h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought I'd go to the personal space of another poster but I can't find out how to do it.

My own personal space says I can add a friend by going to their personal space - but it's the only action that doesn't have any explanation.

Shouldn't this information be a bit more prominent?

Traveller in Time with a link at hand
"Well it is perhaps too obvious.

The name of a Researcher, as it appears on top of any posting is a direct link to their Personal Space.

For your own Personal SPace you can also use the [My Space] button as you will find on any page "

Hello On any posting, the underlined name of the researcher posting is a link to their PS - just click on that.

On the older dna sub-sites, including h2g2 of course(!), you can go to someone's PS by clicking on the link made by their name at the top of each of their posts. That works for your own name and PS too. On the newer dna sub-sites, to which the original message boards were moved, the link at the top of posts takes you the MP list instead.

The links on posts are fairly prominent to anyone used to looking for links and trying them. If you'd read the introductory FAQs, it's probably on one of those pages somewhere too.

1) it's not in the FAQs

2) clicking on a name in the DNA boards takes you to the posting list but not the personal space

Does anyone know how to answer the orginal question?

If you don't have the name in front of you, you can also use the Advanced Search at the top of the page. Scroll down and use 'search for a friend'

Lots of link clicking is the best way to get to know the place

Traveller in Time with a HooToo only vision
"You will find a button [Add to Friends] on each Researchers Personal Space.

If they are Researcher that is"

Ah, I see what you mean now. On h2g2, you go to the Personal Space - on the messageboards you're using you just get the 'MP' conversations list. Very odd.

Sorry - don't know in that case

Traveller in Time confused
"I do not know what will happen for you. You seem to belong nowhere.


It is highly recommended to write something as an introduction on your Pesonal Space < <./>UserEdit?masthead=1</.> > That way other Researchers can greet you and it takes away some barriers.

I do not know if you can have friends but no introduction page. "

Sue, you're in h2g2 Feedback. On h2g2 clicking on the person's name takes you to their PS. To answer the original question, you can't get much more prominent than that


Are you wanting to know how to find someone's PS, how to add to the friend's list, or simply why this isn't explained better? The friend's list isn't totally straight forward, but as I said, link clicking is the best way to learn about the place.

Just tried changing the 'MP' to a 'U' and got ...

>>The BBC message boards do not support the Personal Space feature<<

(This is the 'Food' Messageboard).

Hi Sue,

Having a look at your conversations, I take it you want to find the personal spaces of other people on the BBC Food boards, not on H2G2.

As far as I understand it, only those people registered on H2G2 have a 'personal space' as such. The other DNA boards only have a list of the members discussions.

They would have to register with H2G2 to get a personal space so that you can add them to your friends list here.

Ah... it is a design fault! Thanks Trin Tragula - I thought I wasn't THAT technically incompetent!

What started this was a troll invasion of a message board - someone suggested messaging through their PS to get rouns the trolls & I couldn't find his PS!

To add - I know not everyone has a PS if they've just signed up to the message boards - but I was looking for people whom I know have h2g2 space

You mean looking for someone on a >message board< who has an h2g2 account I think everyone, anywhere on DNA, has an h2g2 account and PS if you change the URL to h2g2. That was the point of DNA, that an account would enable access across sites.


Deakie, I think there are other DNA sites that have a PS with the account (or at least there used to be). It's the messageboards that don't.

Traveller in Time reading close
"Leaving a message on the Personal Space of a message board member does not give them any clue. They simply can not reach the message (as you cannot reach their Personal Space)

They would have to switch to a community site to read the message. They can however read the Subject title "

> "The BBC message boards do not support the Personal Space feature"

The MB dna sub-sites used to show the page - but without allowing the account holder to edit the contents (attached A-number). However, some MB users complained that people could even see that much. So the page display was deliberately broken some months ago.

>>the page display was deliberately broken some months ago<<

Ah - I thought it was odd I hadn't seen that message before: I remembered seeing plenty of 'empty' PSes (convo lists but nothing else).