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Week three.
Sep 30, 2009

Ok, so it turns out that not only is h2g2 more engrossing than I could have possibly imagined; but that selecting choice bits of the site to point at as well as choosing a suitably 'sticky' talking point to engage the sharp minds out there in hootoo land really does eat up your time, leaving your correspondent very little time to write this thing. Doh...
The semi-autonomous social network-cum-depository of wisdom has already thrown up a few moral questions and feisty face-offs (mentioning absolutely no names) and all the better for it, say I! Any social network, like any culture, can have its metaphorical temperature taken by looking at the level of discourse.
Friendly, fun ans slightly fanciful; that's h2g2.
More to follow
GJ

(16 replies, Latest reply: Oct 2, 2009)

Confessions of a newbie : Week end reportage.
Sep 11, 2009

So, what have I learned in this rather strange initiation process that we call h2g2?
I think the main thing I've learned (without getting TOO warm and fuzzy) ts that you people who care about the site, giving it all your precious spare time and energy, really care.
A LOT.
The welcome over the last two days has been unbelievable. And I say this not as an ingenue who's not used to dealing with what web people rather unimaginatively call UGC. For years I dealt with BBC messageboards, comments on album reviews, feedback emails and such. But no community I ever worked with ever came close to this level of commitment.
It's pretty humbling I must say...
To be honest it's almost TOO humbling, struggling to keep up with numerous threads, whilst watching my original journal post transfor, chinese whisper style, into something totally OTHER. I really don't know where you guys find the stamina.
I have a million and one questions racing around my head now, but to curtail any lengthy digression, let's leave you with one simple question:
I've had a good old trawl arounf the place and find the sheer diversity and depth of knowledge staggering. But fundamentally, what is it that prompts you people to post aricles here? I gather that certain longtime hootooers have very specific areas of expertise, but on the whole what really motivates you guys to write? Is it a seeming lack of any other material on the subject? Is it a passion for the matter in hand? or is it the joy of knowing that your words are (via a charmingly rigorous system of peer reviewage) there in perpetuity for the community as a whole?
Or is it something else entirely?
before I sign off for a weekend of restful contemplation of having made hundreds of new friends in record time, I leave you with a final apology for not, still getting to grips with the smiley culture (hold on, wasn't he a reagge artist?).
As always bear with me. I'm still a newbie (at least until next week)
GJ

(57 replies, Latest reply: Oct 1, 2009)

Confessions of a newbie: Day 1
Sep 9, 2009

Deciding to explore as much of the Hootoo lore and functionality as possible, I'm embarking on an intermittent record of how it's all going.
For brief background here's a few facts:
1) My real name is Chris Jones, I used to be Senior Producer at BBC Music online and was subsequently the commissioning Editor for the album reviews service, located here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews
2) I'm here for aprroximately four weeks to help do a little proofing, subbing, polishing and general housework
3) I'm married, have an ancient cat and a ridiculously large record collection.
That's probably quite enough for now, but I thought it would be good to jot down my impressions about this wonder called Hootoo as I go along. My first impression is that the BBC have something weird and quite wonderful on their hands here. Like a science experiment in a jar that has been left in a corner for ages, the scientists return to find the jar teaming with life! And what life it is. My real-life welcome from ACE Lil was a pleasant start to my day and as I trawl the various permutations I'm getting more and more of a fuzzy warm feeling about all of this. The adventure begins...

(212 replies, Latest reply: Sep 12, 2009)