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

1) Make a text only version (e.g. accessible via LYNX) so people really can contribute from handheld devices (I've done this several times before - most memorably via an iPaq and moby phone at one of the London meets - but it took forever). I'd love to be able to add to fora/create entries from my Blackberry... (yes I know there is a text/mobile version already - but you can't contribute).

2) On the "main" screen that people see have a sidebar linking to the 5 most recent articles (or make this a preference so that you can choose 5 most recent - 5 most popular - none - or whatever). On Goo it could go under the preferences bit on the left hand side - or replace the "ad banner" at the top.

3) Ability to choose E-mail notification of topics to which you are subscribed (either immediate with posting, daily summary, or every x posts). See www.pspcrazy.com for an idea of how this might work

Email notifications would be good.

B

Reason for suggestion 2) is for those of us who rarely visit the front page, & tend to hear about competitions/new rules/etc. via fora....

Why not just visit the Front Page? It's only one click away and has much more content than what could be put into the sidebar.

Email notifications would be EXCELLENT. I only get to check h2g2 once or twice a week, maybe email notifications would remind me to check in a bit more often.

because I don't get enough time to spend here at the best of times, and have missed several "front page" announcements, just 'cos I spend most of my time in the fora...

(when I log on I go straight to my "more postings" page...)

Hey I think it would be much more professional if somebody connected the entries on the same topic in one. Afeter all this is not a forum and it's not a search engine. Some searches give too many results with entries saying basically the same things.

You mean like the category system? C889 etc.?

No, the category system brings you to the same list of entries talking on the same point with different opinions or just repeating themselves. What I am saying, that the guide should give accurate information about the things requested and not speeches on something from different people . That is what the conversations are her for. These entries (on the same topic) should be joined in one with no opinions (or just a few general ones) and mostly facts and explanations. Like in a guide to the galaxy. And not as if you search for something in the entire Internet through some search engine (because tha is what is starts to look like in some popular topics). That is my opinion, and I don't write an entrie to express myself, I write here. See what I am saying?

One more suggestion --- a smiley.... Please....

A lot of the new messageboard users seem to be clamouring for e-mail notification too... And I think I've seen staff saying that they'll see what they can do once all the boards have been migrated across to DNA...

If that's the case, given how the messageboards work, it should be possible to carry the function over to hootoo to provide e-mail notification of new postings to various forums...

Traveller in Time browsing the messageboards
"The question remains if it is of any use for 'us', the message boards used to have an email notification of replies to thier specific posting.

We are so much used to one single thread we hardly ever bother about replies to our message, any message following your posting would be interesting. This is an entirely different concept as for what the messageboards expect. "

I had one of those but the wheels fell off it!



























(Otherwise meaning - I'm not sure what you're getting at TinT )

Traveller in Time in a tree
"Threads do have a tree structure, by posting to the thread you extend a branch if you are replying to the last message or you create a new branch by replying to a previous message.

The Message boards did have an 'inform me, of new conversations replying to my posting' button. If this is what is announced to be realised somewhere in the future, then it is not what we would expect. If your posting is skipped, it can be you will never be informed even if the thread extends for many more pages.

We would like to be informed of new threads on a forum, or any posting after the last one we have read in a thread.

If the wheels still fall off, I will draw it for you "

yes - that is indeed what I meant...

to be informed when someone added to a thread I was subscribed to, via e-mail....

Even better would be the option of replying via e-mail...