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

Have a think about this before answering, our first answer is almost certainly going to be "For the "

But we'd like to know. We're currently starting to organise the next big h2g2 meet, well the occasionally annual one so all thoughts and input would be really appreciated.

Some reasons are that we want to see each other face to face. We chat online pretty much every day of the year, and apart from a few of us lucky enough to live near to the same pub, we rarely actually see each other.
Other reasons are that it's an excuse for a party
Or that we're just a little weird and like the idea of being in a group waving our towels at strangers.

But we're having lots of ideas about the next meet up, potentially looking to expand it and change the format a bit without losing what makes it what it is for those that do come along.

So please, let us know what you like about them and why you come along. But also, equally important, please let us know what you don't like, and why you don't, or can't come to the meets.

I *do* like the way that the people at h2g2 meets are such an interesting bunch, and everyone has something to say because introductions aren't really necessary. People don't just stay talking in little corners either, there's lots of mingling and plenty of laughter. Daytime activities and pre-meet events make sure that everyone can be part of it, even if they can't do the evening.

I *don't* like the extremely intrusive photography and the way that there are some people who don't respect the concept of "no means no", or who try and sneak pictures thinking you won't notice. That's just creepy.

This deserves a longer answer than I can type on my mobile phone.

Pastey
That is a question I have often asked myself, whilst trying to find the alka-seltzer, the following morning.

However the drinking is just a side effect of being in good company.
The main reasons for attending are:

Meeting people I have chatted with in person.
Meeting existing friends from previous meets.
The afternoon activity, generally I prefer having a good nose round somewhere new or indeed re-visiting somewhere I haven't been for years, in good company; without being to tied in to a programme, as opposed to what a colleague of mine refers to as enforced jollity (events organised to the Nth degree.)

I have to admit, I absolutely hate organised fun. Possibly why I don't like fancy dress parties.

Organised things, yes. Organised fun, rarely is.

As a woman travelling alone, I find it's a great way to get to know new places in the safety of a group. If it's well organised and prepared, you walk miles and see a lot of the place and learn all sorts of things (Dublin and Reims stand out in my memory).

Visiting a museum or a gallery with a few others who come from different fields of work, live in different places, and have a variety of hobbies, is such fun, as everyone sees different things in the exhibits. I remember standing in front of a huge picture - possibly at the National Portrait gallery - with Zarquon's Singing Fish (and Little ) and Gnomon and a couple of others (Titania?) and all seeing different things in the picture and asking different questions. Or the excitement of the Natural History Museum in Dublin with Mala fascinated by the wild boar and TRiG by the insects and . It makes you stop and look at things you might otherwise just walk by in your quest to satisfy your own curiosity, without realising what other things there are to be curious about.

A bit of culcha and a meal or a drink at an out-of-the-ordinary restaurant/pub are a great starting point. I'll never forget the loos in the Bell, Book and Candle, or the kilts worn by the waiters at the Sherlock pub in Reims. Or the amazement of the others when I took them somewhere where they could order spaghetti ice cream in Mannheim.

Even without these organised parts of the event (guided tours, visits to cellars, "doing" the Tate Modern, a guided tour by torchlight of a medieaval dungeon) conversation is guaranteed non-stop. The banter is fantastic, and there is always something to laugh about. At one of the very first meets I went to (see my PS for details of all the meets I've been to - this one was in the Black Forest) we were talking for so long that I had to be driven part of the way home because there were no more trains that night!

A meet should offer two alternative activities for part of the time (At one London meet I was at, some went to Kew Gardens for the afternoon, then to Pizza Hut (we must have been about 25 people at that table), others went straight to the pub where we all convened for the evening).

And definitely a QUIZ. And PRIZES!!



There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who - like most of us here - are prepared to reveal themselves on line, so that we feel we know each other well without really knowing, or caring, what the other looks like. Finally meeting each other and putting a face to the philosopher is the icing on the cake, but is not the basis of the relationship.

However, I have friends and relatives who just don't get that. They can't relate to someone until they "see the whites of their eyes". What does this say about us?

I attend meets because:

1. I find that there really is a difference between talking to someone on line and in person. One particular researcher always came across on h2g2 as very aggressive. When I met him in person, he was the mildest of characters, and when I subsequently talked to him on line, I was able to re-interpret his responses as less aggressive than they seemed. So meeting a researcher in person helps me to communicate with them better in future h2g2 conversations.

Mind you, some people are exactly the same in person as on-line. When Mrs G and I arrived at Lanzababy's house in Lanzarote for dinner, Lanza came to the door, she and I hugged, then we went in for dinner and chatted away to the early hours like old friends. Mrs G couldn't believe that it was the first time we'd ever met in person.

2. An h2g2 meet allows me to have a few drinks with the lads and not talk about football. I'm not a pub-goer because I don't like the average conversation in a pub. With h2g2 friends, I can talk about anything I like and there'll usually be someone interested in responding.

3. I spend a lot of time talking to my friends on h2g2. At a meet, I can spend 8 hours non stop in conversations, something I can't generally achieve at home, despite what you might think.

4. It's not all about drinking. I like to go places and see things, and it's good to do it with friends. I don't think I'd go to a meet if it was just in a pub. On the other hand, the fact the last Dublin meet had no alcohol wasn't intentional. I thought we'd all go for a meal in the evening and to a pub afterwards. Instead, people had to go home.

5. I like hugs. I get a lot of them at a meet.

Things I like there to be at meets:

I like the quizzes. I'm the least competitive person on the planet; if I win the quiz it's nice, but it doesn't worry me in the least if I come last. It's a bit of fun.

