It seems that the resolution of David’s points 1. and 2. above is really tied up with point 3. I would agree that it is not explicitly stated that this section is intended as a showcase for current observations, but this is what webmaster Dominic told me when I first tackled him on the subject. If this principle is to be strictly observed then it does indeed need to be made very much clearer, but in this case the logic of my suggestion that submissions be indexed by date of observation is surely unanswerable: the most recent observations appear at the top of the listing and the rest appear in chronological order of observation irrespective of when they were submitted.
There might be an argument for indexing by date of submission if the section is intended to be merely a repository of work, to enable those viewing to easily see the latest posts – as David wants to do. This does seem to be contrary to the current (though undocumented!) intention for the section however.
I feel that we now need a firm statement from whoever decided that this section should be set up in the first place, to clarify how it is intended to be used. Only then can a logical system of indexing be agreed upon. Over to you, Council Members?
SteveH