This week, the View examines what Researchers want in a new skin, discusses our anticipation for a large site update, and talks about the mass email that hasn't been sent yet.

There are 256 entries at the Peer Review page, compared to 225 last week. This reverses the trend we've seen over the last month. We were seeing fewer submissions arriving on average at the Peer Review page, but last week we were back to almost normal levels. It may be that the heydays of quick approval at Peer Review are coming to a close.

There are 212 entries in the Writing Workshop, compared to 208 before. There are 116 entries at the Sin Bin, compared to 110 last week. And there are 20 entries on the What's Coming Up page, down from 26. So while the number of submissions to Peer Review has gone up, there has been less change elsewhere.

The University of Life released another new project, this time about The Legacy of Milton S. Hershey, the chocolate manufacturer. Jimi X's project includes 7 entries. Add this to the 25 entries from Peer Review, and there were a total of 32 entries featured at h2g2 last week.

The Zaphodistas have finally completed the Petition for Greater Freedom on h2g2. Members and non-members are invited to sign the petition. It will eventually be sent through Peta to the appropriate employees at BBC Online.

And the special rules for h2g2 and the General Election have gone into effect. They will be in place for a month, until the UK General Election is held on June 7th.

As I reported last week, a lot of interesting discussion has been going on at the h2g2 Site Re-Design page. The new web design guru, Nat, has been seeking information about what we Researchers would like to see.

So what are people telling Nat? Here's a sample of conclusions he might draw:

• 
  Alabaster is too utilitarian and the color scheme is unattractive, but Goo's graphics take too long to load for some and the personal space is poorly laid out. A solution that looks more like Goo and acts more like Alabaster might be best.
  
• 
  There is no real agreement about whether Goo or Alabaster is easier on the eyes. Some die-hard users say Goo, but then Goo doesn't print well. Those who use the site for fewer hours a day sometimes like Alabaster. Perhaps an off-white color would be a better solution to either stark white or dark blue.
  
• 
  Some folks are interested in a text-only skin for quick downloading. This would also print well, and could be designed to be more friendly to search engines like Google and Alta Vista. But it's not clear that the rewards merit the effort this would take.
  
• 
  In general, people wish it was easier to log back in when returning to h2g2. The login issue is particularly troublesome for people who have multiple identities at h2g2, or who update jointly held Community pages. These people want a 'Login' button they can use to log back in easily. Some also want a login area within entries, user spaces, and so on.
  

• 
  There are people who really, really want a mobile version of h2g2 again.
  
• 
  A skin that uses tons of Hitchhiker Guide references would be froody.
  
• 
  It's just not the same without a 'Don't Panic' button. (Two points to Peta for that pre-emptive strike.)
  
• 
  People want a chat room feature, and/or an instant messaging solution.
  
• 
  Getting photos back on our personal spaces would be nice.
  

• 
  Weird skins: 3-D, space-themed, chocolate, Goo with a blood red background
  
• 
  Statistics: Goo users vs. Alabster users, hits per day, and regular users -- with cool graphs!
  
• 
  Pop-up Sidebar: ala Netscape 6 where the user could choose the h2g2 pages listed for easy clicking
  
• 
  T-shirts: With slogans and pictures from the HHGTTG series (probably more of a BBC concern)
  
• 
  Button Requests: Folks have requested buttons for Peer Review, The Post, and the h2g2 Quiz
  

1. 
   My Space
   
2. 
   Front Page
   
3. 
   Who's Online
   
4. 
   Preferences
   
5. 
   Search
   

A few small improvements have already been enacted. First, the message given when an entry is rendered unviewable is more helpful. It used to be that the message was always exactly the same. Now there are different messages depending on whether the entry is temporarily hidden pending review, temporarily hidden because the author has not reactivated the entry, or permanently hidden by a moderator.

Also, the legalese at the bottoms of entries and forums has changed, becoming much friendlier and less antagonistic. I'm referring to the statement warning that the content doesn't necessarily represent the opinions of the BBC. The original version was draconian enough to spawn a couple of conspiracy theories, but thankfully this is no longer warranted.

And finally, there is a new help page for people who just want a basic understanding of the type of volunteer positions that are available. At least this way, would-be helpers aren't stuck visiting five different pages to get their basic question answered.

These changes are great. But once the floodgates were opened in people's imaginations, they began to anticipate a larger change. They're not thinking in terms of phrasing things a little better. They're thinking: New Features! New Skins! New Smileys!

Nobody knows when any of these might be available. h2g2's development team remains small, and it wouldn't be surprising if it took months for us to see the products of their current labor. In any case, it's good to know that they are working on it... whatever it is.

When h2g2 was taken down, a note placed at the old location stated in part that the Researchers would be emailed when the site returned. But it has been several months since Rupert ended, and the message has not been sent. Mark Moxon has referenced a kludged email server, and more recently a need for specific clearance by the BBC when asked to explain the delay.

Many of the old regulars have found their way here, through notices placed on the Rupert-era Yahoo! email list or by simply trying out the former URL for old time's sake. But others remain away. And it is difficult to tell how many have chosen to leave, and how many are simply ignorant of h2g2's return.

Here's hoping that the proper clearance comes through soon. Now that Moderation dissent is following a more productive path and a decent number of pages have been reactivated by their owners, it really is time to reunite all the old friends.

Next week, I'll relay my theory on why exactly people spend 2-8 hours per visit at h2g2. The internet is addictive, we know. Is h2g2 doubly so? And if so, why? I'd love to hear everyone else's theories on this also. Please post your opinion in the forum below.

Written by Fragilis the Melodical. Past columns are available here.

10.05.01. Front Page

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