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

I am about to do something I said I wouldn't do. I am about to write a journal about h2g2. I am doing this because, forgive me, I am tired by the insinuations that we are keeping things from people.

If you are bored of hearing about "How we saved h2g2" then PLEASE stop reading now. Endless self-regarding conversations ABOUT h2g2 could just kill us all, which is why I want to spend my time on site in "normal" threads and why I wanted to keep my NaJoPoMo Journals about things in my life that aren't h2g2.

That'll be a FAIL then.

SO - if you want to enjoy h2g2 as it should be enjoyed - as a place for stuff that's interesting and fun - PLEASE stop reading this and go and read all the wonderful stuff here that IS interesting and fun....









Have they gone yet?





Surely they've gone now?





Right. We must be down to the hardcore of people who want to know WHY we haven't put up the help pages they want yet, who are worried about the processes, who are fretting about how things work under the new owners.

These are all valid concerns: I re-read some threads from 2001 recently, and events I remember as being months apart were in fact a matter of weeks apart. It feels like a long, long, time when you are waiting.

I know people are frustrated that we are not getting information pages out sooner. I don't like it much either. But it is not because anyone is deliberately holding things back. It is because everyone deserves that when things are put up for discussion that we've got the time to actually discuss them, instead of fighting fires. And everyone deserves that when things are published, they are correct.

What I've done here is list, day by day, what I've been working on. I've still not got my head above water. What I SHOULD be doing is working with other people and helping them do a lot of this; in practice I've been fighting a lot of fires and only doing the odd bit of fire prevention.

I spent the first week after I was back on h2g2 working on the pages the Mods will need to do the Modding and the second week working on information about how h2g2 is owned and run.

Neither of these tasks is finished yet. Designing the processes and pages would normally take me two to three weeks working full-time, and the documentation another week or a week and a half. (I am a slow writer, but by god am I accurate when it's official). Then there would be dicussions with the people actually using the tools, and reviews of the documentaton. This works out at 4-6 weeks full-time work; so I shouldn't be annoyed with myself for not doing it in two weeks of evenings and weekends.





Anyway - here goes.


Wednesday 26th - Evening

Early night after handing in Dissertation



Thursday 27th - Evening

Have celebratory meal with Z - discuss the Mods processes in detail



Friday 28th - Evening

Work on the Mods Toolset, documenting the processes described by Z and desiging the pages that make up the Yikes process and the pages the Mods will use.



Saturday 29th. Morning and afternoon.

Work on Mods Pages and Processes. Hand over to Pastey.
Go shopping.
Carve h2g2 logo on a lantern for The Post.
Carry on working on other teams' Pages and Processes.


Evening.

Have Skype conversation with Happy Nerd about Help Pages Project - realise that with about 150 or so of them, it will take about 8-9 months to replace them all.



Sunday 30th.

Review and update the draft of information and diagrams about NPL and the ownership structure for h2g2 and about how the volunteer groups are organised. Send some of it to Z, Robbie and Brian for comments and feedback.

Email Guide Editors about their toolsets which also need designing.

Put together a shopping order for Tescos so if we are stranded again, we will at least have food.



Monday 31st. Evening.

Continue working on toolsets.
Have Skype meeting with Brian, Aly and Robbie about volunteer structures.



Tuesday 1st. Evening.

Weekly Skype call with Senior Volunteers.

Discover that there are technical issues which mean that the toolset designs are not as urgent as previously thought.

Decide to spend three evenings a week and one weekend day on h2g2, but take the rest of my "free" time off.



Wednesday 2nd. Evening.

Migrainy. Leave work early. Have early night.



Thursday 3rd.

Continue working on documentation. This sort of documentation would take about a week of work-time (ie 40 hours) plus reviews and discussions. I have about 15 hours per week to spend on it, so it's no wonder it is not moving forward fast.



Friday 4th. Evening.

Evening off.



Saturday 5th. Morning.

