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

Dear Guide Editors,

Hello! I wanted to write you to introduce myself and seek your permission and help for finishing a research project on the Guide, one I started in 2005 during my PhD. My name is Nathan Rambukkana, or Beeblefish on the Guide. My apologies if I cannot remember knowing more of you than I should. Bluebottle I know of old, of course, and other names are familiar (GB, Magwich) others less so, but my memory is a bit sieve-like at times. I was a field researcher and then sub-editor since 1999, though sadly a lapsed one due to grad school. I did come back for a while though in 2005.

At the time, I was interested in complicating academic discussions about the ownership of online community sites since much of what had been written was about the conflict between owners and community members, since my experience with the Guide showed me that it was a lot more complex than this. There was conflict for sure (remember the Zaphodistas?) but the owners and editors—the italics—were also part of the community, cared about the community. For a PhD paper I wrote up a short history of the Guide, the conflicts about advertising, the homepage/ My space wars and finally the punchline: the BBC move and how the community aspect saved the Guide from the dot.com crash.

I never published the paper though, and what I want to do now is revisit the Guide 10 years later and do the same thing. I would love to have conversations about the Not Panicking move, Field Researchers Limited, the Core Team, etc. and have people reflect on the same questions as before as well as new ones. As before, I would like to write an article for the Post inviting people to participate in this discussion via the forum on my article (I’ve included a draft of the new version, as well as the old version and a link to where it is in the Guide). Dmitri, as Post Editor as well, I would really appreciate if you would consider my request and, if you agreed, we could talk about how to implement it and the timing. I would be interested in setting up the forum and having parallel discussion in other places such as the Atelier over a period of a month or two. As I know Guide traffic is not what it once was, it might take me a bit longer to get enough feedback to finish my paper and finally publish it.

Please let me know your thoughts. I am thrilled h2g2 still exists and see this paper as also a slice of Guide history that I would love to share with the world.

My Very Best,

Nathan Rambukkana (Beeblefish)

h2g2 is still here, but most of the people have gone. Just a skeleton staff keeping it ticking over.

"I feel like one who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted
Whose lights are fled, whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed!"

- Tom Moore, 'Oft in the Stilly Night'

You're before my time, but welcome back!

There are a few people from the olden days of h2g2 who check in from time to time. I'm no longer a volunteer here, but Bluebottle and Galaxy Babe are, and they may be able to help.

Others have written academic papers on the subject, like like Mrs Zen (aka Ben).

It seems a reasonable request
We're still here, as you say, and the site has changed hands, and is indeed run by a very small crew of volunteers, lead by Robbie Stamp and the Larholms.

You are of course welcome to publish the paper (or at least the abstract... depending on how big the full paper is) here on h2g2 - you retain your copyright to your own work, while h2g2 may choose to promote it etc.

kindest regards

Sounds cool!

If you need any help from the h2g2 Post, let us know!

Dmitri, Post Editor

Hi Nathan, Robbie Stamp here. I'd be delighted to help. If I can be of any personal assistance, I'm more than happy to give you my perspective, which is I guess going to be a fairly long one. We are indeed still here!

Traveller in Time still searching the internet for proof of a community on Hootoo
"Welcome back

It may have been your paper I am/was looking for. W**i requires third party sources about things like a community site. Apparently we are only published as encyclopedia by any respected third party.

Perhaps this time you manage to get the paper published "

Welcome back, Beeble

Hello Beeblefish - good to see your post. I'll be pleased to help with your research in whatever way I can and I look forward to reading more of your writing.

I'm a Guide Editor but not an Italic, and I'm certainly part of the community as well as a volunteer I'm fascinated by h2g2 history too, as I'm a relative newcomer, and enjoy delving back into the archives from time to time

Hello BeeblefishI remember you even through the fog of my sieve-like brain and a lot of water flowed under the bridge.

with your project. If Bluebottle doesn't post here, I'll go point it out to him.

GB

Wish I had a memory like a sieve. Sieves retain things. That said, welcome back!

Yay! Thank you all, this is so exciting to find on a day I thought I would check in on my research while lying up on the couch sick.

Hi all, and yes I would love any and all input. I will look for that article from Ben for sure and Dmitri I will contact you directly about posting the new call for participation as a post article. Robbie I would love to interview you as well if you are interested, perhaps over email. I'm fascinated to see how the site has changed and evolved over time since I was around more.

I will work on refining my call for participation based on what I have already gathered since I have been back on the site and will aim to have that up soon. I'll post here again once it is live for anyone who is interested in taking part; I would love to hear from old timers and new arrivals both! Thanks everyone! -- Beeblefish

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet the Call for Participation went live in the Post! It is here:

http://h2g2.com/entry/A87872872

Thanks Dmitri!

~Beeblefish

Hi Beeblefish - don't forget to subscribe to the Post Entry so that you get notified of new conversations! I've added my thoughts

Oh will do! Yeah I missed yours until just now!