h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm just having a look at how the media producing Volunteers on h2g2 work. I'm a Photographer myself. I'd like to see how things could improve for us all in the future so I'd like to know:

a) How do you work? Who decides what to? How do you decide that something is finished and should be published?

b) In a perfect 'NooHootoo' what should the site enable you to do? (and probably what should it enable you to do in a more realistic NooHootoo)

Um... if there's anything else you'd like to tell me...

I like to collaborate. You can see a wonderful example for a perfect collaboration(text, graphics, sound) at: A50479617

I'm just putting together an Entry about how things could work on NooHootoo. Nothing 'official', just writing down my own thoughts.

A82766091

"IU don't know how the AViators work"

We have a youtube account where we can upload videos.
We have the AVitors' homepage at http://www.h2g2aviators.com
which TRiG or Rich will update if you ask them nicely.

What's the process for actually adding AV to pages? For the Artists, we send pics in to the Yahoo group, other artists give them a kind of "peer review" and make suggestions, and if the Eds are happy with them they add them to the Entry when it hits the front page.

Is it basically the same process for AV, or is there more to it than that?

Yes, I know *what* they do but *how* do they do it?
How do they work on a video together? What exactly do they need to be able to do it?

To upload videos for edited guide entries we ask the eds for approval. Once they've given their OK we upload to the youtube account. Since last year, the eds have been able to embed the clips in the entries afterwards.

Tav, you need software. Windows movie maker comes with windows, so you can use that to make clips. To record sound I use audacity (which is free software). Once it is all assembled, I send it to 2legs who has sophisticated software and does some serious magic to add an intro and an outro and generally remove disturbing noises from the wav files he gets send.

Ok... so that sounds like you basically need a place to upload finished and unfinished stuff and talk about it, is that right?

On the actual side of doing it, I've studeo professional software so I can do all the audio stuff, I guess a lot of it is basically organised by E-mails between members of the group... Though I don't think we've actually done much recently
I guess in an ideal* world, or version of h2g2, there'd be some kind of restricted (to aviator members), bit of the server HooToo were hosted on, which we could use for exchanging files (audio and video), between the members of the aviators, rather than having to rely on using the external site, or other sites for swapping files (which can be quite large), between each other

We have a yahoo group to discuss stuff (as well as the aviators' homepage and <./>aviators</.>, so lots to choose from. Most of us have a youtube account anyway, so we can upload there and set to 'private' so only those with the link can see it and then have a discussion.
Well, that's the theory, anyway. In practice, there are only two or three of us doing stuff, and since windows movie maker tells me that my graphic card isn't good enough, I can only do audio content.

Thanks. That's what I needed to know.

So the next question is:
If we would put Artists, Photographers and Aviators together in one volunteer group everyone would be able to comment on everyone else's work so at least within the group your work could be seen and commented by everyone.
How bad would that be for you? Or would you even be happy about a comment from 'the others'? Or even some help.

I'd be happy enough to simply expand the name "Community Artists" to include the Photographers (assuming they had no objections) - we're both doing the same thing in creating and manipulating images to illustrate Entries. I'm not convinced of the need for a division between "art" and "photographs", and I'm sure we could all help each other out.

It also depends what sort of opportunities users have for uploading their own images. If there is this facility on the new site, it might even make both the Photographers and Community Artists redundant.

I would argue against merging the AViators with the other two groups, however. What they do is something quite different from the Artists and Photographers, and I think it makes sense to keep it separate.

I absolutely agree about Photographers and Artists, I see no reason why they should be separate groups.

The more I think about it the more I also agree on the Aviators.


What I do not see is that a Volunteer group for making pictures would ever be redundant. Even if people can upload their own pictures. Some writers may not have any pictures and some would submit things that can't get into the Guide (reasons: quality, copyright, house rules...). And there are still loads of old Entries without pictures.

I love the artwork our CAs do. I have two incredibly gorgeous blobs which Mala did because I asked nicely. No photo is as original as artwork, imo. At least no photo that I could take myself.

I think you misunderstand Bel. We don't want to get rid of the Artists, we just want to have Artists and Photographers work together in one group.

One person could make either artwork or photos, whichever they want, one week this one week the other without having to join two volunteer groups. One of the current problems I see with the Photographers is that manipulating the pictures in Photoshop (or other programs) is not allowed and the Artists also don't seem the right place for that. If we have only one group for art and photos we can have that.

I think it also depends very much on the topic and style of an Entry which kind of picture is needed. The decision about this could better be made in one group.

(Just so you know where I'm coming from, by the way - I'm a CA, but not a Photographer or AViator).

I understood perfectly fine, Tav.

Mine was a reply to KB's:

It also depends what sort of opportunities users have for uploading their own images. If there is this facility on the new site, it might even make both the Photographers and Community Artists redundant.

to show that I don't think the artists at least will ever be redundant.
There are so many UK centric topics which need people to live there to take photos that I'm sure the photographers will always have their place, too. (still in reply to KB's post).

Aaah. I agree!

I'm not sure I agree with it myself, I'm just thinking out loud.

Being able to draw well, to take good photographs, or to produce good video and/or audio are definitely separate skill sets that don't always cross over, but the outcome of all of them gets lumped under the "Media" banner.

I think what Tavaron's asking is, could you guys see a single Media Artists Volunteers group, or some other name, where you'd all be able to share server space and ideas, review each others work etc?
I personally think the Guide would be improved greatly if more entries had photos, artwork or video to help illustrate them.

When h2g2 was created back in those screachy dial up days, it was very intensive on your modem to have video. In fact, I think only one entry had video, and that was a welcome from DNA himself. Sat in a bath with a rubber duck.

But, it there was a new hootoo, what does the idea of one "Media" group sound like? Where the members would know what entries were coming up, or could even be approached by researchers writing entries, and there'd be the option and ability to create the media for this?

Of course, that's just adding media to entries. I'm wondering also if an entry could *be* media. Just thinking allowed, but I'm wondering if an entry could be a video piece? Just thinking.