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

Hi Eds, I've not been onsite much in the past week or so, and don't have much time before the Monday deadline, so I'm cutting and pasting from an Ask thread, rather than compiling a more concise list. I understand that you have a finite amount of time to look at the redesign. I am disappointed though that you still seem to be dismissing the lost functionality as not very important, or even actually recognising it. I really hope that these can be looked at seriously. They've been highlighted by long term and experience h2g2 community researchers. Myself, I see them as underlying why this is such a great place to be. Yes it's the people that make the place, but the tools that enable us to communicate affect the nature of the community. This is why this is a real community unlike many other forums on the internet. The communication structures *built in* are not to my knowledge bettered anywhere else. 1. Function: Ability to load conversation thread pages with up to 200 posts Skin: Alabster, but presumably the others too Importance: 1. It makes reading threads easier with less disruption to conversation flow 2. It's easier to search by keyword within a thread if looking for a particular post 3. Reading backlog on long threads is easier for those on slow internet connections

Here's another list, some duplicates, some not already mentioned, from the recent Announcements thread: >> "in terms of functionality, what have we lost? 1. Two little eyes to show you someone is on line. 2. The "who's online" box. 3. The title on the Credits tag. 4. The popup feature of the conversations window. 5. The auto-refresh option of the conversations window. 6. The "bring me to the latest post I haven't yet seen" feature 7. The ability to choose the skin we prefer to work in. 8. The ability to choose a name without interference, by which I mean undue limitations in length, the inability to use punctuation as we choose etc. 9. The proper formatting of GuideML on our user spaces. 10. The ability to hide Articles while you are working on them. (The undo-able "Delete") << http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F77636?thread=8045490&post=106034283#p106034283

I should point out that this isn't a complete list. The disposal announcement basically stopped it in its tracks.

I was going to this. Instead I'll thank Kea for the list because it is really useful, and ask a question. Has anyone createad a thread with what is new in Barlesque? I do NOT want to derail this thread with that topic, but I'd like to see it elsewhere. I'd like to like Barlesque.

It's a good idea Ben. I'd like to like the new site too. There's a couple of threads in Ask. I'll compile them this week if I get the chance and no-one else has done it.

I'll add the one I found earlier. Hits on google for h2g2 go to Error 404. Maybe some work I don't know..but the absoluetly should work - it's our connection with the outside internet world. How will new people find us?

I don't want to like the new site.

Something is changing about google searching h2g2. I could find threads in barlesque earlier that I couldn't find in alabaster .

Simply putting *h2g2* in the Google search box now reveals many more hits.
A lot coming via Twitter and Facebook.

For a good read.
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&xhr=t&q=h2g2%2Bkea&cp=8&pf=p&sclient=psy&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=h2g2%2Bkea&pbx=1&fp=5081872550df914b

Yes well that's been happening for a while. But I would hope people might discover us who haven't ever heard of h2g2. Probably 99% of the net. It would fantastic for example if people from many more countries came to join us. All they need is to be able to speak English.

If I set out to do a re-design of a website that would be very high up on my list of functions. I mean even if something is a bit glitchy..but you discover many interesting conversations and guide articles its going to whet your appetite. But 404 is a no no.

But hopefully its just a minority of links. I just tried out a couple and they worked. But it would be good to know that this is a function that can be properly relied upon, ie stable and most importantly can always access the history of everything h2g2.

It's a bug, though, rather than a missing function. So it should be reported on the Feedback/New h2g2 page before Monday 7th. That's tomorrow!

What should happen if on the 8th.Feb. things are still in a mess ?

They've said that bugs reported before 7th Feb will be fixed (later). Bugs reported after 7th Feb may be fixed, but they can't guarantee it because they don't have unlimited resources.

I've already registered my objections to this, because we can't even begin to look for bugs in certain parts of the site until the basic functions are there, such as being able to post to conversations and being able to edit entries.

To give an example of the difference between searching for a thread in alabaster and barlesque. I went to look for an old EF thread.


In barlesque, it took 3 initial clicks from my PS, and then multiple Command F searches interspersed with opening a new page each time the search failed. I gave up after 7 pages and used alabaster.

In alabaster it took 4 clicks from my PS, an adjustment to the URL (to 200 threads), and then two clicks and two Command F searches to find it.

The point here is that searching in barlesque is cumbersome and *much* less efficient than what we're used to.

Hi Kea - I hope to catch you before you go to sleep. I can see by your eyes that you're still online at the moment. I'm very sad that this feature is disappearing.


The other feature I feel extremely cross about is the fact that we no longer have access to * all * our conversations. We now are limited to 34 pages of 'conversations' This means that anything before a couple of months ago is lost. (or I'd have to go and delete absolutely loads of stuff to retain those essential convos)

I'd forgotten about that. That *has* to be a bug surely. When I first looked it took me back to November, which was around the time of the beta test wasn't it? The Eds have said we won't loose content when we move to barlesque, so I assume they're looking at this. Do you want to list it as a specific bug just in case?

Hi Kea, I reported it a while back, but just wanted to highlight it again. See this thread for more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/feedback/A78067353/conversation/view/F19663853/T8016502 Skip to post 30 for the Eds kind response.

Not sure if this in on the list already:

Function: the ability to link to a specific post.