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

Here's a few thoughts for what they're worth.

3. Should the welcome pages redirect new users to Ask h2g2 if they try to post a message?

Yes, good idea, that way they can be directed to the appropriate part of the site as required.

6. Do we really need nine different types of Feedback Forum?

No. Only really need 2, one for technical issues one for Editorial.

7. Do we really need an h2g2 Tour, some Help Pages and an FAQ system?

I'd scrap the H2G2 tour and just have the help pages and FAQ's.

12. Should h2g2 be advertised? How?

It could be made more prominent across the whole of the BBC website for starters.


18. Should h2g2 allow multiple users to edit the same entry? Could collaboration be improved in some other way?

I think the current way for collaboration works fine. I don't see the need for more than one writer to have editing access. Most collaborations usually come about more by accident than planned. There are exceptions but then it's usually agreed by the parties involved who writes the article up.

23. Does h2g2 need a handful of prolific writers, or should we work on encouraging a wide range of users to each produce a few entries?

H2G2 needs both. I don't see this as being an issue to be honest.

26. Should old material be re-run on the Front Page, or should we focus on the new stuff?

I think a combination of both is good. Gives some of the earlier stuff a chance to be 'aired' again.

ST

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I agree with ST. The '1-day shelf life' on the FP seems to be both a waste of good material and becomes a voracious consumer of new entries, resulting in a picking frenzy of entries that quite honestly would be unlikely to be picked in richer times.

I would like to see perhaps 4 entries on the FP each day, but only one new one per day, the others sliding down one position each day and 'retiring' after 4 days. We should still keep the themed set of entries that we have currently in the left-centre of the FP.

"...only one new one per day, the others sliding down one position each day and 'retiring' after 4 days."

Sounds like a good idea - it helps deal with the need for fresh Entries each day.

But I like the system of finding really old ones, too, because they're forgotten otherwise! Will each Entry having four days on the FP be better than having older entries getting an airing?

I'm not suggesting we drop the recycled old entries thing. Perhaps add a 5th entry, a 'new' old entry each day; then there's the themed-oldies section at left-centre.

"I would like to see perhaps 4 entries on the FP each day, but only one new one per day, the others sliding down one position each day and 'retiring' after 4 days. We should still keep the themed set of entries that we have currently in the left-centre of the FP."

I like this very much.

My problem with it would be having to produce a new blob for *every* Entry - we need more CAs for that!

I thought the eds were still using stock photographs for most of them?

They are, but I find that an unsatisfactory solution And the Photographers group isn't very active

No, but it looks like changes are afoot.

"My problem with it would be having to produce a new blob for *every* Entry"

There would still only be one new Edited Entry each day that way, and many of the older Entries have blobs.

True, there'd be one new one each day - but usually, we have two new ones per day, which means half of them don't need blobs...

Well, I suppose the picture doesn't have to apply to the top-billed entry. If the top entry has no picture, simply use the picture from the second entry.

TRiG.

Well, yes.

I see my clever ploy to get more CAs is not working.

Just a few thoughts from an AWW perspective.

Complexity - I don't know why we have Fiction Central and Another Galaxy Guide as well as the AWW.

Feedback - In a proper writers' forum, you might expect a requirement that, for every piece you contribute for review, you should be prepared to give comments on at least one or two other people's pieces.

The Underguide - I would like to see anthologies of short pieces by different writers. You could have a haiku anthology, a limerick anthology, an anthology of flash fiction pieces (under 100 words) etc. The Post rather than the AWW Front Page might be the place for these.

I'd like to see the "Feedback" appoint apply to PR as well! It shouldn't all just be down to the Scouts.