicago metropolitan area This is a primary content category for providing a list of PSC014s that are to be assigned to Basic pages. Editors use this category to group articles whose content is related to the geographic area beyond the City of Chicago. This category is not a tracking or project category.  Neither does it contain project subcategories.  This category and its subcategories are directly related to the contents of the articles to which they are assigned.  Nevertheless, project members will use this category to validate proper use of the category and its subcategories.

All three are subcategories of Category:WikiProject Chicago, which is the "Top" or "Parent" category within the Chicago Project's category scheme. All pages that are within the scope of the Chicago Project must roll up through the subcategories to Category:WikiProject Chicago and Category:WikiProject Chicago must not be a subcategory for any Chicago Project category.

The above scheme's hyerarchical systematic characteristic is depicted within the specific examples below.

Meeting needs of reader and editors
To accommodate the readers/editors the scheme must allow a reader/editor to find their article or content category of interest within less than three clicks starting from the entry point into the Chicago Project area at Category:WikiProject Chicago. The scheme structure would look like the following:


 * Level 1 This is the main parent category. Readers finding this category should be able to quickly and intuitively find their category or article.


 * Category:WikiProject Chicago


 * Level 2 This is the level within which all Chicago Project categories are grouped into one of two content categories or the administrative category where all the Chicago Project categories are grouped.


 * Category:Chicago (Note: This is one of the two major Chicago Project content categories)
 * Category:Chicago metropolitan area (Note: This is one of the two major Chicago Project content categories)


 * Category:Chicago Wikipedia administration (Note: This is the starting point for all the Chicago Project project categories)


 * Level 3 for content category Category:Chicago All articles related Chicago, Illinois are placed into this category and all subcategories within this category at this level are distinguished. The use of distinguished categories at this level is what gives the reader the ability to find their article within no more that four clicks. The subcategory and the article link given below are examples and emulates the look of the Category:Chicago category page.


 * Subcategories
 * Category:Cycling in Chicago


 * Pages in category "Chicago"
 * Cycling in Chicago


 * Level 3 for content category Category:Chicago metropolitan area All articles related to topics and subjects that are beyond the city limits of Chicago, Illinois but are within the Chicago metropolitan area are placed into this category and all subcategories within this category at this level are distinguished. The use of distinguished categories at this level is what gives the reader the ability to find their article within no more that four clicks. The subcategory and the article link given below are examples and emulates the look of the Category:Chicago metropolitan area category page.


 * Subcategories
 * Category:Cycling within the Chicago metropolitan area


 * Pages in category "Chicago metropolitan area"
 * Calumet Trail