This small poll will hopefully give me a clue as to how to improve this site to the satisfaction of the majority. Kindly tick the feature or features you reckon would contribute most to a satisfying experience for you when participating on this site.

You can also use the reply button to add any other suggestions not covered by the options listed.

Nordmann,

is it possible to insert in the personal profile an opportunity to get e-mailed, when you have a new reply to one of your messages. We have it on the Historum board and I have it on the French board Passion-Histoire. From the three other French boards I contribute to I have also that option. From Jiglu I receive them all.

I know Ferval said on Historum that she is not pleased with it, but for me with my busy time sharing it is very helpful. And as for Ferval she can always refuse to open the option, if she is annoyed by it.

Kind regards,

Paul.

Paul, if you go to'Profile' at the top of the page here, and then to 'Preferences' in the list of options you can ask for that.

On historum, I use the 'Subscribed Threads' option which is under 'Quick Links'. That gives me a list of the latest contributions to any threads I have replied to without my inbox bursting with emails.

Like she said

ferval wrote:

Paul, if you go to'Profile' at the top of the page here, and then to 'Preferences' in the list of options you can ask for that.

On historum, I use the 'Subscribed Threads' option which is under 'Quick Links'. That gives me a list of the latest contributions to any threads I have replied to without my inbox bursting with emails.

Ferval,

O stupid me. I have looked to the profile and not seen the "preferences". How is it possible that I in the past have found it in my personal file on the other fora...I learn not that quickly...and thanks for the hint of the "Quick links" on "Historum"

Kind regards and with esteem,

Paul.

Paul, go to profile and open it. You will see

Information | Preferences | Signature | Avatar | Friends and foes | Topic(s) being watched | Favourites
Registration Information - View my profile

The option you want is in 'Preferences', 6th down on the left of the page.

By the way, Paul, I meant to say that the 'translate' function on google works pretty well on Passion-Histoire and I'm intending to read it when I get time(!). My ancient memories of French can just about cope with reading most of it without that facility but it makes it a great deal easier.

How about a Search facility, Nordmann?

Though as my time moderating JH's site months ago, the Forumotion search facilities leave a lot to be desired!!

Some postings are now so replete with emoticons that they become confusing. Could we have a limit say no more than 4 per posting, or is that beyond the facilities you have access to?

Shall check - but I think it's all or nothing since it's all "entered text" and I really don't want to pre-edit other peoples' input.

Kindly change the word 'less' to 'fewer' in the poll list where appropriate. Or am I wrong?

Forget I voted for a chat room - we have one in the bar anyway.

Re moderation - anyone who warrents a strong wrist slap should be demoted to Plebian with their warning. Or a more lowly rank - like slave? Or the one which applied to a freed slave with few rights - or was that just in Greece? i'm sure you can find one, Nordmann.

And another thing, would you consider in the opening slab slab of themes, one callled 'History in the Making'

We often allude to current affairs because of historical bearing and the pub is handy but for serious discussion evaluation and reflection with historical knowledge and content needs a place, I think. Wiith no imprudent radical political hotheads in our site community members observations would be interesting.

That could also be subdivided into People, Places, and Things.

Regards, P.

On balance I don't think it's a good idea to invite discussion on current affairs. While I agree that the people presently contributing can be depended upon to tackle this subject in a manner which would not detract from the site's main theme, this is intended to be an "open forum" and future contributors may not so readily appreciate the subtle distinction between historical discussion of current affairs and current affairs as a theme in its own right. I feel that it is crucial at this point of its existence not to dilute the particular ethos and character of the site, at least until we see how far we can go with what we have in that respect. In the meantime of course there is no bar on introducing contemporary events in discussions started under obvious historical themes in the categories provided.

Also I don't think that a repetition of the "people and things" theme (albeit in a slightly different context) is useful since it could lead to some confusion regarding the site map. However the suggestion of a category "places" is excellent - there are several types of discussion on that theme which don't readily fit into the existing categories. A huge oversight on my part - thanks for that!

There is a periodic series on BBC Radio 4 called "The Long View" which seeks to illuminate a current situation by comparing it with a similar one in the past - but as you say, that can go on in the current dispensation.

BTW - I don't relish being subdivided into a Person, Place or Thing ....

nordmann wrote:

However the suggestion of a category "places" is excellent - there are several types of discussion on that theme which don't readily fit into the existing categories. A huge oversight on my part - thanks for that!

