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

I would like to know- how did you all found out about h2g2?

On the internet there appears to be no advertising/publicity surrounding this noble website. Surely, everyone can't have come here by luck? Please answer my question which has been annoying me for ages.

A friend told me about it.

It has been adivertised in newspapers, was launched on live TV (Tomorrow's world) and had further exposure on the sad death of Douglas Adams. All of these were followed by vastly increased rates of people signing up as researchers.

How did you find it? Seeing as you ask

I can't remember. I probably did a search for THHGTTG and found it.

it was late, and i was really bored. In times of boredom, i often go to a search engine and search for strange things such as 'finger nails being scraped on blackboards- why do the pain me so?' or 'building bodies into motorway bridges'. I think i searched for 'an anthology of vogon poetry' or something like that, clicked a few links, and by some strange chain of events i was here. It scares me that i might never have discovered this place, if boredom wasn't a major part of my life. I hope my life is filled with endless inactivity, so i can sit at my pc and find cool stuff by accident.

wow, i didn't know that h2g2 was ever advertised on tv. that's cool.

I aggree. I need to be bored more often.

I discovered h2g2 on August 2nd 2001. It was the summer holidays and they were replaying the Hitch Hicker's Guide on BBC 2. I decided that it would be a good idea to have a look on the official BBC website for pictures from the program.
When I got to the website I was bored and had to decide between looking at the photos or clicking on a random link. I clicked the random link and ended up here.

I was sniffing around the net and found it through [URL rmoved by moderator].

Ah, look, there's an old thread here in Ask H2G2 which covers that question.

Having heard about Starship Titanic I signed up there and was informed of the launching of h2g2 even before it come online. Never got around to registering before Sept. 1999, though.

Yes, there have been threads on this topic before, but it is always interesting to see.

I was aware of the books, but as a book store manager (in the 70s) I was aware of many, many wonderul books I had never read. Then the TV series came to CBC-TV in Canada and I was curious enough to watch, and was wrongly relieved to think that now I didn't need to read the books.

Finding the site was an accident. I spent three months with my new computer (2000) trying to find out what all the excitement was about regarding this 'internet' business. It was full of crap and commercialism and pornography. I spent weeks just clicking around looking for something with any intelligence or substance that wasn't self indulgent posturing.

One day I found the Red Dwarf site. As a big fan of that show, I was bitterly disappointed that it was juvenile, commercial and inactive. I was about to give up on the whole web thing as a complete waste of my time. But there was a link though ..to h2g2 ..and I thought ..well ok, just one more click.

That day (Dec3rd 2000) I stopped surfing and settled down. And have never left.

That's one reason why I wish we could post external links. I would trust this community to tell me there are other possible realities out there. But I am definitely not going out there alone, ever again. The webworld is a viscious and evil place full of hustlers, chisellers, frauds and naked oriental teenagers.


jwf

I was told by a friend (Hi Munchkin ), lurked for a while, and then attended a meetup in Glasgow (Jan 6th 2001) and met some real-life hootoo people.

I signed up a couple of days later, once I'd recovered

It was mentioned in NTK (a weekly newsletter thingy). I visited, and discovered that DNA had died that day . I registered, and never left.

MaW is my brother, and is considerably bigger than me.....I really get much choice about checking out h2g2

FABT

I saw the DNA documentary on BBC 2, where it was mentioned, but I paid it little heed, thinking that, if I really looked, I could find lots of interesting stuff like that on the internet.
Then, when I went to Uni in September 2001, I saw how wrong I was. Eventually, I thought I would check bbc/cult, which they seem to advertise constantly on BBC2. Having nothing better to do, I surfed on in, saw the link and thought 'Well now I'm here, I may as well have a look.' I logged on, added the site to my Favourites, and started posting like mad. I've found nothing better on the net, before or since.

my valiant quest is continuing nicely!

In one of my moments of boredom i was just poking through 'the pile of books that we bought when we got this computer that we will never read, and are almost useless' section of my ikea computer desk thing, and found 'internet coool guide- uk'. The book calls itself 'the ultimate guide to the hottest websites!'.

I am pleased to see, that on page 52, h2g2 gets this review-
"a revved up hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, which will probably make sense to seasoned hikers..." and so it goes on. I am really annoyed that i didn't read this book ages ago, thus allowing me to get in on h2g2 earlier.

Moral- for those who have a pile of unread 'cool indispenable internet guides' by their computer (ie. everyone), read them because they might be good.

Here's the old thread postings #13 and #16(? whatever...) tell my story... http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F19585?thread=117660&skip=0&show=20

I used to check out bbc/cult a lot when i was bored and found the page on h2g2 on that and then through to here and have spent tooo much time when should be working on my degree (networked uni room anyone?)

I followed a link to the TDM website that was printed in a copy of "The Deeper meaning of Liff" by DNA - I found there was a link to h2g2 - like so many others - I came, I saw, I stayed.

I'm surprised nobody has said this - I had recently reread the books for the first time since getting my PC, and searched for "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" on Google. I just tried it again, and it didn't get me here.

Mind you, that was in pre-BBC days.

TDM??? - 'scuse me - TDV. *shakes head*

I came with Queex- rather, he recommended it. And lo, I have outlasted him- fancy that! (he is idle.) I don't know how he found it but if you- loudly- demand that he stop dithering and return, one thing can be checked off my 'Pester Until Success' list.
Now I tell everyone else about it and try and get them to join in. You are making me feel old.