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

Hello,

We've just put up an important announcement by Nick Reynolds (my boss!) about a new sign-in system that will affect you all. Please do take the time to read it. The link's here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Announcements

I'll also quote his post in full in this thread as well. There's nothing to worry about - we're just giving you plenty of advanced warning about a change to the sign-in system. We're moving to a new one called BBC iD. Any questions, queries etc, let's all collate them here. We might not be able to get back to you immediately but we definitely will at some point. We will follow this thread closely.

This is Nick Reynold's message to you all:

"Hello,

I wasn’t involved with h2g2 the last time the BBC changed its signing in system. But I’ve heard that for some of the h2g2 community it was a tricky experience and that a few of you have the scars (and the badges) to prove it.

Some of you may have noticed that the BBC is changing its signing in system again. There’s a useful blog post about this and some help pages:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2009/10/welcome_to_bbc_id.html
- http://id.bbc.co.uk/users/help/

This seemed like a good point to update you about h2g2 in general and reassure you about the new sign in system.

Firstly the mood around h2g2 is good. Sam has done some sterling work on the new designs. Hopefully we should be able to tell you very soon about the new person who will be filling in for Natalie while she works in another part of the BBC.

Next: the new sign in system. It’s called BBC iD and it replaces the current sign-in system (SSO). It’s already being used in places like the iPlayer message board, and from Monday it will be switched on for all BBC blogs.

It is one of things driving the new design for h2g2. At some point before March we have to switch BBC iD on for h2g2. And to do that the site has to be in new format called 'Barlesque'.

But we won’t be implementing the new designs (which are in Barlesque) until after Xmas so for the moment h2g2 will not be directly affected by the changes as it will still be using the pre-existing sign-in system (SSO).

But – and there’s always a but – if you sometimes venture outside h2g2 to leave a comment on, for example, a BBC blog, from Monday your SSO log in won’t work, because the blogs will now be on the new system. You will have to upgrade your current sign-in account (SSO) to the new system if you want to comment.

There’s a lot of work involved to get h2g2 ready to switch on the new system. At the moment we’re estimating that we won’t be able to do that until the New Year. And so that means for a while you’ll potentially have two accounts and two log-ins.

There is a simple solution to this:

Upgrade your current BBC membership account, the pre-existing sign-in system (SSO), to BBC iD.

You can only upgrade one account per email address – although you can have more than one account as long as it has a different email address. The intention behind BBC iD though is that users only have one account which they use for all BBC services so we’re trying to discourage users from having lots of different accounts with different emails. So try and avoid this if you can.

Choose which account you migrate carefully as all the data, comments and content you’ve created should follow you into the new system.

If you have lots of different accounts but they all have the same email address then you won’t be able to bring them all together.

We’ve had to take a decision for the whole BBC about this, and try as we might we weren’t able to find a simple and cost-effective way of doing it.

For me personally all this was relatively easy. I upgraded my account a while ago and all seems fine. All I did was use exactly the same name, email address and password as I used for my pre-existing account (SSO). This so far, touch wood, has worked fine for me.

So my tip would be while the pre-existing sign-in system (SSO) is still on h2g2 but not elsewhere, upgrade your current account using exactly the same name, and password. That way you’ll end up with two separate accounts during the transition but at least you won’t have to remember two different sets of information.

Incidentally, because I know this is important to h2g2 people, you should be able to change your display name when you want to under the new system.

Once h2g2 is safely in the new system then it will be linked up better with the rest of the BBC. This will enable us to hopefully improve the site and promote it more. We have some quite interesting ideas as we’ll be able to use some of the tools and services being developed for the whole BBC.

I’ve knocked around the BBC long enough to know that the best-laid plans sometimes go awry. So, although I’m confident everything will go smoothly, events can always intervene in unexpected ways.

But I will talk to you about what’s going on when I need to, and I know that Sam is going to start a thread about this on Ask h2g2, so I will respond to any questions you have. And we do have a fair amount of time to talk about it."


- Nick Reynolds (Social Media Executive, BBC Online)

OK, I've just skimmed the first post, because it's late and I've already done my quota of thinking for the day.

Two, possibly foolish, questions:

1. As I don't frequent any other part of the BBC, I don't have to do anything right now, do I?

2. When the time comes that Single Sign-On is consigned firmly to the taxidermists (where some would say it's always been), will there be nice, clear, idiotproof instructions on how to join the super new system? I'm capable of fouling up even the simplest of processes, you see...

Ivan.

Thanks for the info

Could it be put into the form of an 'entry' so that it can be book-marked for future use and reference and not get 'lost' in all the threads? This would also make it easier, I should think, to put a link on the Front Page for occasional vistors.



I've just posted the above on EF but this seems a better place.

Question: Reference has been made to iplayer which overseas audiences can't use. Will there be overseas restrictions on this site?

More buttons for me to press?

nsbe, there's a h2g2 Announcements thread where things like this go up: A639056

Thanks! I've book-marked it (just hope the nitty-gritty is still near the top if I ever need to check)

In fact I was directed to this A59042504&clip=1 which is better as it is dedicated to the subject.

So if I write on here I should see all future Messages form the Editors?????????????

Ivan - I'm pretty sure you don't have to do anything right now. When the time comes, it'll essentially be a new sign on system so we'll be led through it step-by-step.

I fully intend to check this out with one of my old accounts at a later date - I'll report back on how well it works out.

Sorry, no. You need to subscribe to this page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Announcements

Then you will receive all future announcements from the Italics

Thanks, Vip.

My experience was very simple. Almost too simple - all it takes is one click. I was attempting to post on Nick Robinson's blog, in case that helps.

I appear to be ahead of the curve as apparently i've already signed up!!

*buries head in sand*


lalalalalalalalalalalalalalallaa

I can't hear you





I still remember the last time!

Note that if you have more than one account with the same e-mail address, you should sort that out before attempting to sign up for the new system.

My daughters both have accounts on h2g2, signed up under the same e-mail address as my one. So I'll have to transfer their accounts to different addresses before I switch to the new system.

It's reasonably painless, I've already got my *new* account as well as my *here* account. I got a bit confused when I had to sign in here again, even though it all matches, but I just got used to it and put it down to the halfway done nature of it all.

Nothing seems to have disappeared or anything yet...

Will I still have my old member number in the new world? It is kind of cool to have one the same forwards as backwards.....671176

I think so, although your display name is what will show up on the other sites, just like here.

Can I use the name HonestIago for both my accounts in the period where I'll have to have two accounts, or will I have to come up with a different name for the second account?

You can set your name to whatever you like, so I can't see why not.