Prepare to analyze a huge blogger blog with Nvivo 8

(Finally got all files imported.  Please check update posting on how I got the entire blog and more imported to Nvivo 8 SP4.)

This problem I am trying to tackle now... and since yesterday....

How do you analyze a blog with over 1500 postings with Nvivo 8 SP4? (A price I have to pay for having this congenital disease called verbal diarrhea... 8-X lol)

After a whole lot of trial and errors, this is what I have gotten so far these past two days.

Gathering all documents on my hard drive:

I downloaded the entire Ratology Reloaded blog using HTTrack.  Apparently, one can also use Adobe professional to convert the entire site into Pdf files directly; yet, since I already had the entire site downloaded and I didn't want to convert all external links into Pdf files, I didn't go through with the Adobe professional to download the whole site.

Converting documents to word/text files: 

Before you want to analyze anything with Nvivo, you need to be able to get the info in.  If there were fewer number of postings, such as something like 100, now, I would consider simply copying and pasting.  Yet, since I have 1500 something postings, I have to find ways to batch process documents into something Nvivo could handle.

Nvivo 8 doesn't support html files.  Thus, you either have to find a program to convert html files directly into word documents or you have to find a program to convert html files into Pdf then into word documents.

Partially having to do with the fact that I couldn't really find a free/trial software that allow me to batch file conversion from HTML to word and retain the pictures, I had converted all files from html to Pdf using the batch conversion option of Adobe professional last night.... 

Unfortunately, this morning, I found out that... oops... I had problems importing pdfs into Nvivo while, apparently, Nvivo 8 doesn't quite handle Pdf all that well.  Most importantly, it would be crazy to import all 1500 pdf files into Nvivo anyways... duh... lol

What I have accomplished so far is to test out various programs (trial version) that allows for batch conversion of files from Pdf to word.  Although others might have their preferences, I find my preference to be DeskUnPDF.... as I am typing out this... file conversion in process in the background.

Clean up the files

Some of stuffs on the files could have been cleaned up in batch at html phase.... which I would recommend you to do.

However, I didn't come to the realization until after all files have been converted into Pdfs.  These might include info such as the title of the blog and other stuffs that gets added by blogger and service providers alike automatically to your post.  Programs such as dreamweaver would allow you to edit out most of them out in batch.

In my scenario, I would have to find a software that allows me to batch edit things out of the word documents... including the notes added by DeskUnPdf to show that the file conversion was conducted using their trial version... 8-O

To Be Continued... since still in the conversion phase.

Batch conversion from PDF to Word for Nvivo 8

One task involved in using Nvivo 8 to take a look at the Ratology Reloaded blog is... document preparation... including... file conversion.

Following is my experience so far with some of the software programs that performs batch conversion from PDF to Word:

DeskUnPDF: My favorite so far is DeskUnPDF.  It retains some of the format and pictures as well. Although it concerts files with Chinese title, it doesn't convert Chinese.

For trial version, it has the restriction of converting only the first 3 pages or so.   Two things really annoying about its trial is that... it adds texts to the end of your document to remind you that the file conversion was conducted using their trial software.

Also, the trial version only allow you to convert 30 files in one setting and it takes forever to close out all the Pdf files after the conversion process is done.  Every time I tried to close all 30 files together, the program would simply hang there for some time as if it has crashed.... and... it moves... actually thought the program crashed for the first few times... After a while, you know.. well.. so it stops...... so it stops... 8-O lol

However, much lighter a file to be imported into NVivo 8 and hasn't crashed the Nvivo 8 yet during the import process.  This is why I decided to stay with this program.

Some other programs I have tested out as well.  Before DeskUnPdf, I actually was debating between PDF Ripper and Convert Doc... until I realize that files converted through convert Doc crashes Nvivo often during file import process:

PDF Ripper: The trial version gives you 15 days and it also allows you to specify an entire folder to convert.  It only allow you to convert files into rtf format but not word format.  In addition, one big problem I have with this program... but maybe be no problem to others.. the software doesn't recognize foreign characters such as Chinese.  When conducting batch processing by specifying a folder to convert, the program stalls when it encounters a file with Chinese file name.  Even if you change the file name to English, the converted file would still be all scrambled...

Convert Doc: Convert Doc works and tries its best to retain the layout when converting PDF to Word.  Unfortunately, too many graphics here and there.  In terms of HTML to other file types, have not been able to get it to work.  When trying to import the converted files into Nvivo 8 SP4, at least 3 out of 4 trials failed... and crashes the program.

PDFtoWord: For the trial version, you could only convert 1 file at a time with the max of 5 pages.  The resulting file is huge... 19 mb for a 2 page document with 2 pictures or so.  I won't recommend it.

AAA PDF to Word Converter 2.0: Installed the software but it wouldn't even launch.

123File Converter: Maybe it is file the trial version, the batch processing option either can't be found or doesn't exist.

A-PDF Word to PDF: Doesn't run on 64 bit windows.

A problem concerning exporting blogger blog to Nvivo

This problem I am trying to tackle now...

How do you export a blog and analyze it with Nvivo?