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I doubt others would go for this, but the two lists (if any) I would most like to see on the home page are works from my connections and, to encourage reviews for new members (to keep the site up and funded), a list of new member works. The others I have no use for. I doubt that's true for those who dabble in poetry or essays, etc.

Either get rid of the lists as Vern suggests, or make them collapsible, as others have suggested. Like Vern, I can live with whatever the decision.

Dirk

JP, after reading your post about the images, I went back to look at them on my home page. While they could be reduced further, it was during the act of looking at them all that I spotted an essay by Erndog, whose work I had never read before. I now have several new sci-fi books to try that may be along similar themes to mine. I might have spotted the essay on the old site anyway, but the image caught my eye.

Of course, if we're going to dedicate space to images, new users should definitely be encouraged to use images, since the sea of generic red book covers from so many authors is just background noise to me. I rarely notice them. I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover, but with so much to read.... New users should also be encouraged to make their Book Content Summary as informative as possible, as if they were writing the back cover of their printed book, the target audience, the kind of feedback desired, etc.

Perhaps, a hyperlink called "Not getting enough reviews?" at the top of the homepage of users with suggestions for how to increase reviews....

Dirk

One minor aid might be to highlight works from new members, not as a separate list of ten, but just something like you do in the forums where you highlight online/offline with the green dot. Perhaps color their pen name differently in the lists of works, with a tooltip that says "New Member".

I'm happy to review something coming from new members from time to time.

Dirk

Home and End keys in Google Chrome appear to be exactly what I wanted.

Dirk

It looks good, Sol. My personal preference would be to have writing from my connections at the top. When I have the time (if ever), I go through the other lists for new authors to read from. Not sure how others feel about the order of the lists.

Thanks.
Dirk

Jack, although I do sometimes give credence to verified purchases, I give the most weight, by far, to the quality/depth of the review and the number of people who found it helpful, including the most positive and the most negative helpful reviews.

Does anyone know, off hand, if Amazon allows authors/sellers to respond to reviews? That might come in handy for those of us with controversial subject matter (e.g., an irreverent look at Christianity in the fifth millenium, a sci-fi story). I have a pretty thick skin, but it would help to know I can respond to flaming reviewers, if supported.

Thanks.
Dirk

Personally, I always hope there'll be a keyboard for computers. It's the perfect interface for buggy software - something you can hit. Over and over. It never fixes the bug, but it sure feels good. Rumor has it that Sony had to build extra strong keyboards for use with Vista.

Thank you, Philisha. I started with alternating POV in chapter 2, where I introduce the two MCs, so I may end up going back to it as the story nears its conclusion. In fact, I can already see problems a couple of chapters ahead where I may have to do so.

Dirk

Thanks Alkemi.

This is along the lines of what I was originally hoping to do. I had an open vat coated with teflon in mind, covered with a force field that would allow me to lower things into the superacid (fluoroantimonic acid), but keep the churning liquid and gases inside, to be be extracted once the solid was dissolved. The force field would be the same tech as on my starship hangar bays that allow fighters (solid objects) to move through, while keeping the atmosphere (a gas) inside.

Based on what I've learned here, the recycled materials will later be extracted by a means I don't plan to explain, since that's where the process becomes too complicated for my story. The temperature in the vat will be such that someone can walk right up to it. There will be an odor from the liquified vehicle (e.g., like the smell of rubber in a tire shop), but not strong enough to be toxic to humans.

For added simplicity, I may even do away with the force field, which rules out a superacid because of the explosive reaction and noxious fumes. I'll have to wave my magic wand and ignore the fact that bacteria or nanoids might release gases too. I'll probably have the liquid bubble a little for effect, perhaps from air trapped in the vehicle as it dissolves.

I ultimately plan to keep the process to a paragraph or two. Something a plant manager could explain to a visitor of a recycling center, without the process being totally impossible in nature. Let's face it, it's already improbable as hell. :-)

Thanks to all.
Dirk