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

You know want me to spend any of the precious weekneds that I may happen to have with FC while she is away in Berlin writting copy so it is ready for me to put up on Monday while I am at work.

Do you guys not realise how tiring my weekends actually are when FC is back in the country.

Bah!!!

Where does it say you have to do it at the weekend?

We are hoping to avoid the 15 straight hours which Greebo and shazz put in yesterday trying to get this latest edition up by spreading the editing over more than just a Wednesday.

Coding a Front Page such as the one for this week is quite a convoluted and tricky affair, especially if loading times are slow or almost non-existant. Up to now, this has been done after all the articles have been added. With more forewarning, this time-consuming job can also be tackled in advance.

Hopefully the editorial/coding staff may increase at some stage which means any article landing in the intray will have to be re-allocated, prepared and sent back. As you know, this takes time.

Also, any items requiring graphics are easily identified. This will give the staff more time to commision them or track down suitable ones from the h2g2 database.

Hopefully, regular contributors will be able to create their fine articles well in advance, maybe even stockpile them. Obviously this doesn't work for up-to-the-minute items or Meet reports (although, from experience, these take at least a week to filter through, especially if they involve pictures and/or outside links).

There are exceptions to every rule, though - exceptions can be made.

You only have to write 45 Words DD, how hard can that be?

Don't worry chuck, I know how hard it is.

The reason we've brought in a deadline is because of the new way which we're hoping to start editing. The articles need to be in by Monday night, so they can be sent out to section heads to be subbed on the Tuesday, and then sent back to be put up on the Wednesday for publication. We're spreading the editing process out to try and make it easier all round.

If there's any way I can help you, let me know. Due to the nature of 45 Words, things such as submitting your article by sms or wap are possible. If you think that anything like this will help, I'll get it sorted out for you Unfortunatly these can't work for larger articles, but we're looking to build up section teams, to be able to help out there.

Considering that I did what I normally do each week and try and get anything I do in by as early as possible on Tues, Monday jsut being to busy and I'm usually too tired after a weekend with the in-laws and early morning flights to go internet cafing after a strenuous days work. I do try and fit it in.

BTW I think the first response here was a little bit harsh to me. After all you guys muist surely know my level of sarcasm by now. At least I hope you do.

As for the fact that I only write 45 words you think that is easy. I spend 3 hours each week working out whioch of the hundreds I envariable start with need to go and yet still cover the whole career of the subject in 45 words including some sort of catch phase. You want to give it a go one week.

Plus I also try and make it topical for the week if not day in question.

*mocked for my journalistic nous*

Er, DD, you know what our level of sarcasm is like by now aswell We're just as bad

Sorry just came off a bad call straight into that so I wasn't in a good mood

Sorry

I'm sorry if you thought my reply harsh, DD

I had also had a rather torrid time before posting - TP finally made it at around 6am after a great deal of tussling, so I was overtired.

I was addressing the general points about why the deadline had been moved so that a general audience, not you specifically, could see the reasoning behind it.

As I said, there are exceptions - and your 45 words comes under the 'up to the minute' category doesn't it?

At the end of the day, all we are trying to do is spread the load a little but maintain, or even improve, the service we provide.

I cannot guarantee that I will be always able to spend as much time on TP as I used to - like you, RL sometimes intrudes.

shazz

Daft Question no. #1.

Midnight *where*?

I'm assuming not all your contributors are going to be working to the same clock?

OOh good one Clive.

not even the editorial team work under the same clock.

oh dear - I thought they would have thought of that one.

~Greebo storms into the Post Office...~

What the [well chosen explitive that will be modded so refuses to let it pass her paws... even as it flies fluently from her pretty and rather gorgous lips] is going on round here... the milks warm for goodness sake... who forgot to put it in the fridge last night????

~Greebo glares around at everyone~

Oh... it was me wasn't it... Dagnabit you waskily cat!

But what about the fresh doughnuts???

Where are they? How can one be expected to work under such conditions... huh... tell me???

~Greebo glances at Clive and DD~

Oh... hello... ~bright grin~ are you two still moaning???

Come here and give me a morning huggle... before me starts fighting with this editorail process... and Mister Moxon's down time...

~Greebo opens her paws really wide~

Greebs..xx

::stops lurking in the corner with DD::

You sound like your having a morning of it already - wassup?

*DD wishes FC were here she's so much better in a cat fight. *

If I miss out on points for H2IQ because of annoying custoemrs I may as well hassle Greebs on here

Hmmm... what a wonderful huggle... ~grin~.... you could be a millionaire or worse... if you could bottle and sell that feeling... ~happy grin~

~Greebo happily eats the doughnut~

Oh you know how it is... the girls woke me from a wierd moralistic dream... with their yapping... and now me won't know what happened...

Greebs..xx

There is a very good reason why I didn't say which midnight. Actually there's two...

1) I'm way to self centred to acknowledge that other people might not work to my regime

2) I know what you lot's time keeping is like, this way you can claim it was midnight somewhere

Okay, so I forgot alright? I can't be infullible all the time, and before you say it, that is a deliberate typo

Ferpectly alright - you old scatterbrain, you!

Hey, I'm allowed. I still haven't got over the shock of getting a new job