I want to be able to see at a glance whether a discussion has
advanced (I might want to be notified of a new addition, but
let that pass). So I want to be able to see *beyond the first
level of choices* to what's beyond, the real content. One
way to do this is to collapse two levels, providing links to
each, as I did in the main menu of GNN's Whole Internet Catalog.
Here I'd like to be able to see lists of contributions from
the main topic node with at most one click.
And (as I suggested when I mentioned wetware, and others have
mentioned, too) someone has to sort out all the stuff that might
accumulate, whatever he's called. I want to be able to get
a view through his prism alongside a view of the whole
depressing accumulation of messages.
Finally, I want some way to know when an issue has reached a
critical stage of discussion: proposed, last draft, up for
final approval, and so on. Naturally, at each of these stages
I want a direct link to the current text of the proposal as
amended.
I'll leave for the future any suggestions about a Robert's Rules
of Order checker.
Regards,
-- Terry Allen (terry@ora.com) Editor, Digital Media Group O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Sebastopol, Calif., 95472