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

If you've been working on half a dozen entries (which I haven't) aren't you going to be a tad narked if people are given a t-shirt for writing one of the editors' picks?

No, to be honest, I'm not. I didn't really intend to write a challenge entry, and i certainly don't do it for the t-shirt - I already have one.
There are still several orphaned challenges as far as i know, why don't you accept one of them?

I'm in middle of half a dozen right now but took one anyway (for the t-shirt, I admit it).

I mean, there isn't a deadline, is there?

I wonder if the italics are permitted to ship a t-shirt outside the borders of the UK.

I'm playing devil's advocate to an extent herebecause I do think a front page insentive to write entries is a good thing, but...

Won't we end up with people writing entries just because someone suggested it (regardless of the t-shirt) rather than because they thought to themselves 'Ooh, I'm passionate about this, I know about this, I'll write an entry about this!

No. sometimes, you're just stumpped for an idea. I've scrolled through challenge, there are quite a few things in there that could interest me. If i had found that I absolutely couldn't do it, I would have said so.

They probably aren't, so maybe I'll have to show up to pick it up. While I'm there, I'll ask for the opportunity to kick the cache server in the side.

Isn't it possible to become excited about something just from learning about it? Most of my entries are about things I didn't know anything about until I started studying it. And once I studied it I got so enthusiastic I went and wrote an entry.

Look for me buzzing down a beach with a metal detector next week.

Over the last couple of days I became exited about something, and will write an entry about it, but I don't think a t-shirt, or a gap in the guide, is the right incentive to write an entry. There are enough people here from different backgrounds that we should be able to fill the guide from personal experience, or personal enthusiasm in a subject. I think researching something from scratch is missing the point of the personal aspect (and strength of) the guide. The personal passion is what sets us apart from...

Thought that was B who accepetd that challenge?
And I'm sure they're allowed to send the t-shirts abroad, it doesn't cost that much.

B'El - if I'm stumped I wait until something grabs me in RL. This is probably why I've only written four entries!

I don't think it is about the cost of postage... it is about the BBC serving its license payors. I recall another promotion in the distant past that prohibited prizes being won by non-residents. I can't remember what is was at the moment.

w*k*

Yes, that *is* significant, but I still think anyone can work up a lather over a topic if they choose it correctly.

My biggest objection is where these topics are chosen from. Which is...? There are dozens of suggestions in Challenge h2g2 that also represent gaping holes in the Guide. Why do some hole-fillers deserve t-shirts and no others?

Just to randomly pick - what makes British trees so much more essential than experimental utopias?

Traveller in Time asking the birds
"Have you seen this little girl
No, and we are surprised



I think it is as unfair as all the many entires already written about just that topic you think you are an expert in. But just could not find the right words and time to put them in sequence. "

>>What makes British trees so much more essential than experimental utopias?>>

Indeed. I did notice that a lot of the suggested topics are rather UK-centric - as has been the case in the past as well. Some of the names I had not even come across before. Isn't this supposed to be a guide about Life, the *Universe* and *Everything*?

I wonder if the BBC has some statistics on the most common search words on the BBC sites, and if that is where these topics stem from?

I'd go for it if they were offering the t-shirt that caused Qantos their problems the oter day.

The BBC does collect the dna search terms. I don't know whether they then do anything like that with them though. I would have suspected it to have more to do with BBC scheduling - programmes they've just made/shown or are about to show and want to be ready to grab searches. There was recently something on TV (of which I didn't bother to watch much) about someone (?celebrity politician?) bimbling around the UK trying to find British trees.

Did you mean this, SEF?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/trees_index.shtml

I don't think so. However, if that's a new thing it might still be the influence on the staff's choices.

They can ship stuff outside the UK - I have a couple of t-shirts and a mouse pad.

I've already got 2 t-shirts, but I do think it's unfair and I agree it seems to be aimed at UK based researchers, it also smacks a little of despiration to have to beg and bribe researchers to write entries.

This kind of thing works ok in fiction writing circles, throw out a challenge like pick a subject or a word, phrase, first line and the like and see what happens, but I really can't see it working on h2g2. To be honest none of the subjects are THAT interesting, I mean Cleo Rocos can be summed up in one sentance "Kenny Everett's big boobed, right hand 'Miss Whiplash' who tried to play peace maker in Big Brother" that just about sums it up dontcha think