"Collections" for Cool Mom Picks
Using Movable Type, we fashioned an easy system for creating "collections" of items from the awesome writers that run the ever-growing shopping resource for parents, Cool Mom Picks.During the typical workflow of creating new entries, post authors have the ability to add "tags" to their posts. A cross between keywords and categories, this field allows you to informally group like items without regard to your formal site's hierarchy. For example, you may have posts in major categories like Toys and Clothing that all also deal with a holiday, like Easter. That's where tags come in. Tags let you group items by less-important, but often very specific key words.
With "Collections", Cool Mom Picks editors can now create a Collections page in Movable Type and signify a related tag to group existing content. Movable Type template tags and javascript work together to create a slideshow carousel of the grouped content. Voila! Mini shopping guides grouped together by theme, generated in a matter of minutes from their vast database of over 6,000 entries spanning the last six years.
Need to hack Movable Type to do something cool? Or, are you looking to create your own shopping portal or Mom blog? Let's talk.