Clean house. This is a big deal since we have had limited time to do any cleaning for about 6 weeks while I was working every weekday evening and all day every weekend on disssertation, and while Z was testing h2g2 when it moved from the Beeb to the new forums.


Afternoon. Friend comes round to visit. Have not seen her since August, and previously have not seen her since March.


Evening.

Fireworks.



Sunday 6th. Morning.

Carry on cleaning house and doing laundry.


Afternoon

Various emails and discussions, eg discuss what to do with s2g2 with Vip, Aly and others.

Write up meeting notes so there is a record of decisions made. These are in fact notes from a meeting during the bid which had gone awol and had turned up while cleaning the house.


Evening

Edinburgh Skeptics Committee Meeting. First I've been to for 6 months. Discuss plans for next year's Fringe.


Late evening.

Create a To Do list for the Business Process and Admin Team. Should have done this before but it's been scaring me too much and I was flat out on the toolsets. It takes a couple of hours to put together plus another 30 mintues wrestling with trying to format it on the NOesis forums.



Monday 7th. Evening.

Get feedback from Robbie, Z and Brian on information written last week on how site is owned, etc. Collate all draft information on how site is owned and run, community involvement, running projects on h2g2, the Company Ltd by Guarantee, elections into a single document. Realise that there is an awful lot still missing. Feel exhausted.



Tuesday 8th. Evening.

Should be in Skype call with Core Team. Actually have evening out with colleagues of Z's to celebrate one of them getting married. Realise I have not seen them for 5 months. Enjoy catching up.



Wednesday 9th. Evening.

Work on draft information and diagrams.

Discuss with Happy Nerd whether we can release any help pages early.

Discuss Armistice Day options by email with Robbie, Aly, Z, and various Senior Volunteers.



Thursday 10th. Evening.

Have a call with Robbie about Core Team activities, recent events on site and future planning sessions.

Continue discussion about releasing help pages early with Happy Nerd.



Friday 11th. Evening.

Take time off to spend evening together.



Saturday 12th. Morning.

Discuss practical ways for making the consultation process with the community fairer and simpler with various Senior Volunteers on Skype. Put a draft description of a "consultation process" up in Noesis where it can be seen and discussed by the people who are likely to be starting the consultations.



Saturday 12th. Evening.

Asteroid Lil has some questions about the Artists' processes and we discuss the pros and cons of various ideas at length, drawing on her experience as a Community Artist back in the day, and the challenges facing the Community Artists' group now.



Sunday 13th. Morning.

Try writing a proposal for the Artists' process to discuss with Tavaron and the Arts and Design Eds, but get caught up in a discussion on site about Moderation Processes instead, despite the fact that the Moderation processes are already documented in several help pages.


Afernoon.

Edinburgh Skeptics Committee meeting, followed by Book Group. The first I have been to since February.


Evening.

Should be continuing with the information about ownership and structures. Should finish email to Tavaron about Artists. Should do diagram about community consulations. Instead, feel compelled to justify why none of it is done already....




This has been an interesting exercise; I am torn between being around and able to talk things through with people, and actually getting things done. I don't know which is more important, to be honest.

I wish I didn't feel so defensive about the whole thing.

The long and the short of why we've not released detailed information about how the site is owned and run yet is because it takes a long time to get it all together and get it all right. It really doesn't help that answering complaints that we have not yet released detailed information about how the site is owned and run is also incredibly time consuming.

B

pheew! dear!

Well, I stuck around and read it, but mostly because I was a late-returner and I wanted to know if you all were as amazing as I suspected. You are. Good to know.

another is required eh!

More like Jack, though they give me migraines right now.

Thanks ismarah. Please don't think this is "look at us - aren't we wonderful". It really is "what we are doing is time-consuming, which is why it's taking so long".

I wish you didn't have to be so defensive, too. I have no idea who is pressurising you like this. I'm sorry if it's me. I once reported a tiny bug and got told to calm down and be patient. It really wasn't that important, I thought I was just adding it to a list of things to do if and when Pastey or whoever got to it. I had absolutely no intention of causing a fuss, just pointing out something I'd noticed, which is what I thought we were supposed to do on the Feedback pages.

