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

...you didn't read something because it was unreadable? Is there anyway of pointing that out without sounding rude?

You tell me. Tact is a tricky one. As this entry proves....

H.

Yes, maybe that did sound a little unfriendly. Sorry, it wasn't meant to. (Plus I ought to have mentioned that the article itself is something the guide has been crying out for, and very well written at that.) I'm off now to find out why there isn't an apologetic-looking smiley.

Ah, the vicissitudes of communicating by text. By "entry", I meant the entry I'd written, not your posting talking about it. I don't consider my entry particularly tactful. Your comment, on the other hand, was very true. No apology required!

As for what to do if an entry is unreadable... I've two approaches to that. Make a couple of very specific criticisms of small things about it, to guage the response of the author, then try to broach the subject later. Alternatively, I tend towards "if you can't say something nice (or at least constructive) say nothing at all".

H.

hiya,

Sometimes a hefty block of text without formatting (even if there are 'non-GML' paragraphs) puts me off ploughing through an entry.

In such cases I think it is constructive to say so in the PR thread, in the form of a suggestion as to how to use simple GML to improve it.

can usually be done tactfully, and i have found that most reviewers agree that simple formatting is not a luxury but a must for any entry above 3 paras.


seeya
spiff