May I respectfully request more dynamic Curation @miked ?
I will not be long before someone as keen as me will have to go through Projects and Inappropriate the inappropriates, just to get to the Appropriates.
I understand the need for kindness, decency and encouragement but real action is required - please?
it looks if as the existence of misapplied projects (where observations should have been used) is misleading new users into making the same mistake.
It would be better if the people involved were engaged, rather than relying on curation.
Not in these recent cases (if you look) - they seem to be Fire-and-forgetters. One post, no idea how to get back, so retreat to Facebook (I suppose)
The project area is not unduly cluttered with these (two have recently gone) and the rest are probably a temporary glitch but I am not retreating from my ārequestā for firmer Curation.
I am embroiled in helping to remove several hundred historic Observations with no picture and no hope - at one-at-a-time it is a frustrating task.
When āengagementā fails, the Curator has their home email addresses āthanks for your recent post in iSpot Projects butā¦ā etcā¦
BROUGHT FORWARD again and EDITED 12 October
OVER TWENTY IMPROVEMENTS needed to make the site much more pleasant to use.
In no special Order of importance then -
.
1 Improve Track Changes
REMOVE our own entries from CHANGES TRACKER, which are duplicated in ACTIVITY TRACKER. Only display the last change to the same Observation (if there are several)
1a Retain āUnreadā (currently yellow) marker
until the specific post has been visited
2 Allow Edit of Comments
until locked by Reply
3 Refresh the Home Page
Add a running Welcome banner which changes when āthingsā are not right. Add strong links to RECENT OBS and START HERE (New Pages?). Tidy up and remove stale notices. Add a large Picture of the Month (NOT competitive?).
4 Update all Help Pages
create an Index
5 Rationalise Global
currently, it means two things in iSpot, ALL Communities or those not UK.
EXCLUDE Other named Communities from GLOBAL or include them all - make it plain which.
6 Retain Locations somehow
allow users to creature their own Index (Home, Mill, Foxton Wood, etc) thus saving the laborious need to enter location details every single time.
7 Allow HTML Text
to be retained in descriptions (projects mostly) through Edits. Allow restricted HTML text in comments and Ob. descriptions, but particularly <a ref and so avoid terribly, sometimes over-spillingly long, URLs
8 Improve Search
allow a specific search for Observations (find all Obs (only) of Phytolacca acinosa for example) And for precise occurrences like āgooseneckā
9 Update dictionaries
this is imperative as we observe more and more rare varieties and the Dictionaries get more and more OUT-DATED
10 Bring back Social Points
shows those who engage with users or the system or add agreements to be seen as āvaluableā as those with high Score Icons
11 Sort Enlarge Picture
remove Zoom? Allow Cycling through Observation pictures when enlarged
12 Next & Previous buttons
bring back Next and Previous clicks when browsing Carousels or Filters
13 Fix the Reputations algorithm.
Where sometimes the score rating is FAR from logical and in ERROR - may apply mostly to Experts and Knowledgeables
14 Modify quizzes,
REMOVE, test, revise and replace the Quizzes
15 Allow Pages search
in Project Gallery view - ;āGo to Page 9ā, say. Some Project Galleries have over 40 pages, requiring over 40 refreshes to get to the FIRST occurrences. The same applies to the map, we have to click Show More Observations as many times as there are āthousandsā to get the final number of Obs. The Changes & Activity Trackers already have this feature. [your-ispot/activity-changes?page=6]
16 Allow us to Follow
(and UNfollow), a user
17 Allow PREVIEW
of Observation detail before āpublishingā
18 Devise ways to capture & nurture newcomers
linked to Items 3 and 16 (above)
19 Review the way Changes links take us to Comments,
so that the link takes us TO the comment.
Perhaps Colour the relevant Panel in the old way.
20 Add a more powerful banner
to the Home & Uload Page PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHANGES TRACKER FRQUENTLY : also HERE https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/article/566/ispot-help-and-support
21 Disallow Refresh
for some operations (or modify to return to Previous page, NOT the beginning) after an agreement is added, specially during next and previous process. SPEED UP refresh anyway
22 Add-to-Project Button
Like Add to Favourites, Follow/UnFollow user, this would be a really useful too
23
suggestions for additions please?
AND I would like to consider the ORDER in which these might now appear - from urgent, essential to desirableā¦
I frequently send this list to Admin staff, so they always have it to hand at Budget meetings.
What about āAdd to projectā facility?
Click and weāre asked āwhich Project?ā
It should be ONLY your own.
I have come across LOADS of good observations that serve my purpose
A flag goes to the Author, who can DEselect if required.
I am quite determined to keep this Thread high on the RED FLAG LIST
Require fewer clicks (currently 3, with a page display in the middle) to get to Changes Tracker - e.g. put it in the Your iSpot popup menu.
Please restore the ability to store location details. Iāve created a memo with site names and OS locations, but I donāt want to have to store, then cut-and-paste, the site descriptions every time. Iāve given up on them for recognised reserves, assuming that interested parties will google the site name.
Is the Item 6 - yes?
Like this? but leads ONLY to Changes by others? and is linked to Item 1 in the List.
Perhaps Changes should be the Default Start-up page (which can be changed to one or two personal preferences)?
Also (for goodnessās sake!) REMOVE Tab Quiz and put it in Explore.
