When I delete annotations to an idea there are sometimes reactions on my annotation which suddenly don't make sense anymore without my words just above it.
I want to notify the author of that annotation that there is an annotation in his/her name that makes no sense (anymore). Up to that user to either delete it or rephrase it.
To do so I would click on the user's name and I go to his/her personal page like now. But then there is a box with the URL of the page I just came from already filled in. Perhaps also a small box where I can leave some words to explain what and why. I sort of 'annotate' the user's page, which is invisible for others besides that user.
When visiting the Halfbakery you can then check if there are messages for you on your user page. You can delete the messages, but the sender can also delete them (unsure if you have seen the message already).
The feature can also be used if people want to point out that an idea is in the wrong category or that something else is wrong with it, without posting it as an annotation to the idea itself (which does not seem logical to me).
[optional] When you click on the username under an annotation on your userpage you can make an annotation to that user's userpage with a link back to your own userpage.
[optional] When there are new messages for you your username appears bold everywhere in the Halfbakery.-- rrr, Jul 29 2003 example of an annotation that makes no sense anymore http://www.halfbake...pre-death_20funeralKreuner about Lazarus is quoting an annotation I deleted [rrr, Oct 04 2004] no, I totally disagree Peter.-- po, Jul 29 2003 In Arab rather than any modern language.-- rrr, Jul 29 2003 Poststamps with famous, but dead people. As long as they are not worth more than a dollar/euro each. Why do you ask?-- rrr, Jul 29 2003 I'd like a fume-jutta annotation alert.-- FarmerJohn, Jul 29 2003 When the messages to the author are public you can indeed effectively prevent it from functioning like e-mail.
At the same time you can prevent Halfbakery entries from becoming message chatboards. Now I don't have a way to leave a message for another HB-poster other than poluting someone else's idea with it.
I do like the chatboard quality of the Halfbakery in the first days after a message gets posted, but after a few days I would like to delete my messages that should not remain immortal, that are of no use for the idea at hand.
About the bold username. When I see something in bold at the Halfbakery it means it's recent and fresh and I instinctively click on it. If I see my own username in bold I would do the same I think. In the help section it can be explained if people want to see it confirmed that it works like this (that's when I read the help section anyway).-- rrr, Jul 29 2003 <obligatory><alert>Ampershet recordanoxil port remoglacate.</alert></obligatory>-- Worldgineer, Jul 29 2003 The public annotations on the user's page remind me of MUDs where you can 'look' at other users.
You issue a command to 'look' at a certain user that crosses your way and a whole story unfolds on your screen: the user carries a teddy bear with her as a present from user X, she has flowers in her hair from user Y, he has lipstick on his cheeks from user Z and so on.
I could then leave a message on someone's page that I really appreciated his/her comment and I enjoy his/her style. The user can choose to carry that with pride or delete it after reading it.-- rrr, Jul 29 2003 // I want to notify the author of that annotation that there is an annotation in his/her name that makes no sense (anymore). //
Email them. If they don't have an email address posted on their profile page, it means they don't want to be contacted. Your system takes away that choice and therefore I vote against it.
I don't think that orphaned annotations are any great problem.-- waugsqueke, Jul 29 2003 probably made no sense in the first place.-- po, Jul 29 2003 I think it was 45, but, frankly it could be a bit less.-- neilp, Jul 29 2003 What [toejam] said.-- lintkeeper2, Jul 29 2003 [waugsqueke] There are more reasons why people don't mention their e-mail address on their user page while they would like to be contacted: - they are afraid of other abuse (spam for example) - they simply did nothing with their user page (the majority) - they didn't think of it because it is not suggested - they don't want to be contacted about Halfbakery things by e-mail because time for e-mail is different from time for Halfbakery
Especially the latter would be a reason for me not to give my e- mail address. The Halfbakery is addictive and when I receive a Halfbakery related e-mail I are tempted to go here and I completely forget whatever I was doing.
Also think about those who don't want to reveal their own e-mail address nor any of their pseudonyms (and don't want to bother creating yet another pseudonym for Halfbakery use).
Furthermore, my system doesn't take away the choice for people to reveal their e-mail addres on their user page nor the choice not to be contacted. You can easily ignore or delete all the message for you at the Halfbakery just like you can ignore annotations addressed to you.
Orphaned annotations are a part of the problem, the use of annotations for chat unrelated to the idea are another part of the problem this idea solves.
Therefore I ask you to reconsider your vote.-- rrr, Jul 30 2003 No can do, sorry. I don't think orphaned annotations are a problem. I certainly don't think they're worth any effort to resolve. And I think that for people who want to be contacted, the method of allowing this is clear. For those that don't think of it or aren't aware they can do it, then you could say the system defaults to 'off'.-- waugsqueke, Jul 30 2003 OK, if it is not for the ophaned annotations, what about the functionality of leaving messages for the author that are of no interest to anyone but the author? The kind of messages that are very relevant within the Halfbakery but are not worth writing an e-mail for (if they even have an e-mail address on their personal page).-- rrr, Jul 30 2003 How much effort is it to compose an email?-- Worldgineer, Jul 30 2003 <Spock> I am receiving a number of distress signals... </S> Although I've learned to live with the poor little orphans, I do think that an idea with half the annos missing could be confusing to a newcomer. However, I think that this idea would just become a messaging system and really, the best method is for users to just have a browse through their ideas now and again and do a bit of pruning.-- DrBob, Jul 31 2003 [Worldgineer] for me it is not an effort to write an e-mail, but what holds me from doing so is that I am absolutely not sure I will reach the author with it: they may not have an e-mail address on their userpage, if they do it may be one they hardly ever check and in many cases e-mail is out of order.
You could do a test and write one e-mail to a hundred Halfbakery users. I doubt you will be successful in more than 50% of your attempts.
If only you can rely on a messaging system that works. If it is public you prevent it from becoming a messaging system. In a worst case scenario it becomes a bulletin board for each user, migrating the ideas unrelated communication you now find between HB-users on idea pages to the personal pages.
I have the impression that a lot of hostility towards this idea is motivated because the hardcord HB-users do not want change in favour of the purity of HB-concept at the cost of the fun they have together.-- rrr, Jul 31 2003 random, halfbakery