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

Hey Awix et al.
I noticed some comments where you (Awix) seemed to consider the Post's future pretty bleak. None of us at the UG want to see the Post die.
Right now, the UG and AWW are in a pretty good place, actually, and I've asked the miners on the offsite forum to do whatever they can to help y'all out.

But what can we do? We could try directing some articles and authors over to The Post more than now. That might mean duplication in The Post and the UnderGuide, if the miners who vote for it don't see it in The Post, but that shouldn't be a big issue I think.
I could encourage some talented miners and polishers to write a column or some pieces for y'all. There are some brilliant people working in our ranks that could make you proud - I'd try writing for The Post too, but I lack... oh, what's the word? Talent

So let me know, eh?

Y'know, it occured to me that I could help with anything where I didn't have to be creative. Politics is my specialty.

thanks, Jodan.

Maybe the shift to bi-weekly or the general upheaval of me and Reefy taking over is to blame, but we had virtually nothing submitted new for the current edition. We have enough in reserve for this issue but after that...

I kind of alluded to this in the last editorial - the Post can't go on without people submitting to it. Maybe the UG and the AWW are now doing a lot of the things that weren't being done when the Post was originally set up. I really don't know.

cheers

Awix

Well, I think it's mostly a coincidence that the AWW is strong while the Post is in a rough patch, but it could be used to your advantage. Just say the word and I'll start directing some writers and some miners over to you. Or you could always scan the AWW yourself if you have any spare time and solicit contributions.

As I said, if the UG or I can do anything to help y'all out, let me know.

Let us get the next issue (cunningly rebranded as 'the Post Fiction summer special') out of the way and I'll get back to you.

Awix

Good plan.

Hi,

sorry for the delay. The new Post is looking fairly healthy but contributions from the UG would still be welcomed. We're pretty well provisioned with stories and poetry but more features are always wanted... Think you can help out?

cheers

Awix

There's a few Researchers that may have something to offer the Post in the way of feature articles judging from their own personal intersts and wonderful writing styles. We'll see if we can twist some arms, I mean, persuade them to offer some ideas.

It's been noticed that there a few older features that seem to have gone by the wayside - Such as Researcher Interviews, Quizzes and the like (run by old Post menebers like Greebo who seem to be AWOL) Perhaps some of the new bloods would like to take over these, as they were always quite popular, especially Mr Inquisitor...

We'll see what we can do

Psycorp's muttered about doing Mr Inquisitor, but it does take a hell of a time to do properly... nice to know it was appreciated though.

As I say, we're looking really for miscellaneous one-off stuff, not necessarily ten more regular 'here is my column where i shall talk about whatever I feel like every issue' pieces...

Reefy's keen to get some kind of sports column going, if anyone's interested...

Thought Master B's 'Did I Leave the Iron On' was the sports section...

Anyhoo, will drum up business in the AWW and the Pig 'n' Slag to help out.

Well, it's been said that it doesn't cover minority sports enough and is a bit Anglocentric.

gonna stay out of that, myself...

something for the history books... I think the first time the UG and Post personas have met!

Do prod him into doing Mr Inquisitor. I always enjoyed that. I was terrible when I got interviewed, but some of the others are more interesting and funny

I know some good folks who I'll ask to think about contributing to y'all. And we'll keep a watch out in the AWW, as well as trying to keep the CAC-C going. I'll follow through.

If I may play the inquisitor for a moment, why don't you want regular columns? Do you feel that The Post came to rely on them too much, or that they just aren't as interesting? I always thought that The Post was the only real place (other than the CAC) where things could be serialized properly, and definitely the only place where regular columns about the world, sports or whatever could be presented well enough.

PS - Shazz has a subscription to the UG offsite forum. I originally offered it to her to keep communication between the UG and Post open because some feared that there may be a conflict or territory disputes... it's worked pretty well up until this point, so if any interim Posties want a subscription just email me at jodantaylor at gmail dot com and I'll take care of it

It's a nice little forum. The pub is called the Pig and Slag. Don't ask. Someone'll buy you a drink when you get there, I'm sure.

I'm not against regular columns per se (that would be massively hypocritical given the rather monolithic hinterland of old 24LASes clogging up the BBC server) but I'd like them to have focus - ie be a regular film/TV/book review rather than 'here's what I fancy going on about this week' - because that's just a cheesy way of getting everyone to read stuff that would barely be noticed if you put it in your journal (which is arguably where it should go). The only exception would be if the writing was exceptionally good, because there's always a place in the Post for great writing (I hope).

I'm all for a regular sports section as long as it's not all football and a couple of lines to something else, maybe with the summer hols coming up we can get some of the regular features back, One for a later edition is my thoughts on this years Tour de France (When it's finished of course) I did say I liked Minority Sports

But new talent and new blood is what we need and if the UG can help then I have no problem

Reefgirl

Ok, thanks for clearing that up... just curious because some of the best stuff is the regular stuff (and incidentally my favorite thing of all time in (next to 24LAS ) is Dr Funderlik's regular grunt, which was basically a weekly rant, but very well written).

As I said (I think I did, anyways) I'm on a sort of vacation, so I'll try to email some folks I think would be good next week or so.

Not going to take me up on the offsite mailing list offer? It's a lot of emails, but we try to keep it entertaining

Well, I'd've said that Funderlik examplified perfectly the 'brilliant writing' criterion, as it was my favourite Post thing as well (after my own stuff, obviously).

But the bottom line is always that we can only use what we're sent.

Thanks for the poke about the offsite mailing list. I'll be in touch.

Poking is okay. I'm a bit wary of 'prod'ding people anymore, but I'll poke