Hello! I would like to propose a couple of things which I think might improve the site.
1. Tutorials/Documentation category
I am starting to use the servers and I am struggling to find clear instructions on basic server setup and maintenance (just found things googling around and entering into github sites, but not sure how updated and validated are those).
I think it would be beneficial to subdivide the tutorials into subcategories (e.g. Server-related and Microbiome-related) as the contents are now all mixed.
Maybe it would make sense to add the Welcome Trust tutorial as a subcategory within Tutorials, rather than outside of it?
Likewise, the Documentation category seems a bit redundant so I would maybe merge those two.
2. Support Requests category
I think these should initially be private messages to the admin team to avoid cluttering the space with similar requests. For example, there are several topics on “VM stuck in Hard Reboot” which do not provide very useful information as it is a case-by-case problem. If the admins then spot a recurrent problem or bug that can be fixed by the users, then it is useful to post the solution for everyone.
3. Service category
Would it be possible to add a banner on top of the site indicating the servers status and current issues (or the lack of it)? This way we could immediately check works in progress and potential issues in real time.
Interface
Maybe add the option to customise things such as the date format? For example, to see the year of the post with 4 digits and full month names.
Thanks