Wouldn't the category Civilisation and Community cover places?

I'm "grubling" over this (as they say in Norway). I imagine a "places" sub-category under Civ and Com is the way to go, alright.

How about the "first" / "last" page double-arrows? "first" oisn't much use, admittedly, but "last" is in a long thread.

I would have some topis from English history, so we can contribute to them. What ever is of interest, like 'Tudor history,' or 'Henry II' or 'Edward IV,' or whatever.

Tas

Or perhaps just periods, Like 12th, 13th 14th, 15th 16th 17th, 18th Centuries.

Tas

Hi Tas - you are of course more than welcome to start any topic you wish in any of the categories provided. However naming categories after specific centuries or specific countries would rather defeat the point of the site and simply impose artificial theme limitations which this particular site is an attempt to avoid.

I would all the same be interested in your views on Indian history. Maybe you might like to visit the "civilisation" category and post something there?

Actually it is a good idea Nordmann. Many boards are too restrictive with what can and can't be discussed, so end up much the same as many others around. This way there is far greater scope for discussions from all aspects of history and from all walks of life and is a refreshing alternative.

Oh, it's letting me in now. I was being told that I come here too often and my lappy's not happy about it! Even my computer is ordering me about.
Anyway, I still can't get into the quiz, it says 'There are no older topics in this forum'.
What's that all about?

Hi folks - it appears that all the sites running on these servers are having the same problem today - threads over one page cannot resolve so one's browser just gives up. So far I've seen a lot of complaining but no explaining as yet - so in the meantime we're all restricted to our one page threads.

I've upped the number of posts on a page to 50 but that's as much as I can do until it's sorted out by the server admins.

At least your PC is telling you something ferval, I just keep getting the internet connections problem page which only usually appears when the connection has dropped and I knew it hadn't.

Thanks for informing us Nordmann, thought either I or the machine was going crazy there for bit.

Edit. I must say that this is the first time I've ever been barred from entering a pub.

Depends on which browser you use - they all "guess" different reasons behind these things and report accordingly. Internet Explorer, being Microsoft, just absolves itself of all blame and hints that you haven't been paying your telephone bill

Barred from entry maybe but I've been encouraged leave before!

ps, I'm using Chrome.

I've just switched over to Firefox and I got into the bar straight away. Is the problem fixed or is Firefox magic?

It seems to be fixed. Stick with FF though. It's better.

Yes, that is what my son says and why he installed it for us. But I usually use Windows because I'm used to it! There is my age showing.

We have both and one works best for some sites and one for the other. Both of them require irritating log-ins for certain sites when they shouldn't. I couldn't respond to my son's blog on Internet Explorer and now I can't on Firefox (but seem to be able to on IE now! It's all very odd).

As a complete ignoramus with this stuff, could it be that your PC settings aren't correct Caro? But you are correct it shouldn't happen, we've never had a problem like that with either W or FF, so I'm afraid I'm not much use in the suggestions department.

Nordmann, is it possible to have a home here somewhere for links that might be interesting to some or all of the contributors? I was going to put this one in the T suite or another thread but then, there must be more like this, general rather than specific to a single topic.
What do folk think?
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/

I think it is an excellent idea ferval, especially if you are going to post links, like the above, to lots of archaeological news. My favouite.

I could give you quite a selection ID but I'll wait for he who must etc to approve.

Is there a chance of reciprocity? If we set up a permanent link to another website do they do the same for us?

There is now a "Recommended sites" category on the portal page. Since this is a service normally provided for facilitating affiliation between websites and since it means that Res Historica will develop a web reputation as a one-way referral site should the links prove popular, I recommend that we only include in it sites whose content genuinely augments the function of this forum and not just "interesting" sites people might have found. Sites with specialist and static content should also be avoided unless they represent a comprehensive source of reference which would invite repeat visits.

The links I was thinking about are pretty much well established, open access general ones that are regularly updated or links to organisations of general historical or archaeological interest. The national bodies like ADS and RCHAMS for a start, maybe the National trust and Historic Scotland but also things like the pasthorizons one above, stonepages, Archaeology in Europe news and blog spot etc. If folk want links to podcasts etc, there's a few of those as well but mostly it's all archaeology. I'd be pleased to learn of some good history links as well.
All are quite large and busy so I doubt that given our current membership we would make any noticeable difference to their traffic.

