I use a system that might be overly simplistic but it works. It's also a system that I've used to catalogue my collection since the mid-1990s and at some point in the early 2000s it would have been too late to try to convert to another system for my purposes. What I use works for me.
What I originally started doing in the mid-1990s was create a three-column Word document. The first column was the movie name (keep in mind that these would have been VHS tapes), the second column listed the stars and the third column listed which videotape it was on. I'd have three movies per videotape and I didn't want to label the tapes in order to be discreet. So, if I was looking to watch "Debbie does Dallas," it was a quick search of my Word document to see which tape that was on. Likewise, if I was looking for scenes with a particular star, I could search her name and any appearances would pop up. I'd know which VHS tape or tapes I needed to get to see those scenes.
I kept doing this as DVDs came onto the scene.
Where this system really started to work well for me is when Internet porn started to take over. I still use this three-column model and it still works well. The first column lists either the movie name (if it's from a site like Evil Angel or Jules Jordan that still create movies) or the site name. The second column still lists the stars and the third column lists which external hard drive it's on.
Probably about 20 years ago I created a second list for favourites. The first column lists the movie or site name, the second column in this document lists the model with a brief description of why this scene is a favourite, and the third column is the drive number. Obviously, with this system, though the same issue would exist in any other system, the input is critical. I know what I like so I tag scenes with that. For example, I like scenes that take place on boats or outdoors. If I download a scene that has something I like, I'll add it in the scene name. For example, there is a scene with Rosalynn Sphinx at the site Bang Real Teens that takes place on a boat. When I downloaded that scene, it goes into a folder called "Bang Real Teens" and the file name is "Rosalynn Sphinx." However, because I want to tag that scene, I'll add the words "check boat" to the file name so that it is easily searchable. Then, I'll add that scene to my favourites list. By doing this, if I have a vague recollection that there was a scene on Bang Real Teens with a star I like that was shot on a boat, all I have to do is search my list for the word "boat." That, or if I know what movie/site the scene was on I can search that way. Also, what my current system allows me to do is plug in any drive and search for the word "check" which will then bring up everything that I have tagged as a special interest. I use the word "check" simply as a placeholder and a unique search term. What this allows me to do, is plug a drive-in, search "check," and of the thousands of scenes on that drive, I now have a list of what I know are my favourites.
There are some flaws. The biggest flaw is that there are times when a scene comes to mind but I can't remember any specific details that makes it easy to identify. However, I use the same keywords all the time, which helps. So, for example, if I'm recalling a favourite scene where a model gives an amazing rimjob but that's the only thing I can remember, I know that I can search through my favourites list for the word "rimming" and if I've properly catalogued it, it will turn up. I make it a point to only label rimming scenes as "rimming" and not as "rimjob" or "rim job."
I should add that I also use this system to track more generic things like scenes I just happen to like or models I specifically like. In that case I might both tag and catalogue the scene as "check favourite model" or "check favourite scene." I might add a bit of a description to each of those, but it isn't necessary.
One other type of scene I track using this system is where it's a model's first at something. Maybe it's her first scene, maybe it's her first threesome, first anal, first DP, whatever. I'll tag that scene on the drive as "Gina Valentina - check first anal." I'll then add this same information to my favourites list.
Like I said, what I use is simple but it requires discipline in doing the work as I download scenes.
One downside to this approach is that Word isn't great for dealing with large documents. My complete collection list is approaching 400 pages and my favourites list is nearing 70 pages. I get around this by doing updates to both lists on a monthly basis and then I convert each to a PDF document. PDF seems to do much better in handling large documents.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a shot of a file from one of my drives. You can see it's from Drive 3 and in a folder called North Pole 81, the title of the movie. You can see that there is a scene with Tristan Kennedy, but there is also one with Lexi Diamond that I've tagged as "check cumshot." I did that because it's an impressive cumshot.
Here's a screenshot of my complete list of my collection. You can see the columns I use. It's simple for me to search for Lexi Diamond scenes, or by title.
Finally, here's a shot of my favourites list. You can see how I've listed the movie, listed the star and why it's a favourite scene and the drive it's on. All of this works together to make it easy to find stuff in my collection.
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