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

Ben,
Congratulations on a big piece of well researched work, well done.

The headers:

Promotes Citizenship
Stimulates creativity
Is representative of the whole of UK, it's nations and regions
Takes the BBC to the rest of the world
Leads in building a digital Britain

are goals set by the Government for the BBC. Maybe we, as hootizens, should utilise h2g2 to demonstrate how h2g2 is helping to meet these goals. I imagine a collaborative effort leading to a series of Guide Entries i.e. How h2g2 Promotes Citizenship, How h2g2 Stimulates Creativity etc.

On the technical side it would be good to be able to include multimedia, probably approved, to illustrate the articles. In the RL commercial world I don't think we enjoy the luxury of being safe until the next review or Green Paper. We should be prepared to justify our existence at all times as we are, in effect, spending UK taxpayers money and be able to demonstrate best value.

Regarding footnote 5 I have cracked my duck and collaborated with Edward the Bonobo for his Unaided Exudances of the Living Body. So take that

On the subject of multimedia, A900938 shows that h2g2 has actually had Flash animations for years.

One would think the BBC would have some suitable video & audio in its archives that it wouldn't have to pay someone else to use. C54911 shows we have three Kennedy-related Edited Entries; one would imagine there'd be some suitable archive footage available. And surely there have been sufficient numbers of BBC wildlife documentaries to cover parts of C100.

Unfortunately there is more to copyright than just using a bit of footage from a BBC programme. Once the Creative Archive (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3177479.stm) is up and running things would be much simpler and it's something that we could suggest to the Eds. They'd know if it comes from the archive they are safe to use it, and they wouldn't have to spend time that was already stretched browsing through a lot of archives, then trying to turn it into something they could use (checking on rights as they go).

There are two entries that do have video on them. That was done by the Editors so was on entries in London, but shows it can be done - maybe we just need to ask? Especially if an entry already has a picture.

The creative archive sounds good as copyright is a problem and if that has been addresed prior to a piece being entered into the archive it would keep h2g2 legal.

What I was imagining was the resources of h2g2 being demonstrated as an integral part of a guide emtry that itself addressed one of the targets for the BBC.

I am new to the site, having only joined in the last couple of days, and just read mention in the posting that spawned this conversation that the views and initial reactions of a "newbie" (that's me!) would be helpful. I have spent several hours just meandering through the guide, taking in samples and just getting a feel for the community, and what i have found is a very unique world so far. i feel that some of the concerns that there is not a developed enough infrastructure yet in place, or the need to begin creating more focused categories is threatening what i have found most appealing so far, that what is growing here is not a simple forum page sponsored by the BBC, but a free-form, international community composed of a multitude of diverse individuals seeking the random experiences, perspectives and ideas, laughs, conversations and debates that the guide was meant to inspire. To me, the fact that one can so quickly and easily become lost following the tangents that catch ones interest, or start a chat with another wandering traveller just to pass the time, is the very heart of the site.
I do agree that some improvements and refinements will have to come about if the guide is to prosper. more diversity in the graphics and site skins would be good, but i don't personally feel that multimedia would be a good direction for now. multimedia means bandwidth, bandwidth means money, and if there is concern about keeping the site viable then dipping into the till would only hurt the cause. I think the ideas are good, just the time is wrong.
Anyway, the reason i actually wanted to post this reply was to say something about the concerns over copyright law being a problem that was keeping the community image archive from being able to grow. a vast amount of imagery can be had that is public domain, and a lot of original work could be created using elements of these pieces. as such, they would not present a problem as a work of art is not considered to be copyrighted until after it is first published, and then the copyright would revert to the BBC, if all submissions are understood to become property of the site. besides, if you are out to impress them, then having a bunch of works from the old masters hanging around couldn't hurt. much.

I'm not sure that's correct about art not having copyright until it's published.

After posting, i did stop to think that we are speaking of the laws of different nations. as used to the internet as i am, it is still strange sometimes that the people you are conversing with are spread out everywhere. anyway, i apologize. i do know that american copyright law, when dealing with original artworks (such as paintings) done not-for-hire, are not subsequently published, then they are not considered to hold automatic copyright, and eventually, if enough years pass (i forget how many), the artist will lose the right to claim copyright. it really is not a problem, because selling the artwork before then makes it a work for hire and thus copyrighted. My mother owns an online art gallery selling reproductions on canvas and i did some research for her a few years ago concerning exactly when artwork moves into the public domain, just to avoid stepping on those toes. other than what i have mentioned, the only other thing of relevance i learned was that in the U.S. it is always just older than anything Walt Disney ever produced. (i know it sounds like i am joking, but every time any of his earliest pieces has neared the end of copyright, the copyright laws are altered to extend the time of coverage. go figure.)
anyway, my real point was that public domain works would still give a safe source of materials. and perhaps it might inspire some interesting guides based on the the art and artists themselves, thus helping to show the potential cultural value of the guide. Again, sorry for my temporary geographical displacement, does make me feel a little foolish

A nice summary of the debate there. Although, having just read all four articles, I think it would have perhaps been nice to have more of your own comments and less quotes.

Also, I only just spotted the footnoted reference to me...

My Case For H2G2

Premotes Citizenship - Allows people to communicate with people they wouldn't normally and so establishes bonds between different countries and many different and diverse cultures, leading to a better understanding of the world we live in today.

Stimulates creativity - The Underguide is the perfect example of this. As the writing doesn’t have to be factual, it can be creative to! HooToo has so much to offer the budding writer as well as those new to the craft. The best thing is the review forums though they do seem at times harsh it allows you to get truthful feedback and Improve your writing skills.

Is representative of the whole of UK, its nations and regions - You could probebly find someone from every town and city on HooToo, just look at the number of entrys on the specific towns in the uk that are in the guide

Takes the BBC to the rest of the world - I met someone from America on here. Loads of people that don’t come from the UK use HooToo and so find out more about the BBC, it's shows and what is stands for. The Doctor Who guide entries for example, Doctor who is one of the BBC Flagship shows this year, it's great publicity.

Leads in building a digital Britain - Encourages more and more people to become computer literate to help gain and access information and also to communicate.

Also HooToo has done me the world of good. As an amateur writer it helps me to perfect my craft and also gives me an audience to get feedback from. Before I found H2G2 I didn’t even know I could write factual entries, now I’ve got one in the edited guide! To lose HooToo would be a great shame as we would lose a vast source of Information. It’s also a valuable source of education – people reading and writing through choice! That’s remarkable! I agree that the way forward for HooToo is to make it more accessible for Newbie’s, that’s why I’ve done my part by volunteering to become a guardian angel. The other fantastic way is advertising. We must get HooToo noticed. That’s why I think anyone that writes for HooToo that owns an internet site should put up links, and advertise like anything!

reminder to check out the flashier parts of the site now its been........(shame one cant denote a sarky comment)
improved!

seems my comment was/is pointless might not have the time to now..but the opening comment of this thread will be useful
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12265173