Give me a few links and I'll set them in. We can see how it goes.

If search engines detect a site as a one-way referral site it can be downgraded or even excluded from searches. Too many links to other sites can therefore be a bad thing, especially if they're used a lot. Incoming referrals equal in amount means it's ok. Incoming referrals with no reciprocal outgoings is deemed a very good thing.

OK, see what you think of these and obviously use your own discretion. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/
http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/
http://rogueclassicism.com/http://www.stonepages.com/news/

They're in now

Nordman,

I use 'Portal' a lot as my main entry base as it were... but I find I'm constantly scolling up and down from 'the lastest post' in a subject back up to 'Portal' and then back down again to the latest post in the next topic. Is it possible to have links to 'Home' and 'Portal' after the last posted message? or maybe a 'Goto Top of Page'/ 'Goto last Post',... or something similar. It's not a critical thing but it would make navigating around a bit easier. What do you think?

Edit : of course 'Portal' takes one direct to the last page, that's while I like to use it, but one still needs to scroll down, .... and then scroll all the way back up to link back to portal to find latest post in the next topic.... or am I really being too lazy/fussy/demanding?

MM, if you click 'Res Historica History Forum' at the bottom left, that'll take you back to 'home'.

I agree with MM, I'm up and down like a yo-yo and using the back button doesn't always do it either. Or even another portal button or a return button at the bottom of the page would help, I'm sure it is probably easier said than done though?

No can do, sorry. I'm not going to start redesigning footers.

However why don't you just use your browser to do it? In Internet Explorer, for example, you have a downward pointing arrow right beside the back button. Press it and you get a list of up to ten of the last pages you have visited. If one of them is the portal, as you say, then click on it and, hey presto, there you go. In Google Chrome you simply hold the enter key down when you click on the back button and you get the same thing. No scrolling required - the back button is always in view.

Do you know, Nordmann, I've never even noticed that little downwards arrow. And yes it works perfectly, thanks, oh great one!

Yes indeedy, it works! Thanks for the tip oh technical wonderman.

Technical query - sorry, should have put this on "Technical adjustments" thread - problem seems solved now. Ta.

Temp - you often have several IP addresses registered as active on this site simultaneously. If you don't log out each one when you're done then you'll display as active until the last one times out. Whether you're doing it because you are literally logged in on different machines (PC, mobile etc) or because your internet connection has been configured to shift addresses anyway (like the time it shifted to a blacklisted address) it will lead to the misleading status display you described.

I don't understand this at all, Nordmann - I only ever use my PC at home and I very, very rarely use a computer at the library. I'm not some sort of weirdo or hacker or spammer - honest!

I do nip in and out of the site all the time from my E-mails though (I'm always checking E-mails) - perhaps that's causing the problem. And I've been losing my Broadband connection an awful lot recently so I click off and back on at the wall having counted to thirty. I know that can do funny things to the IP address.

I can't cope with BT at the moment - just hope I'm not adding to the gremlin problems at your end.

Not at all.

It's BT then. If turning off and on at the wall gets you back then it's BT's fault. Your modem has a permanent address which is hidden behind a published address picked out by your ISP provider and generated when your modem declares itself online. If the BT line drops your published address becomes "available" to someone else, meaning that you have to restart your modem to get it to announce itself again to the network and acquire a new published address. However this site doesn't know that was the reason, and never got a logout request from you, so it behaves as if you have simply accessed the site through another machine. After a while it will realise that one address isn't registering any activity and end the status to "logged out". You will remain displaying as a "guest" for another while and then eventually disappear if you haven't logged in on another address of course.

This changing of addresses in the background is also what happens when people lose their posts on sending. If, while composing your post, the address dynamically changed itself on the ISP side then you are effectively typing your message in the browser's cache and the request for submission (made when you start typing in the message frame) is no longer valid. This can happen without even a requirement to restart the modem so it is almost always undetectable until it is too late. If you read the fineprint in the BT contract you'll see it's one of the first things in which it absolves itself of all culpability, even though it's BT that's doing it. ISPs are evil liars.

And sneaky - they pass info on to the authorities, save records of your traffic for years, and facilitate spamming by building up profiles of your internet habits and making them available to third parties. In fact they compete with each other to be the most sneaky - they know that keeping in with the authorities is worth mega-bucks. This is not paranoia speaking - I have worked for them.