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

Hi there, new researcher with an idea here,

I was going to do a german weissbier article but found there is already an article covering most of the subject i was going to do, and now i have dried up a bit. This gave me an idea, and i wanted to know if anyone agrees or if it already exists.

It would be great if there was a list somewhere of subjects not yet covered. So that every time someone tries to look something up and can't find it or thinks of a good subject but doesn't know enough about it, they can add it to the list. In turn, researchers with writers block can look at the list for subjects they feel they could write on.

What do you think?

Martin

Sounds like a good idea I don't think there's an official list anywhere, but I have seen lists by individual Researchers along those lines. There's also the Flea Market (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/RF4), which is where 'abandoned' Entries wind up - mostly those that people have submitted to Peer Review and then left H2G2 before they've finished them. You may find some ideas there that you can take over and finish off.

And if all else fails, there's an Entry on 'Overcoming Writers' Block' at A701001

Good luck

It's on our 'to-do' list (<./>development-Features</.&gtto automatically list failed searches.

List Failed Searches - For each search that fails, the search words should be added to a list that is available publically, to be used if Members want inspiration on what to write.

One of our Researchers did try to keep a list of entries that needed writing, but it got too much to keep up. You can find it here - A234677.

A problem with a list of uncovered ideas is, that that is by definition infinitly large.

It is better to use the search engine to see if there already exists something containing the keyword in question.

yeah, that's fair enough. but what if you do the search, don't find it,and then decide it's something you simply can't get your head round? It would be nice to have a place to tell other researchers who may be better informed on the subject that an article is required.

I think posting a list of all unsuccessful searches would lead to an unmanagable list.

yeah, that's fair enough. but what if you do the search, don't find it,and then decide it's something you simply can't get your head round? It would be nice to have a place to tell other researchers who may be better informed on the subject that an article is required.

I think posting a list of all unsuccessful searches would lead to an unmanagable list.

And how would you define "unsuccessfull"?

If I get pages of answers, but not what I am looking for, I think the search is unsuccessfull, while the gadget finds it very successfull

I like that idea

I have just seen somthing on A234677 that I could write about but never thought of it befour

manda

by 'unsuccessful' I mean what I think Mina was talking about, searches that fail to find a direct match. That clearly couldn't work as you'd end up with a massive list very quickly.

I think researchers should be able to add to the list subjects that they wished they could write on, but couldn't 'cos they didn't know enough and didn't have time to research.

Thanks Manda! i just get really bad writers block but i'm sure wth inspiration i could write on all sorts of things.

Hi peoplewhohatepeople,

Anna here with a few suggestions

There is an Edited Entry on A412534 How to Eat Weisswurst, but no actual Edited entry on Weissbier, so you could write about that.

It generally helps if you write about what you know/what you'd like to know/are passionate about. I've just had a quick look at your personal space. So, you're an English graduate living in Glasgow and signing on, who loves beer and you're germanophile (sp?). You could write about anything that was on your course. Write about your favourite pub in Glasgow, or somewhere off the beaten track. Write about living in a university town when you've graduated and all that that entails. Write about signing on. Write about the very best thing about Germany. Do you have any recipes for German food?

Then when you've decided what to write about, think about *everything* to do with that subject. You don't have to put all you've thought about into your final entry, but you'll have plenty of material to work with, which will help with the writer's block. If you're still stuck, write a list of everything you think you should include, and then pad out the entry from there.

Hope that helps and good luck!



Anna