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

Especially like the bit about h2g2 being addictive. What a relief!

Three little things:

* There's one more Douglas graphic that's not used anywhere: B1184 (it's quite a fun one).

* The next update will probably be relatively unnoticed by users, unless they are Scouts or Sub-editors. If all goes according to plan, the first automatic systems for Peer Review will go into the next release. I should hasten to add that these won't change the way that the Peer Review forum works - that will stay exactly the same. Instead the new tools will kick in once a Scout has made a pick, which is pretty invisible to users already.

(If things go well, and someone reminds me later, I can probably arrange for some screen shots of the new tools to be sent to The Post, as we did when they were last updated.)

* Good luck in the exams...

* Cool about the other photo. I'll put the cut-and-paste code for it into the next column as a follow-up.

* Well, I did try to say "the next big update" because I know you guys can always release something that isn't immediately noticeable to non-volunteer Researchers. Of course, anything to help out the Scouts and Sub-Editors is a big plus. I'm sure they'll appreciate being able to take longer lunches.

* Aw, thanks... No wonder you have your own fan club.

Blimey... don't remind me.

*hides*

Tee hee!

shazz

Your article did make me think of one thing... if the brief lull in Peer Review made life so much better for the writers - why don't we slightly increase the number of entries (perhaps 6 on Friday instead of 5), and hence the number of Scouts, and the number of Sub-eds, and make that state of affairs a little more permanent?

Sure, it was tougher as a Scout to find good entries during the dip - but not excessively so - . And I reckon that the quicker entries are approved, the more will be written - getting your first entry in the Guide is a big rush, and it directly leads to people writing more...

*rubs hands in anticipation of new toys*

More volunteers => More requirements on internal staff => More internal resources required

Whicn isn't to say it won't happen, but we do have to wait until either the time-saving new tools are in place, or we have more editorial staff... or a combination. So not for a little while, I think.

Yeah, it's going to take more than 1 extra entry on Fridays anyway. The Peer Review page was down to about 2/3 of its usual number. So to get the same effect, you'd need to publish 1/3 more entries per workday. So 7-8 entries per day from Peer Review. That would mean quite a few more Sub-Editors and Scouts, and at least 1 new h2g2 staffer.

Alternatively we could spend development time on new internal tools (and new on-site ones) to reduce the amount of workload required in-house for each pick.

And that's what we're already doing! Hurrah!

Good point!

Was that me impersonating a collective again? Why, I believe it was!

Reistance is Futile. You will be Impersonated?

LOL!

*shudders at the thought of 100 Fragilis impersonators*

Wait! Perhaps the Mark Moxon fan club could have a Mark Impersonation Day. Aw, man. I bet they'd love that idea.

Sort of like a fancy dress party where everyone goes as Mark? Or a virtual one, where everyone changes their username to Mark and goes around saying Marklike things?

I'd certainly vote for that! LOL
I wonder if we could get away with doing that at the Meet in July!
What a hoot... 50 odd (!!!) researchers all sporting goatee beards and black wigs

shazz

I was imagining a virtual Impersonation Day. Now that you mention it, though, Shazz, a real-life one would be much funnier! Oh, man. The only bad thing is that Mark is subscibed to this thread and therefore has been forewarned.

True...
There again, he needn't necessarily be party to all the arrangements...
hmmm... I thinking now! Always a bad sign!

shazz

We could always impersonate a different Italic instead: don't they have fan clubs as well?

{not as big as Mark's of course... }

Exactly what I was thinking Lucy... although to make it really funny I guess it should be gender-reversed!

shazz

I think you'll have a much harder time asking the guys to do this...

You *are* meeting in a public place, yes?