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

My Lord Admiral,

I think this is a very good idea because (see below)

I have been here for a year and am still discovering new things at h2g2

I'm not exactly stupid, and am not exactly a genius, but there are sooooooo many layers to h2g2, I fell down a hole about a month ago and came up with a guide entry

I'd like to know where its at around here, coz sometimes I think you've all gone to a party and I'm not invitedor is that just my paranoia



When you get this up and going - I'll read it

Hello Fizzymouse! Thankyou very much for posting!

I'm really really glad you like this idea, I've actually started setting up a bit of a pilot issue : A13768211

Hopefully we'll get more writers, and then really take off

Actually would you like to write for it? You can say what kind of things you've done, or even your experiences as a newbie? That would be great stuff to read about

Why thank you my Lord Admiral,

If there's no time pressure I'll give it a burl over the weekend

No pressure at all Whenever you can get it to us

A2279081

Why have I only just seen this?

I'm guessing thats a subtle hint No its not meant to stand on the posts toes...

I'd love to discuss it, but basically as I see it the post does fantastic things but doesn't focus on whats going on in the community. THis would provide this service

Anyway, thanks for popping in Anyway, e-mail me or, on here if you want to discuss it further

Again, sorry if this seems to be standing on the posts toes, but its something that h2g2 I feel needs - as well as the post. If possible I'd like the two to work together, if it gets going properly. I'm still working on my other Post commitments, so I'm not abandoning you

The articles you've listed are the exception rather than the rule... what I'm proposing is constant and intimate feedback from the groups...

That doesn't sound like I'm coming across very well...

I need to probably set this as firmly crooked as possible Right as I've seen it the Post is fantastic. It does fiction, non-fiction work with its point of focus outside h2g2 excellently. It gives researchers the chance to spread their wings and be creative. But in my minds eye it has never been a newspaper reporting on h2g2 itself... It has done work on special events, yes. But I'm hoping to propose somewhere that people can find out the little details about what community members are up to. This is why I've proposed this scheme...

Anyway, thats the plan. I've had lots of positive feedback so far, but its still early days. And if I'm being very brutally honest its something h2g2 has needed for a long time.

Obviously your minds eye didn't notice everything then! From its inception The Post was all about h2g2 - right from the very first edition when we ran an interview with Peta. I can pull just a selection from the archives for you:-

A652934

A690824

A583166

A739938

A700679

A11778348

A11050958

A400050 - an example from A690590

A700741

A1089722

A10310941

Of course, Greebo regularly interviewed researchers in her 'Through The Doughnut Hole' too - A1903844. Most recently the CAC team have been conducting their own interviews - although they have taken a summer break they fully intend to return soon. This was their most recent contribution only a few weeks ago A11778348

To quote from 'Inside The Post'
A933897 'Then... all those clubs, societies, appreciation pages, inter-active quizzes and adventures, polls, votes, drinking dens! To thrive they need visitors and how better to attract visitors then to let people know about them from here?'

Now I admit that in the last year it hasn't managed to feature many interviews - mostly because people agreed to partake then didn't bother actually answering questions or sending in their items. This has, and always will be, a problem.

In other words - The Post has *always* been keen on reporting on h2g2 and its members - I am surprised that you think otherwise... and am disappointed that you seem to think we haven't.

What also concerns me is whether you really have the time to maintain and keep this running - remember A2061596?

In which case I appologise. But you seem to have taken this in a personal way which was not intentional. But the point still stands that neither I nor the many people I spoke to saw the post in this light. In this light Shazz, I think its something you seriously need to address.

And with regards to my story, I stopped it at a time of not inconsiderable stress in my life. And having since lost the thread of thought that I started it isn't easy to pick up. It isn't a matter of time.

Shazz I don't know what to say to you. I don't begrudge anyone who has taken the ideas I started in my own groups and built groups themselves based on my and my fellow group members ideas. I would be disappointed in you if you opposed another paper coming in to existence.

My idea is to have something that isn't about interviews... it about the community members themselves telling their own story. Thats what this is about surely.

I appreciate that I haven't seen many of those entries... but to be fair a lot of them are very old. The post is/was a wonderful institution, but why so against something that might do something its own way?

I have in the past had and stil have an incredible amount of respect for you Shazz. You have done a lot for h2g2. But then so have many people. There are a lot of people I respect on h2g2. And I'm sure there will be others who will equally become "superstars" of h2g2, like EMR.

C'est las vie. Say what you will.