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

Hello Black-Eyed Girl

You may or may not know me, but we've probably crossed paths a few times on Talk Buffy (may it rest in peace), and it's the demise of TB that prompted me to approach you personally. Our mutual friend Dr. Ferris suggested you might be able to help.

Several regular TB-visitors want to set up shop here at H2G2, to stay in touch and to keep discussing everything Buffy. Carlyle has very graciously offered us his hospitality, but it seems we've hit a snag. Seems, because I don't know the workings of H2G2 very well yet. There may be a simple solution, I just haven't stumbled across it.

The snag in question is: How do you start a conversation without writing an entire guide entry? As far as I understand it, we either have to leave messages on each others pages and upgrade those to conversations, or we have to start writing guide entries. Nothing much wrong with either, except that the one clutters up your message box mighty fast, and the other might be just a bit too much trouble if you only want to chat about Buffy.

A solution could be creating a separate page, like the Tara Memorial Club and the Willow Appreciation Society, where TB-orphans can find solace in each other's company. And since you've helped Carlyle setting up those pages, you are the obvious person to turn to for help. To be more specific, can you answer any of these questions?

- Is it, as far as you know, possible to start conversations just like that, or is a guide entry (or a separate page) a prerequisite?
- If not, would you be willing and able to help me set up a page for Buffy fans? And if you're not (I realise that you, like most people here, probably have a very busy life), can you recommend someone who might? I can provide the content (not that your input wouldn't be appreciated ), but the technical side of things is for the moment beyond me.

Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours

Nite Owl

Sorry to interupt, but I have e-mailed Black-Eyed Girl to get her to come on here and save our souls from eternal torment. We may be able to use one of her sites.

Me again,

I have spoken to black eyed girl and she is happy to help. She is having problems getting in to her own site at the moment but you can e-mail her direct on [email protected] with your questions.

Carlyle.

PS I am on [email protected]

Thanks for your intervention, Doc. I don't know if you'll be able to read this as I post it, because all of Talk Buffy has been put in pre-moderation. Hopefully that will be sorted out quickly. I have written what could basically become a page/meeting point for TB-orphans called "Slayerville". It's just a matter of spiffing it up, so that it looks good, making sure all the right buttons are pushed and boxes are ticked, and adding links to the Tara- and Willow-pages.

Hi there Night Owl,

Black eyed girls having a few problems getting online, if I can help I would be more than happy to. If you go via my front page you'll see all the current H2G2 Buffy pages. Around here somewhere you'll also find a group known as the scoobies, although I believe many of them have moved on to msn. If you need any help with regards to starting up a page you'll find a couple of entris I have done to help with the basics.

With regards to the other points, as far as I know you do have to start a guide entry for people to discuss a certain subjece although if you ask the </>Aces</> they should be able to answer all those questions for certain.

There is a club on my page that has a list of other Buffy fans on it, so you can advertise what you are doing and ak them to pass the word for you.

I'm on the phone with Black Eyed Girl nearly every night, so if you wanna ask her anything you can go through me if you wish and I'll pass it on.

Good Luck and keep us up to date. The Buffy sites here were all kind of dying and it would be brilliant to get some Sunnydale life back into H2.

Xander

sorry Aces

Hello Xander

Thank you for your kind offer. What I want to do, as I said above, is create a page as a replacement for Talk Buffy. I have written a text, and it's basically ready to post, but what I don't really know is

- how to add links and things like that. I don't know HTML (yet). If, for instance, I post in plain text, can I convert the page to HTML at a later time? Then I wont have to delay posting until I've learned HTML (which could take a while), and there'll be at least a place for Buffy fans to convene. Acting quickly is important, IMO. If other TB-orphans have the same problems as me at the moment (see below), they might decide that it's not worth the trouble to hang around here, and the momentum will be lost.

- what to do about stuff like 'peer review', 'referenced pages' etc., that appear at the right side of the page (I don't think peer review would be appropriate, since it's not meant as a researched guide entry). I do want to be able to edit the page myself, but not have others edit it (because it's basically a bit of 'creative' writing).

As I said, the content is ready, but I'm rather demotivated by the fact that apparently my personal page is still part of Talk Buffy. I can post in convo's that are part of H2G2 (like this one), but not on my own page, or on those of others whose page belongs to TB, too. Most annoying of all, I can't read the messages people leave me on my page! [curses vehemently] So, I'm not even sure if I can actually create an guide entry at the moment (probably, yes, but if not, you'd just get an entry that says 'This page is currently in moderation because the person who posted this has broken the House Rules' or words to that effect). No doubt people are working behind the scenes to solve this problem, but it's disheartening nevertheless.

Still, any help will be much appreciated. Thanks again,

Nite Owl

As I understand it Talk Buffy is completely dead, so with regards to your page you may have to dump it completely and start a new page via H2G2, just copy and paste your entry onto a HooToo page, a pain I know, but it's probably the only way.

Adding HTML to your entry can be done 1 of 2 ways. On plain text just put in the guide entry number (example below). To make your page look good you need to convert to GuideML, you have the option below the text box when you do your entries, if you need any help visit my understanding GuideML page at A2256356 hopefully it should be of some assistance to you. Once again, the best people for all those helpful points are the H2 Aces when you redirect your page to HooToo, one of them should pay you a visit. If you choose to write the page in plain text to start, you can convert to HTML at a later date.

As for the 'peer review' etc at the side of the pages, I'm pretty sure that they can't be removed. You will be the only person able to edit your entries, you can add a link to others pages by adding their page numbers at the edit page.

Anymore help, just shout.

Good luck
Xander

If I remember correctly you're very limited to what you can do with your tb page, so you will need to convert to h2. One way that I didn't consider is skin conversion, you'll find an option like that on my front page. If you know loup dergent you can convert your skin via his page.

Xander

Thanks, Xander. I'll look into it as soon as I have time. Maybe starting a new personal page will not be necessary. Bud White asked the mods some questions, and that resulted in this thread http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F615?thread=602386&post=6672293#p6672293 Let's hope they can help us. I'm gonna post that link now on Doc Ferris' page for the benefit of other TB orphans. Till next time Nite Owl

I just read it, that's great, now you have loads of options available to you. If you wanna use the btvs society pages for now, by all means do, the links on my page.

Anyway, good luck, just scream should you need me.

Xander

Hi Xander. Black eyes has been in touch by E-mail but I'll leave it to you and Nite Owl to sort out between you. I am a bit out of my depth on the site building stuff so I'll just join in and wave my pompoms when it happens.

Carlyle.

Okay Doc!

As I say, might save some time if we go through the societies and clubs already around. And believ me, if you've never used GuideML before, it can be a real headache, just ask Will.

Xander

Carlyle, just the sight of you waving your pompoms will be worth all the effort!

Hey Xander, just edited and posted Slayerville-page. Actually managed to make it look quite good, thanks to your GuideML-guide.

You can find it here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A3736839?s_fromedit=1

Will you let me know what you think?

Thanks a bunch of bunches, and

Nite Owl

Hey Xander, How is the Buffy book coming along, Black eyed girl said that it was on track a while back?

Doc Ferris

Hey Doc,

Well, Black eyed girl has nearly finished watching every episode for bloopers and other bits that we require. I'm in the middle of editing a few bits and we have a couple of main pages to finish and then were done. Still have to proof read it and make our final edits and then it should be ready for (hopeful) publication.

I've not been doing alot of book recently, as I have been doing another Willow movie, this ones alot longer than the original! Black Eyed Girl said she will send you a copy.

How's things at your end?
Xander

It's winter. I am curled up under a pile of leaves hoping the coyotes don't find me before spring.