The Rule of the Game is not just a simple literary blog: it is an editorial platform whose architecture reflects several decades of publication. Understanding its organization requires distinguishing the layers of content, the classification logics, and the technical choices that underpin navigation.
Editorial structure of the site The Rule of the Game: categories and taxonomies
The site is based on a dual classification logic: thematic and authorial. The main sections (Literature, Philosophy, Politics, Arts) form the first level of navigation. Each section aggregates individual articles published continuously, independently of the issues of the print journal.
On top of this thematic structure is an index by authors. The signed contributions (Marc Knobel, Guy Scarpetta, Bernard Pautrat, among others) each have a dedicated contributor page. This editorial choice places the signature on the same level as the category in the navigation hierarchy.
Other sections complement the structure: Podcasts, Videos, Seminars, Photos (grouped under the label “Imagoscope”) and an Archives page that provides access to past issues of the journal. By consulting the structure of the site The Rule of the Game, one quickly perceives this organization in complementary layers rather than a simple list of pages.
Print journal and online publication: two distinct editorial levels
One point that most casual readers overlook: the site articulates two parallel editorial flows. The first corresponds to articles published directly online, with their own rhythm (sometimes several per week). The second refers to the issues of the journal, the latest identified being issue no. 87.
These two flows do not completely overlap. Some texts published on the site do not appear in any print issue. Conversely, the printed journal may contain features absent from the site. The “The Journal” page and the online shop (subscription, single issue purchase) form a distinct subset in the structure.
This duality imposes a two-entry navigation. A reader interested in a thematic feature (for example, “A New New Critique?”, title of issue no. 87) must go through the journal section. A reader looking for the latest published political column will go through the Politics section or the homepage, which displays recent publications in reverse chronological order.
Technical structuring: RSS feeds, social networks, and internal linking
The site features an RSS feed accessible from the homepage, which remains quite rare for a French-speaking intellectual journal. This feed allows regular readers to follow publications without relying on social media algorithms.
In parallel, the platform maintains accounts on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram. Each channel links to the articles on the site, but the frequency of publication and the type of content shared vary by network. Instagram, for example, seems more focused on the “Imagoscope” section and events related to seminars.
The internal linking of the site follows a coherent logic:
- Author pages link to all contributions signed by the same writer, creating a reading path based on intellectual affinity.
- Articles include links to other texts on the site on related topics, promoting circulation between sections.
- The Archives section functions as a retrospective index, linking past issues to themes still active on the site.
Legal mentions and editorial governance: what the site does not always show
We observe that editorial governance remains poorly documented on the surface. The homepage does not highlight a publisher or a visible editorial team structure. To access this information, one generally has to search for legal mentions or secondary pages (terms and conditions, about).
This discretion is not unique to The Rule of the Game. Many online literary journals adopt the same stance: the author’s signature takes precedence over the institutional apparatus. The reader first identifies the contributor, then the section, and rarely the editorial team as such.
For a site with an editorial purpose, this approach has consequences for SEO. Google values E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Enriched author pages with biographies and external links enhance the credibility of the entire domain. The site seems to have initiated this work with its contributor pages, but their completeness varies from one author to another.
Navigation by format: podcasts, videos, and seminars in the overall architecture
The Rule of the Game is not limited to writing. The Podcasts and Videos sections (labeled “Télé RDJ”) constitute autonomous categories in the main menu. They are not buried in a sub-menu or treated as secondary content.
This architectural choice reflects a desire to diversify formats:
- Podcasts provide audio access to published reflections, often in the form of interviews or readings.
- Videos document interventions, debates, or presentations related to seminars organized by the journal.
- The Seminars section connects online activity to physical events, creating a bridge between the site and intellectual life off-screen.
This multi-format organization gives the site a depth that purely textual journals do not achieve. It also complicates navigation: a visitor arriving through a podcast may never discover the journal’s archives, and vice versa.
The architecture of the site reflects its editorial history as much as its current ambitions. Each section corresponds to a distribution choice that has been gradually added, without apparent overall redesign. This sedimentation creates a real richness of content, provided that the reader takes the time to explore beyond the homepage.
