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

h2g2 Ambassadors are reasearchers who
- make with other internet communities.
- keep in contact with other internet communities.
- spread the words and ideas of h2g2.
- represents h2g2 in the real world.

discription is open to discussion.

They get nice bagde of course.

Interesting idea... though I'd guess that most of our Researchers are Ambassadors too.

Anyone any thoughts on this?

Mark

This is a more difficult task than it sounds - the approach to other online communities would have to be delicately handled, walking the fine line between 'extolling the virtues of h2g2' and 'spamming the known Universe'. OK, maybe that's not so fine a line, but still the job would have to involve more than just messages saying 'Hey! I've just come from this great site called h2g2!' as that sort of thing tends to get ignored.

The real life aspect - anyone has the potential to recommend the Guide to their mates, or more rarely, namecheck the site when they appear on a radio quiz show (!), so I don't know if recognition in the form of a Personal Space badge is warranted (At least with online recommendations, you could have proof of your work by pointing to it's location on the web, or at least you could if we could get URL's back in Forums... but anyway).

One thing that tickles the back of my mind is the memory of the animated banners people could add to their own sites to point to the Guide - it's been a while since I've seen them, do they still exist? If so, they could be co-opted into whatever comes out of this discussion.

NQAH (opining)

We've had to get rid of the graphical links that people can use on their own sites because it's against BBC policy to provide graphical links like this. I'm not sure why, but it's in the editorial guidelines, so there's no doubt a good reason at the heart of the BBC charter.

You can still link to us with a textual link from your own website, just not with a graphic. Hey ho.

Mark

That's a strange policy to put it mildly. Oh well, there's always ASCII art!

Seriously, any prospective Ambassadors would have a tough time explaining to potential Researcher recruits the Moderation policy and the other House Rules, especially if said recruitment was to take place in communities free of, for instance, the restrictions on URLs in Forum posts. The Ambassador would really have to live up to their names, being masters of diplomacy at all times.

NQAH (musing)

Which makes me feel that it shouldn't be anything formal. Someone coming to a site and saying 'I really like h2g2' is fine... but to then find out that they're a member of h2g2 who's job is specifically to promote h2g2 on other sites would, I feel, undermine their opinions.

What do you think?

Mark

I agree, this would be just too tough a task on a voluntary basis. The site has all the right ingredients, that much is not in question (indeed Peta's current research will most likely strengthen the evidence on that front) - it's a matter of Researchers going out into the world, be it meatspace or cyberspace, and asking people "We're building something huge - do you want to be a part of it?"

NQAH (cheerleading)

Well, the sad story of the banners and buttons is as follows:

The BBC does not permit its logo or that of its sites on external sites without individual permission. I guess that the only way to get one would be to steal one from someone else who already had one. Not ideal.

Wondering how I knew this? I asked someone who I know. Glad to help!

losing the ability to type...
dodgem

I gotta go with Mark on this one.. I don't think it should be anything official. We don't want h2g2 to get the reputation of being a spam-spawner site.