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

Has any reason been given for the need to have a 'help' button and not "Don't Panic"? I thought that the words Don't Panic were one of the most impt. things about the guide and the main reason it is so much better than any other tome.

This discussion has in the past caused large flame wars that went on and on and on...
(I look forward to a rematch!)

For starters, try pointing your cursor at the word 'help' and let it rest there but do not click. A small bar should appear with the words 'don't panic'.
This tiny hidden reference is supposed to satisfy the h2g2 researchers need for comforting identifying icons of our mutually shared reality, while, on the face of it, not upsetting, disgruntling or discouraging non-h2g2-visitors who come by idly searching the web and seek a standard 'help' function when a site takes their interest.
These people, who would not recognise the phrase 'don't panic' but who have showed sufficient interest in the site to seek 'help', should not be confused or discouraged by esoteric jargon. At least that's the official story we got from the powers that be, last time there was an argument on the subject.
To my mind, 'help' and 'dont panic' are two different things and should be equally represented. This argument has here-to-for fallen on deaf ears.
peace
~jwf~

The official reason for having a 'Help' button instead of 'Don't Panic' is that novice internet users in search of help (especially those who are not familiar with the Hitchhiker's Guide) will not understand, will get confused, and will leave the site. My own experience with internet usablity tells me that this is a worthwhile concern.

The longterm possibility may exist where Researchers using a Hitchhiker's Guide skin (that doesn't exist yet) could have their Don't Panic button. Presumably, someone smart enough to change skins by modifying their Preference settings isn't going to get confused and leave. That way, inexperienced users would stick with a default skin that says Help, and everyone will be more-or-less happy. At least, that's my theory.

jfw, you make an interesting point about having both Help and Don't Panic buttons. How would the Don't Panic area be different from the Help area?

Help would offer all the usual sorts of help one expects to get from a website on how to use the site, directories, an introduction to site philosophy and jargon, pretty much as it does now...

A Don't Panic button would go to a cleverly written and descriptive page about the meaning of Don't Panic and would have a full forum of conversation threads (just like 'ask the h2g2 community' does now) where researchers could seek advice and guidance to a wider range of issues including all subjects of life the uni et al.
This might appear to be a bit redundant - since we already have plenty of chatty and informative fora - but it would allow for more 'creative' responses in the spirit of DNA's original concept, and by design and definition it could not upset the pedants who sometimes object to such cleverness in the regular 'helpful' threads. Users would come to expect that not all the responses they got to their questions would necessarily have anything but entertainment value. Who knows, some of them might lighten up a bit.
peace
~jwf~

It sounds basically like giving the 'Ask h2g2' page a button, a different name, and a copy rewrite. I see what you mean, but I'm not sure whether people would really use it. They'd be amused by it at first, I'm sure. But would they use it?

My first mistake was perhaps offering the 'ask h2g' example.
In fact the 'Dont Panic' page would offer links to all the other main fora.
Feedback
Help
Ask
Post
View
Welcome
Statistics
I know all these links might seem a bit redundant, but redundancy is not the sin most 'top down' linear thinkers (aka webmasters) think it is. The wonderful thing about it is that it allows more abstract minds to access the same info from a different point of view. In fact it would be the only place where all the 'helpful' links are available in one place.
As an abstract thinker, it has always bothered me that to find the picture gallery I have to search through four or five 'help' and 'feedback' links. Just that short list I've given is not available in one place anywhere else, and there are several more.
And then of course the Dont Panic page would have its own conversation threads and these would encourage the more creative answers that don't always feel comfortable in more 'pedestrian' convos. There are some things you don't want to ask the 'community'.
A Dont Panic page would be of little help or interest to a non-DNA-fan. In other words it would do what 'help' deliberately fails to do, stay in character with the DNA philosophy.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start an argument. I was just interested, that's all. Thanks for answering.

Now don't ya worry none there young deakie, you didn't start it. This one's been burbling on the back burner for months. And it's just me. Me versus the world, as usual. Only now I got god on my side.

Any particular god? I hear some of them can be quite useful.

Oh the side-god of course. The one everybody thinks is on their side.
But mine's a dead cert.
I have it on the highest authourity that messing about with a 'Dont Panic' button - to make it MS web friendly - is punishable by Vogon poetry. No appeal, no delay, no Help for it.

I thought it was impossible for MS to EVER be web-friendly!
I would really like to meet a 'god' who could change this point of view

shazz

May I put out an appeal to any gods, superior beings and minor deities who may read this, to spare us poor mortals a moment of your infinite time and let us know if omnipotence extends to power over MS.

The temporary site crash which occurred shortly after your last post may well be 'the answer' you were seeking deak.

Whoops, sorry. Next time I envoke a higher being I'll do it off-line

You did it again didn't you!

There's more power in these finger tips than any of us realised!