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

Entry: Manhole Covers - A7822442
Author: CyberLama - U2730198

Since this is my first entry into the Edited Guide I would like to make sure that it is mostly perfect.

One question I do have is about length and content. I am attempting to focus on a brief aspect about my subject so I wasn't sure if I should include "all there is to know about the subject" parts or not.

Feedback from any resident expert on guide entries would be greatly appreciated.

This looks good for a first attempt, CyberLama!

There are a couple things that I would suggest:

First, remove the header at the beginning. We don't like Edited Entries to begin with a header.

Second, change your dates to BC and AD, and remove the final section. House Style (<./>Subeditors-Style</.&gt prefers the (admittedly religious) Before Christ and Anno Domini. You will also find that CE stands for Common Era and BCE stands for Before the Common Era. Jews, for example, prefer this terminology because it doesn't mention Christ. But this is all moot because Edited Guide entries use BC and AD.

I am new to GuideML and I am using the header tag to get the bold on the word "Definition". So basically what you are asking me to do is remove just that first tag correct?

The other stuff I will change in a few moments.

About the length, is that appropriate or would the guide want the whole history on manhole covers as the content for the guide?

I am trying to be as precise as possible on the subject.

"From as early as 3500BC slabs of stone or pieces of wood were used to cover the ditches that carried sewage waste. This design was carried on until somewhere between 1700AD and 1800AD. As time progressed tunnels or tubes were used to dispose of waste. It is believed that the English were the first to develop these modern day sewers."

Just to note that the Romans uses sewage systems very similar to the modern day ones with pipes, drains and acsess points, very like man holes. This article :http://www.waterhistory.org/histories/rome/ shows how the aquducts had man holes and The Cloaca Maxima--a huge covered drain functioned both as Rome's main storm sewer and means of sewage disposal by the time of the end of the empire. It emptied into the Tiber river and was well contructed, not just a ditch. http://home.comcast.net/~rthamper/html/body_roman_sanitation.htm.

I think this article would benefit from some mention of the romans developing the design. Your article suggests that only
slabs of stone or pieces of wood were used to cover the ditches that carried sewage waste 1700AD wich is not true.

Good article though,
Well done