Beginner: which tool to host a bootleg list ?

Here is a little article in order to help beginners (and some veterans) organize their boot list.

Generic advice:

1. Update your list whenever your receive something new. WHY? Because it is easier to list 1 or 2 boots than 136!


2. Add as much information as possible when you have it. WHY? Because you will loose information really quick, and it is sometimes hard to find it back.


3. Host a website or a blog to share your list, and keep in touch with traders. WHY? For they are good guys ;-) and will help you if you are a rookie.

Useful information to keep track of: see Dime's wiki for details (you might have to log in):

1. Artist


2. Recording Date


3. Location


4. Setlist


5. Lineage


6. Video and audio characteristics


7. Notes about the show

This is pretty hard to gather all this information about a boot, but if you have it, check it, keep it and share it.

How to host your list: spreadsheet, blog or website?

1. Spreadsheet: for those who do not know this term a spreasheet is a Excel(Microsoft) or Calc(Openoffice) file. Many traders use this standard format to stor etheir bootleg list, as it is easy to use and practical. I recommend to use Openoffice Calc: download openoffice, this is free and open source.
   
   + : easy to use, really practical.
   - : not interactive.
   


2. Blog: a blog is a good way to host and share your list of boots. The blog platform you choose is really important, because it comes with its community and daily users, and for instance, this is the very reason why Loudbootlegs is hosted by Google (Blogger), because I wanted many people to read it and ask for trades! The reason why it is a good choice is that you will be referenced easily by Google and also on, Blogger search engine. But on the other hand, many people fear Google, so this is up to you. If you fear that your privacy could be threatened, which is perfectly understandable, use open source tools, that will guarantee the safety of your data. As far as blog as concerned, I would recommend to use Wordpress to host a blog. Note that you will have to know a bit of HTML and CSS in order to be really comfortable with Wordpress, but this is 10 times more powerful as Blogger.
   
   
   
   
   • Blogger: www.blogger.com
     
     + : hudge community, easy to use, well referenced.
     - : data freedom and privacy
     
   
   
   • Wordpress: wordpress.com/
     
     + : hudge community, open source, unlimited.
     - : takes some time to install and configure.
     
   
   
   
   


3. Website: everybody's dream is to have their own website ,but the thing is this is pretty much complicated. You will have to know different languages to build and maintain a website, and if this is just to host your bootlist, I would rather recommend to use a blog.
   
   Although there is a solution that most traders know but if you are a beginner you might have never heard of thsi website, so here it is: Tapetrader.
   
   This is an excellent website that will help you host your trading list very precisely and easily, the only thing you have to do is to create an account. Once you are logged in, you can add artists and shows to your boot list, and even create a want list to add the shows you would like to find. The interesting thing is that you can serach for artists and shows in tapetrader's database, which will help you find many traders that like the same bands as you do.