Yes, sorry: caffeine not yet absorbed into the systemā¦
endorse all of the above please please please please please
Iād appreciate MORE input on this Order - it is the SECOND revision (thanks to JoP and lavateraguy
TWENTY-FIVE MUCH NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS PLEASE
needed to make the site much more pleasant (FAR less frustrating) to use.
In the Latest Order of Priority -
1 REVISE Track Changes
REMOVE our own entries from CHANGES TRACKER, which are duplicated in ACTIVITY TRACKER. Only display the last change to the same Observation (if there are several)
1a Retain āUnreadā (currently yellow) marker
until the specific post has been visited; or allow us to mark those yet to be dealt with
2 Update dictionaries
this is imperative as we observe more and more rare varieties and the Dictionaries get more and more OUT-DATED
3 Reinstate Next & Previous buttons
bring back Next and Previous clicks when browsing Carousels or Filters
4 Allow Edit of Comments
until locked by Reply
5 Review Refresh and Back button
or modify to return to Previous page, NOT the beginning) after an agreement is added, specially during next and previous process. SPEED UP review refresh anyway
6 Devise ways to capture & nurture newcomers
linked to 7 & 10
7 Allow us to Follow
(and UNfollow), a user
8 Allow PREVIEW
of Observation detail before the final Save and āpublishingā
9 Improve Search
allow a specific search for Observations (find all Obs (only) of Phytolacca acinosa for example) And for precise occurrences like āgooseneckā,
10 Update all Help Pages
create an Index ā one we can point users to
11 Fix the Reputations algorithm.
Where sometimes the score rating is FAR from logical and often in ERROR - may apply mostly to Experts and Knowledgeables
12 Retain Locations somehow
allow users to create their own Index (Home, Mill, Foxton Wood, etc) thus saving the laborious need to enter location details every single time.
13 Allow Pages search
Particularly in Project Gallery view - ;āGo to Page 9ā, say. Some Project Galleries have over 40 pages, requiring over 40 refreshes to get to the FIRST and EARIEST occurrences. The same applies to the map, we have to click Show More Observations as many times as there are āthousandsā to get the final number of Obs. The Changes & Activity Trackers already have this feature. [your-ispot/activity-changes?page=6]
14 Bring back Social Points
shows those who engage with users or the system or add agreements, to be seen at least as āvaluableā as those with high score Icons.
15 Rationalise Global
currently, it means two things in iSpot, ALL Communities or those not UK.
EXCLUDE Other named Communities from GLOBAL or include them all - make it plain which.
16 Solve the Community lock
If we view anotherās Community Observation just to look, we become Locked into that Community until changing back to our own community
17 Rationalise the Help with Global Observations Carousel.
First sort out what is Global - all iSpot or just not the named communities. Disallow observations appearing in the Current Carousel from appearing in the Help Carousel. Lined to 15 & 16
18 Add a more powerful banner
to the Home & Upload Page PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHANGES TRACKER FRQUENTLY : also HERE https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/article/566/ispot-help-and-support
19 Review the way Changes links take us to Comments
so that the link takes us TO the comment. Perhaps Colour the relevant panel (new comment) in the old way
20 Refresh the Home Page
Add a running Welcome banner which changes when āthingsā are not right. Add strong links to RECENT OBS and START HERE (New Pages?). Tidy up and remove stale notices. Add a large Picture of the Month (NOT competitive?) REGULARLY update the page.
21 Sort Enlarge Picture
remove Zoom. Allow Cycling through Observation pictures when in enlarge mode
22 Allow HTML Text
to be retained in descriptions (projects mostly) through Edits. Allow restricted HTML text in comments and Ob. descriptions, but particularly <a ref and so avoid terribly, sometimes over-spillingly long, URLs
23 FIX the quizzes
REMOVE, test, revise and replace the Quizzes ā (listen to senior users!)
24 Resite Changes link
to Your iSpot Drop-down - above Favourites. REMOVE Quiz quick-link from Profile Display Panel
25 Overhaul PROJECTS
Thin down unused, derelict or incomplete PROJECTS. Make Projects easier to form, run and edit
26 Please make suggestions
regarding the ORDER of priority and any ADDITIONS
agree with 1a, 1b, and 2 but then (for me personally) its then 8, 6, then 22 then 4, then 5 then 3 then 12. Other issues affect me less so happy with your order as it stands.
1 Like
The new Order above Jo - thanks. I really appreciate constructive suggestions. If ONLY they could be implemented with such ease!
ā¦wellā¦there IS that. We can only do what we do though and you are doing more than most.
Another minor one - donāt add observations to the confirm global observations carousel until theyāre a few days old, as in iSpot 1& 2 - the current situation means that the carousel is polluted by recent observations which may not be difficult, but havenāt yet been given identifications.
Thanks; yes, that used to be the case. Iād say such posts would need to have no ID for at least a week, But it takes only a day to drop off the āCurrentā Carousel (49 Observations). If the site was running like in 2016 then a matter of an hour or two. It needs rationalising so that NOTHING appearing in the Current Carousel appears in the āHelp withā one.
There is a case for the Help Carousel to be linked ONLY to your Community choice, not then, so called, Global.
These are all linked to the rather inappropriate way iSpot deals with Global - See items 15 & 16.
Added as 17 (for the time being) See >THE LIST<
In the other direction, a likely ID at a high taxonomic rank* takes an observation out of the Help Carousel. Perhaps they should stay in until identified to genus or better.
- I added an ID of Mimosoideae for a tree from Botswana yesterday.
I also have a preference for a customised carousel - one where you specify the geographic area.