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

I will also own up to being one of the invited.

Thus demonstrating beyond a shadow of doubt that we are anything but elite

I am not a member of the 'elite'.

I am however, a Curator.

This is still a volunteer group, as the invited can still turn it down.

I would like to know where we should tell them about problems, or is this still in feedback?

And if any help is needed, i'll help to the best of my ability. I'm good at proofreading.

Yes Al, all editorial problems should still be reported to EF as before.

hello ...

No such thing as a volunteer - they are the "asked to be unpaid"

cheerio!

Sorry, I didn't make myself very clear.

What I am mostly not happy with is that the curators have to identify themselves; that seems a bit secretive to me. Additionally, it gives them power on site to say "I'm part of this special club".

Secondly, I don't like that people can't volunteer for the role. I don't think that the towers should accept everyone who wants in; I don't know what the score is now but when I applied to be a subeditor there was a test; surely the same thing could be applied to the new group, or maybe that could be in the pipeline. I don't think just anyone should be able to become a curator just by asking, but I do think that people should have the chance to draw attention to themselves.

I forgot to say something. Thankyou.

>What I am mostly not happy with is that the curators have to identify themselves; that seems a bit secretive to me. Additionally, it gives them power on site to say "I'm part of this special club"<

These are my comments - not a rep. for anyone

Actually this is something that has always been at the forefront of everyones mind - that the scheme in no way be secretive. Jimster is still building a page which will (I think) have a drop down list of those currently involved in the project. Most of us weren't bothered about getting a badge, only that we could be identified in some way so that 'the secrecy element' was removed.
We have been given the option to identify ourselves in the meantime until this page is complete.

"I don't like that people can't volunteer for the role."

At the moment this group is in such early stages that it needs to be tried and tested live. If it proves a success, then perhaps at some point in the future, it may be something that can be volunteered for (although I would expect it to be volunteers from existing EG based volunteer groups).

The group has been kept incredibly small at the moment because it is in its infancy, so any problems can be picked up and ironed out.

Hopefully once it is established then more people will be able to volunteer their services.

j'au-æmne makes some very worthwhile points, including:
"Additionally, it gives them power on site to say "I'm part of this special club""

Well, I guess it could, but only if you're on a power trip and think that it's a way to impress people. The reason we don't have badges is that none of us are particularly interested in collecting them.

Originally, I think that the Editors didn't want there to be a home page for this new group, but it was discussed and the concensus was that a home page with a list of Curators would be a good thing so that secrecy and talk of an 'elite' (which we knew was inevitable) could be avoided as much as possible.

I imagine that one of the Editors will be along sooner or later to 'splain some more about their motives for setting up this group and the way in which they did it, so I'll leave them to it and won't pre-empt their post.

Yet another spookily similar simulpost

It's potentially a good thing but only if its run and managed carefully. I guess time will tell with that one.

I was going to post something else, but I thing it might ruffle a few feathers.

Another reason for keeping the initial group small - so that there can be more 'hands on management' of it than is needed for the other, established volunteer groups.

"I was going to post something else, but I thing it might ruffle a few feathers."

Oh go on!

Would it be something like cost-cutting BBC allowing this so they don't have to pay for an extra Italic?!

So it's going to be a little lonely in Peer Review from now on?

It's a cynical thought but a valid one.

I thick Gnomon was cast iron aspirens at my spoiling beck their.

right count me in, cus i need to be on the payroll

Wonderful! You got "thick Gnomon" into a sentence without insulting me! Or did you?

There's cynicism here?

Annie, why do you think it will be lonely in Peer Review?

I feel I need to add a positive light to this..

I'm glad that the Editors have decided to focus more on the Edited Guide than they were doing previously.

It's a creative solution to a probelm.

Problem: Since the reduction in italics then things suggested to Editorial Feedback have taken a while to happen.

There are two solutions:

1. Hire more italics - would be great but they don't have the

or

2. Use some of the highly capable and talented people hanging around who would be happy to do the job for free.

The *only* way h2g2 can develop with less staff is for the community to start taking on more responsiblity itself. For mundane tasks to be delegated to people from the community who the italics can trust.

I don't see how getting people who know what they're doing to correct spelling mistakes is really an 'elite'. Is changing 'their' to 'they're'and 'it's' to 'its' really a glamourous job that we're all clamouring to do? Is anyone really going to claim to be a curator?

You'd have to be a sub ed for a while to know the style required for the guide, you'd also have to be the sort of Sub Ed whose work rarely required tweaking by the Editors. You'd have to spell and puncuate properly and who cared about correct English (I'm out right away). I see this as an extention of the Sub Editors role - sort of a Middle Grade Ed for those who have proved themselves as Sub Eds - so that is both the test and the training ground. I would imagine that once the scheme is up and running it will have recruitment phases when new people are called for reguarly.

As for PR being quite - well the scheme has been running behind closed doors for a while and I haven't noticed things being particuarly quite in PR. Besides if Peer Review really is quite then perhaps you should help out yourself?

to the Boys and Girl at the Towers.

Z - who has no desire to be a curator so isn't sucking up.