And talking of Feedback pages and the like: Do we really need 150 help pages? What on earth are they all for - can't they be condensed into about 6?
'

Did you notice that when the new h2g2.com went live, that for the first few days as people came back, joined anew or reunited old accounts that the whole community were united in their support for the things that had been done (and were being done) on their behalf, by very few, at no cost to themselves?

How long did it take before the bickering started?

Yeah, exactly.

Some people have never had it so good. Or free.

They need to get over themselves.

well there you go and for the doctor Z too! and just take your time and the probe will sort them self out! and if I can be of assistance let me know! I'll do my speciality!

i'm just happy to have this place back, and i just like to have fun here and write stuff, blog my days and meet interesting people, i can chat too! I like the safe friendliness of the site, may be the bickering is all part of this site too for me this time!


23 eggs this morning

I think there's a difference between those putting pressure on (and like TC, I'm sorry if it's me - it's not my intention)

and

those who are reporting bugs and wishes and requests in the expectation that they will be added to the bottom of the list (or prioritised as appropriate)

Yes, people should accept that this place is free fun and that there are a tireless hard-working team of volunteers setting it all up. But again - they did volunteer to do it

It sounds like a hugely hugely complicated process.

and lots of it!!

TC and Sho - please keep on reporting bugs. We NEED you reporting bugs! That's what the feedback forums are for; the Gurus pick them up and organise them and Pastey works on them and they get done.

No, it's not the bug reporting, it really isn't.

The deeply ironic thing is that what is taking up my time is people complaining about moderation and about the lack of detailed information describing how h2g2 is owned and run.... the very stuff that I *would* be working on, if I wasn't answering questions about these things in forums that are moving three simulposts at a time.

Funny thing is, I used to like ironies.

Ben

<>

Volunteer for what though? To help make h2g2 a better place and a respected resource or to listen to tons of verbal-spew spouted by a vocal-few with an agenda?

We've what, 300 active researchers at the moment? And possibly 10 causing problems. The volunteers are tied up dealing with 10 dummy-spitters while the other 290 happily self-police and enjoy all that the club can offer.

I've said it before - if you ever want to stop doing what you've always enjoyed as a hobby, then join the committee. It's a thankless task.

ahh so thats what i'm support to be doing coolio

Sho, you are right, we do choose to do it. I am NOT complaining about the amount of work involved at all. What I want is the chance to get on with it!

Ben

and

"what is taking up my time is people complaining about moderation" Welcome to the world of running a Community website. It's the one thing I don't have sympathy for, becase that's the way h2g2 has always been (at least since it became an official process) and I'm not sure why you(the Royal You/The Team) think it would be any different now.

I wish I could find a way to write that didn't sound so damn harsh/blunt/abrupt.

my comment about people having volunteered came over a bit blunter than I meant, sorry about that.

I think part of the problem is, of course, that volunteering (aside from being against Rule Number One) for something that nobody really knew about was always going to be a huge risk.

I think it's great that so many did come forward (well aware here, btw, that I'm not volunteering in any capacity ) and it is quite ridiculous the amount of time that is being spent explaining stuff.

On the other hand, especially for moderation issues, that's to be expected I'm afraid. It really is often a case of "light the blue touchpaper"

As for the requests (demands) for sitreps etc etc, can't you direct everyone to an A page?

I've not explained myself properly. I'm not talking about he-said she-said moderation disputes. That's nothing to do with me. I wasn't helping with that burden, so I resigned.

This is NOT a complaint, Mina. This IS what I expected. It's an explanation to other people who ARE complaining, and who are notable by their absence from this thread, it should be said.

Sho- the problem is there *aren't* up to date A Pages. Who is going to write them? Yep, me and Happy Nerd, and he other volunteers. Which is what I am working on.

Ben

sorry - realised that as soon as I posted.

Perhaps what my brain meant was that we need an instant link - maybe all over the site with "UNDER CONSTRUCTION - PLEASE BE PATIENT" on it?