What I don't like about meets:

Since most of them are not in Ireland, they cost me a lot to get to. I generally spend between 300 and 500 Euros on a meet, and I can't afford to do that too often, so I've missed quite a few.


On the subject of photographs of researchers, I'm one of the ones who takes pictures of people from every angle and generally puts them up on the web. I understand that Coelacanth doesn't like her picture being used like this, so I removed it from my website as soon as I found out. But I don't see that I should go to every person at the meet and ask their permission before taking photos. Only two people have every objected to having their picture published.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoinmcauley/sets/72157623827953569/

Thanks Gnomon (and another until we meet again)

What a wonderful walk down memory lane that was!

I love attending meets, as they are the only means for me to get hubby to have a break from home too. We are assured to be among good friends, even if it may be the first time we have met them

Sadly RL hits the pocket more than we would like, and stops us from attending lots more. A number of online friends are truly close and personal friends now making it more than just a meet

As for photos, I have always asked if I may take them, and promise never to show any online without permission. Most are shared between friends, again with permission of the subject

The last Manchester meet was an adventure for me, as hubby needed to leave early on the Saturday evening, so I was looked after by Virtuouschuffed and everyone else that night! Tim Stevenson commandeered the wheelchair, getting complete strangers to lift me (and chair) up and down the high kerbs. Bald Bloke stopping the traffic as we cross at the lights as we all made our way to the Ibis, where we took over their foyer!

For some reason people began to compare my Wirral accent to Cilla Black's! Hah!! Wha' a lorralorra rubbish!



lil x

I (used to) go to h2g2 meets to meet my friends. People I spent a lot of time and emotional energy getting to know online, and wanting to meet them in the flesh, as well as have a drink and meet the italics. The activities don't really interest me, but I understand why they are organised and have usually enjoyed them once I get going.

I haven't been to any for a long time because I don't have the same emotional attachement to the site, the italics are long gone (apologies to those in italics now, but it's not the same), and I haven't made the same relationships with other Researchers as I have in the past. Added to that, most of the people who seem to be really active online and likely to go to meets, I don't know them online, so I'd feel like a bit of a spare part quite honestly. Especially with my 'no change is good' type personality!

The problem with meeting up is picking somewhere that everyone can get to on the same day.After all not every hootooer even lives in the UK.

I've not ever bothered myself mainly because they usually occur somewhere I cannot get to without a lot of expense and because I'd rather not possibly be disappointed in meeting someone who ends up being nothing like their online persona.I'm pretty sure I'd be a disappointment.

I really enjoy going to meets - but I must admit to having:
a.) A limited budget
b.) Not that much spare time.
c.) A reliance on public transport.
d.) A wife who doesn't understand why I'd want to go, and strongly vocalises her opinion that she'd rather I didn't.
These all combine to mean I don't get to go to as many meet-ups as I'd ideally like. But when I do get to go, I really do enjoy it - I'm usually the quiet one in the corner...

<BB<

I've only been to a mini-meet, but it was very good, so I would consider a bigger meet...

We went to Comic Con, which was rather overwhelming for me (as an introvert), so the thing I most enjoyed was sitting and chatting while we ate lunch. It was great to put faces to names and we got on well, even though we hadn't interacted very much on h2g2 beforehand.

A photo of me ended up on the internet, but I didn't mind after all, as it was a good photo that looked like how I thought I looked.

I was at the mini-meet for only about an hour, and it was tiring as socialising is quite tiring for me (as an introvert), but also it was a long day as I travelled quite a distance there and back, and it was a busy day in general, so tiredness was understandable... The thought of 8 hours is quite a lot, but with more people at a meet it would take a while to mingle, so I guess the time would actually be surprisingly quick...

I enjoy quizzes, and museums. I do worry about either finding myself in a group on my own, or making someone join me even though they would rather be somewhere else, but I was well included at the mini-meet, so its probably a worry about nothing.

In particular, it would be an honour to meet in person the people I interact with regularly

Looking back through details of h2g2 Meets I've attended, I remember that I first met 2Legs in the toilets of the "Penderel's Oak".

How appropriate.

I think we all did

Budget / Cost seems to be something we all think about, it certainly stops me doing as much as I'd like.

I've had a quick look at budget hotels in Manchester (where I can tell whether the area is shocking or okay) and it looks like a short tram ride out to the Quays and you can get a hotel room for £37 on a Saturday night, and an all day tram ticket is just under a fiver, an all weekend one is about £6.

Obviously there's the cost of transport too on top of that, but is that sort of cost low enough for most people? About £40 per room (obviously close friends (or people wanting to be close friends) can share rooms and costs) plus £5 for a weekend tram ticket?

Also, is there anything from a meet weekend that people would like to see?

I think your £37 is a bit optimistic, I've seen it advertised but have never found a room available at that rate.
I think £43 is the cheapest I have actually booked for a room only.

As you say there are a lot of new cheap hotels around Salford Quays and some of them have offer larger shared rooms for groups, which would bring the cost per person down if you have others to share with.

The Manchester specific factor is the way the hotels always stick their prices up if there is football on, got stiffed a bit by that last Weekend, and the hotel I was in didn't seem particularly full.

Salford Quays is particularly bad for that as it is walking distance to Old Trafford.

I got a booking quote to get the price. The cheap price was £23

Is that overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, or in it?

It's close to it certainly

I know a couple of people who've stayed in that particular hotel, and they said it was alright, a lot better than they thought they were getting for the price.

Premier League finishes Sunday 11th May City are at home that weekend against West Ham.

So we'll have no worries about footie, that's