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

So we need to have a place where a topic is proposed by someone willing to write it up afterward, rather than looking for a volunteer after the responses are in.

Hmm... if it's archived properly a volunteer can trawl back, re-liven the thread and pick it up from there.

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Some of the ideas so far, with the post they started at:

Post 4: Review and improve the way volunteers work. Discussion followed about ensuring that Community Artists get 'illustrated by' credits, that the ACEs need a better <./>NewUsers</.> page.

Post 26: Advertise the Writing Workshop. Provision of services such as Peer Review buddies and help with GuideML - both ideas have associated problems.

Post 30: Challenge h2g2 mentioned.

Post 78: The big re-design (Guide Mark II ) mentioned, followed by the idea of advertising h2g2 somehow (without spamming!).

Post 87: Some reward for first time solo authors - honour roll/message from Eds/badges. Need for 5 or 10 solo entries badge.

Post 111: Entry of the Month needs publicising. h2g2 is maze-like and could do with a Time Out-style guide.

Post 118: The need for more collaborative entries to help newcomers get published. Topics of the week need volunteers (with a small 'v') to write them up.

I think that about covers the first 120 posts.
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Having read the discussion, here are my thought:

My ACE welcome is probably too long and unwieldy. The problem we have as ACEs (other than that Feisor, Bel and Lil seem to be the only regular welcomers - I must make more of an effort on that fron) is that we get to newbies too late. They sign in and then the vast majority never post again. what we need (I have said this before and will say it again when the PS redesign gets underway) is to rewrite the default text that appears on a newbies PS to include some on the important info about the site, links to the tour and so on.

Collaborative entries - I think more of these is definitely a good idea. It can give people (newbies or old researchers who don't write) a taste for PR. Some of these topics can be discussed with threads in Ask, which would gather more people and many of those who contribute but not through writing for PR. for example, I've been meaning for ages to start of a collaborative entry on birthdays - which ones are special, how they are celebrated around the world, which faiths don't celebrate them, etc - which would be a great one to get responses on in Ask. I could link to the entry once it's in Pr and ask people to comment on it there.

More use of Challenge h2g2.

I think part of the problem may be that some of us (me, for one) tend to write more about somewhat obscure topics of little interest to others. I highly doubt if my entry 'The Divorce Case of Lothar II' has been read since it was Edited. An entry like my 'Alexander the Great' will get far more readers.

That's not to say we should discourage more obscure topics - we absolutely should not, it's one of the great things about hootoo - but entries are more likely to get feedback and to be read (which with any luck may bring in new researchers) if they are on topics people actually search for. Maybe we should focus a little more on plugging the obvious gaps.

I definitely think that more reward for first time authors would be great. Emmily's column was wonderful but I can understand why she got fed up of doing it. I think a badge for 10 entries would be good.

>>Need for 5 or 10 solo entries badge.<<

I'm not sure a badge for ten solo entries, or even just five would make more people write. Surely, most write for the fun of it, because they like it, and because they want to share something, rather than for a badge?
Plus, I still think if we can't get people involved to comment in PR, it doesn't make much sense asking them to write and submit to PR.
It's like with the aces - there just aren't enough active scouts. Those who comment can't comment on every single entry (or maybe, they currently can? ).

I think you are right B'el, some volunteers seem to be shouldering more of the burden than others. I also notice that there are a few stalwarts who are everything ACEs, Scouts, Sub-editors etc. Whilst this is a good thing that there are such dedicated and talented people amongst the volunteers I wonder whether there is anyway that some of the lesser active volunteers could be politely asked if they would like to stand down, or take a sabbatical for a time - to make way for some 'new blood?'

Perhaps then your existing group of ACEs and Scouts could agree to approach suitable new candidates who could shadow/deputise for a few months, and if they make the grade, would then be appointed. In this way those of you who are spending hours producing Scouting, Aceing, Guru-ing, Curating, Updating, Illustrating, would find your tasks spread out a bit?

Oh and thanks for the precis Alex - that was great

I wouldn't take out less active volunteers; they may just be going through a dry patch and will come back when they have the time. It's certianly happened to me (I remember Icy approaching me to be a Scout last year during an active phase of mine).

I think all volunteers worth their salt know when to hand back in their badges, and when to say that they need a break. I don't think leaning on people would help.

Well if that's the case when I read, in a public thread, that not all volunteers are doing the same amount of work I can't see what I can suggest.
It's my belief that if there is a 'problem' then you do something about it.If there is nothing that can be done - there is little point discussing it.

On a side note, is it the Italics who look after the Volunteer pages?

Mostly, yes. The Help Page Update project has gone through some of them to do some rewording and correcting.

Don't forget that the word 'volunteers' mweans just that: it's voluntary work, and not everybody can spare the same amount of time.
I'm lucky, as I'm working part time, which leaves me with a good amount of time to give back to the site I love. Others work full time and have families who require their free time, but still they do what they can.

"So we need to have a place where a topic is proposed by someone willing to write it up afterward, rather than looking for a volunteer after the responses are in."

A587108 - conversations at the bottom.

I sort of did this with the Great Fire of London and the London entries. I wanted to write them, so got on with it, then went back and added credit to everyone who contributed to the TotW, and added any additional information.

I'd be willing to do it again for topics that interest me, as long as there were newbies contributing.

I would think that proposing topics we want to write should go to the Eds, who would then post it on the Front Page (and the widget?), then when there is enough (or even if there isn't enough) the proposer can write it up, and hopefully the newbies will get bitten with the bug.

PS I'm pretty sure when I wrote one of them that I invited all the credited Researchers to comment in PR. Some of them did, but was a long time ago!

Inviting people with an interest in a subject we're writing about could be a good idea, even if it's not intended to be a collaborative entry? Just search, and post on some spaces?

Good suggestion Er yeah s'me

Here's my attempt at a Guide to h2g2: A53034671

Is there anything happening right now that I've missed out?

That looks great, Alex!

I like that - simple & easy to use

Alex - many thanks for doing this.

I really like the site map and think the next revamp of h2g2 ought to make it "official". A simple list like that is so much easier to navigate through than a page of text with hyperlinks embedded in paragraphs.

Great stuff Alex. A page like that would be so useful to users of the site if it was given a visible spot on the Front Page!