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

Perhaps my ignorance of the ways of sub-editing works may be showing through here, but why was I not informed that my article was stolen out from under my page (I do admit to it being submitted for approval), changed and resubmitted?

I'm not sure I understand you. The sequence of events a submitted Entry follows is this:

When you click on the 'Submit Entry' button, your work is added to a list of articles waiting to be reviewed by the Guides Editors. Batches of submissions (usually about ten) are sent off to the Sub-Editors, who are tasked with weeding out the substandard ones, polishing the better ones, and generally trying to make sure that the Entry conforms to the Guide format as it is evolving. If your work is rejected , for whatever reason (It may not necessarily be because it's bad; sometimes Researchers are asked to build on an idea that shows promise.), you get a 'Rejection' notice. The work that is considered suitable to be added to the Official Entries is sent back to the Editors for a final review, after which the piece waits in line for its inclusion.

When you are notified that your work has been accepted, it says something to the effect that your submission has been used as the basis for an Official Entry in the Guide. We try to preserve the original tone of the submission, as much as possible; but sometimes significant changes are needed, for a variety of reasons.

Please let me know if this does not answer your question.

JTG

Right.

I've had a pile of stuff accepted in the last couple of weeks.

All of the other stuff has been used as the basis of a NEW entry, leaving the original where it was and under my control.

In addition to whatever you did to the Yap article - I'm on my way to have a look, but I won't be able to compare it with the original will I? - you have just rewritten my scuba entry.

I don't have a problem with the substance of the edit, but MY version has been deleted and this is not consistent with the practises of others. What is happening here? And why have I not been notified that my entry has been accepted?

It's easier if you email me to continue this discussion. The address is [email protected]

You still have the original version in your 'Most Recent Guide Entries' list. You can still compare, change, or anything you want to the original.

JTG

I can NOW, but at the time I wrote I couldn't.

I assume that I was caught in some kind of twilight zone between your doing your thing and the PTBs making any necesary adjustments at their end.

Everything went back to normal after Mark sent me the famous standard email.

Nice job on the scuba entry BTW, but what happened to the links to other entries on specific dive sites?

Do you dive?

chris

No, I don't dive. I've often thought about learning. I used to do a lot of swimming (competetively, in my younger days). I take inspiration from Sir Arthur C. Clarke: it's never too late to learn.

I try to limit the internal links I include to other Official Entries, simply because, I'm not keen on the stuff I've edited linking to an unedited article, as the link will be outdated when the other thing spawns an approved version. I admit it's a swings and roundabout situation. One problem with links to unofficial entries is that you don't know how they might be changed: who knows what you might end up being linked to? Sometimes Researchers write over an existing page in order not to have to wait in line so long for approval.

JTG

Yes...it does answer my question. Thank you. I was angry that my writing changed without my consent and no one told me about it. I just happen to stumble upon it five days later.

And the lag of time between submissions and guide approval is a bit much, don't you think? Do there need to be more sub-editors or less guide entries submitted?

In any case, thanks for the improvements.

You're welcome; glad to be of service.

We're chugging through the pile of submissions a lot faster now. Before the Sub-Editor program started the backlog was nightmarish; I think a lot of folks gave up and left without ever seeing their work appearing in the Guide, which is very unfortunate... because eventually, of course, it did (the good stuff, anyway).

Best wishes,

JTG