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

Dunno about B's suggestion about alternative specimen Entries back there.

Unless I'm mistaken, though, those 28 specimen Entries include only one current Researcher (Mina). The majority were written five or more years ago. They include one that says the Simpsons is in its 11th season at the time of writing (it's now in its 19th) and another that discusses cigarettes without any mention of the widespread bans on smoking in public places of recent years.

Time for a freash set, surely? And selecting them might even provide a way of promoting the Edited Guide.

Hootoo is very international, but native English speakers are very much overrepresented in the Guide.

Perhaps in the "correct English" section you could add a note to say that multilingual researchers hang out at the Language Thing U238948 and might help with finding good translations for difficult words, etc?

I'd like to propose an ESL thing in addition to the Spell Checker - helping people whose first language *isn't* English polish up their entries, I'd volunteer for it - but that can't go in the Guidelines until it's in place, of course.

Still, it might be a way to get researchers shy about their language skills writing - and people from different backgrounds can be very efficient at "filling the gaps"

A18584058 - Writing for the Edited Guide (Subbed version)
U566116 - Alex Tufty Ashman

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I've added a link to the Language Thing

It sounds like a good idea to have Researchers vote for new Entries to be added to the list, but at the same time it would be an idea to update the old Entries. If we did have a vote, we'd need some Entries nominated first, and who would be responsible for that?

Ok, for those who don't want to read the whole of this thread - most of it isn't about this Entry, so don't bother. Just read the Entry and let me know whether it's clearer than the Writing-Guidelines, and also if you can think of any way to make it clearer still.

Also, if anyone would like to update the Entries on The Simpsons and Cigarettes, I'd be rather chuffed to say the least.

Hi ATA!

I like it just fine, but another entry that could use a refresh is the one on Galway cited in this spiffy version.

I hardly dare to ask - but how's this coming along? Seems to be lying dormant for now...

I mucked about with possible more recent Entries that sort-of fit the 7 areas with examples in the Guidelines. There need to be more, but how about the following?

(The first one isn't really a particular example of a well-planned Entry, but SWL just has to be in there somewhere, and I quite like the idea that a skinned cat would fall neatly into sections...)

1. Plan (naturally falls into sections)
A19441299 How to Skin a Cat (SWL)
2. Write About what you’re Interested in (Canny Observation + Personal Perspective)
A30081700 Winter Birds of the Niagara Gorge (langsandy)
3. Research (Labour of Love)
A26353677 Dracula's Ancestors - Vampires Without the Dinner Jackets (Malabarista)
4. Instructive, Informative, Factual (astonishing quality and detail)
A4596735 The Decipherment of Linear B (Gnomon)
A3769554 Artificial Preservation of Human Remains: A History of Techniques (Farlander)
5. Your own Style (fascinating place to be)
A29443223 The Ashtabula Horror – an Ideal Tragedy (Jodan)
A29878744 The Cox Plate, 1986 – Australia’s Greatest Horserace (Trout Montague)
6. Balanced Entries (potentially contentious topics)
A10177355 The Moors Murderers (Galaxy Babe)
7. Appropriate Length (succinct)
A14042099 The Ghost Chicken of Highgate, London (Matt)

Pin

Oo! I made a list! Yay!

In all seriousness though, I agree with the sections of the list, I think they very neatly cover most of the aspects of what makes a good Entry

I think there should be something in this entry saying that you don't have to write in GuideML. It's better to let the subeditor add the GuideML than to write your own and get it wrong.

I've added a note about Guide-ML and removed the cigarettes and Simpson's entries from the lists, but I'm not going to add any new entries unless there's some kind vote or consensus. The point of this entry is to make the guidelines more accessible for newbies, so we should really explore which entries are the best examples of the content h2g2 needs.

Alex

Hey Alex, you giving this one up?

It depends whether I'm allowed to stick 'UPDATE' in front of it and then post to EF that I'm happy with it.

By the way, that's not any kind of funny remark - I'm genuinely amused by the fact I'd just been sitting on that Entry all that time, waiting for someone to pick it or accept it

I believe you...

Are you happy with the representative Entries in this as they are?

Yes - it wasn't really my intention to replace them unless some form of widespread agreement was available. I don't think there's anything wrong with using old-but-good Entries.

Can't think of anything constructive to add, then...

I think there's something profoundly wrong with the specimen Entries.
Like I said before, only one current Researcher represented, and most of them 5+ years old.

This is a chance to make the site look vibrant. Didn't we ought to take it?

Yes, but some sort of vote would be needed. Maybe you could organize one.

We already have a vote. It's called Entry of the Month.

A very good point, as always. I'll have a look.