At the risk of sounding like an ad for a hotel chain, it must be pointed out that we do want to make your visits to DomeMagazine.com as pleasant and convenient as possible. That’s why for Dome’s second year we’ve made a couple of changes in the website’s “infrastructure.”

The first is that we’ve removed the registration requirement for first-time visitors. While it wasn’t a problem for most, it did annoy a few. And even for return visitors, that irritating registration screen, or at least the top part, continued to pop up for a second or two before the droids in the engine room recognized a returning aircraft and dropped the force shield. Maybe you hardly noticed it, but I found it distracting.

It does help us improve the magazine to know some basic demographics of our readers. But going forward, we’ll look for other ways — voluntary ways — to collect such information. Visitors won’t be denied access for not providing it.

Second, we’ve made it easier to post a comment after a story. The former registration and posting process was cumbersome and confusing. You had to log in, then write a comment, then wait for it to be approved and posted. From now on, you can log in and post your comment at virtually the same time.

We encourage you to post comments that provide other readers with additional information or a different viewpoint. We think we’ve made it easier for you to do so — but let us know if there’s room for additional improvement.

In the same vein, please make use of the Extra Points blog/column we’ve added in the upper left area of the home page. This is intended as a home for “guest columnists” to submit a piece on a wide variety of issues, whether personal or professional. Advocacy and punditry are big parts of the lives of many of our readers, so this is one more opportunity for opinion leaders to share fact and opinion with others.

Your suggestions for other ways to improve your DomeMagazine.com experience are always welcome and encouraged. Simply send an email to Dome.

We can’t necessarily provide fluffier pillows and towels, but we can make sure your overall stay is satisfactory.