One thing that could be very useful would be some sort of a tutorial that would automatically begin when one completes registration. Just like in games where there are tutorials that first tell you to click a certain unit, then to make it move forward, backwards, etc. This tutorial would help new users to configure their BOINC client, their profiles, and at the end, something that would certainly encourage users to keep contributing, would be to recommend the reading of a successes page. This page would keep track of all the grid's successes like, for example, the GFAM project that recently found potential compounds against malaria or the HFCC project that has been extended so many times because they are yielding very good results. This page doesn't exist. There are just scattered posts all over the website and forums about science updates but nothing on the individual project research pages and a new cruncher might feel discouraged. A page like this that grouped all the successes so far would, in my opinion, be very useful.
The tutorial could help new crunchers feel less confused and hopefully help preventing them from quiting at the beginning(and posting the forums for help on how to do all this).
I do realize this would take a lot of work though it could be incredibly helpful.

Falconet,

There's so many ways to get at information, where probably the most don't come here as a complete novice to BOINC, but if they are, would require the WCG custom kit [which has not been updated in a few years].

1) Try hit Help, right hand top which brings up tutorials, in case you missed them: https://secure.worldcommunitygrid.org/help/viewHelp.do
2) Research > Research News which offers a 7 ways filter on areas of interest! http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/research/research.do?filterCategory=3_0 Should hold links to anything important, +plus+ if signed in and you click on a project members name in the forum, "find all posts by this member", you get all that e.g. Dr. Perryman has had to say.

Yes, on the face things seem a bit scattered, but even chaos is organized ;>)

But, it's not my right to let monkeys escape the bag, so just sit tight for much to come.

Exactly. If I was an average computer user and just arrived at WCG, I would freak out when I looked at those pages.

After that, the newcomer/average-user has to get used to the organized-chaos or chaotic-organization. Are we enjoying bashing WCG? Well, no fun can be derived from any bashing if no part of it may be (else, suspected to be) true at least in some way. Still, a videoGame-inspired model for a tutorial should top the user-friendliness charts, in my view. However, the context (grids-vs-games) is very different, but the idea of a refresher, basically, is the same. Beyond the refresher idea, the constraints imposed by the differing context would dictate adaptation of the content (and its method of presentation/delivery) to the context.
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I was composing the content that went into (my) andzgridPost#964 posting when the survey-notice came up. Anyway, yep, I'm also looking forward to participate in the said survey.
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