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

A41950046 English Usage in Approved Entries


This help page needs a complete overhaul, but as a step in the right direction, would someone tell me how to correct the broken link from:

[Special Character Code] to the correct page = http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/brunel/GuideML-Characters

or if it is quicker, can someone correct it please?

thanks!

Curators can't edit Help pages

If anyone can, the change that needs to be made is to change:

Special Character Code

To:

Special Character Code

Thanks Danny, I wasn't sure about whether a link would work to a named page. I'll give it a try!

Ignore me, I have had too many things to read today, that last post of mine made no sense.

I think I've fixed that now.

- Gnomon

Thanks Gnomon, I was putting it off till morning. Glad you sorted it.

Aware that Curators are unable to alter Help Pages, and the topic on the Announcements thread being a change to 'English Usage in Approved Entries', I posted this yesterday: http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F21546918?thread=8286952&post=110503217#p110503217 (Post 12) This morning, I find that there is just one 'H2G2' remaining (The H2G2 Editors - whose home space is headed 'The h2g2 Editors'). Moreover, despite the fact that a succession of Volunteers have contributed to that thread, not one person has responded to the points raised: 1. Reuse: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/reuse 2. Whilst: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/whilst 3. Spelt: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spell?rskey=gj6VhI&result=1 Advocating incorrect spelling, and continuing to ban innocent words, is the new hootoo way?

Elf, Editorial Feedback is certainly the place to post if you want a change to a help page.

1. Changing H2G2 to h2g2 - as it happens I was at that page this morning and spotted a few H2G2s (not as a result of your posting in the announcements conversation). I fixed them, but have not yet completed the task.

2. Re-use vs reuse. That was a decision of the BBC Editors. The Oxford English Dictionary is not the only arbiter of good spelling in the English language. For example, its version of the -ise / -ize endings is completely at odds with current British English usage. In this case, the BBC Editors chose to set a standard for the use of hyphens which is easily understood and implemented, without having to refer to a reference dictionary which most of us do not possess. This does not "advocate incorrect spelling". It just advocates a spelling which is different from the Oxford English Dictionary. We, the new Guide Editors, would have to think hard before we change such a Guideline.

3. Continuing to ban innocent words "whilst" and "spelt". The BBC editors never said these words were incorrect. They thought that "whilst" gave an old-fashioned feel, and "spelt" could be confusing for some readers. I think we should change this Guideline, but I can't do it off my own bat without discussing it with the other Guide Editors first.

4. "is the new hootoo way"

No, it's the old hootoo way. The new way is to change these things when we get the time. But there are a thousand other things to do too, including a rather busy real life coming up to Christmas.

Oh, and one other thing - the H2G2 Editors is the account that the BBC Editors used. They chose to call themselves that, because that is what they (and as far as I know, Douglas Adams) thought the site was called.

I'm not going to change the name of a former account holder on the site to match what we think they should have called themselves. At some point when we overhaul these Guidelines, we'll take ownership of the page and it will be published under the name of the new h2g2 Guide Editors, but at the moment most of the Help Pages have not yet been updated.

U284 was h2g2 Editors when I worked there, it was changed when the site decided to use H2G2. Whoever set up the account chose h2g2, just like h2g2 Support, which was not used regularly once I'd left so it wasn't interfered with.

Thanks, Mina.

As to the thousands of things to do, this is so true. We have to keep the site running day to day as well as keep focused on the priorities for changing.

I prefer the word 'whilst' by the way. It depends on the cadence of the sentence, but is a minor matter when we are still in the getting to grips with basic functions.

Just to make an obvious point, which we perhaps are not stressing enough, is the fact that the Editors are having to do most of the behind the scenes production by a labour intensive manual workaround. Once this has been resolved, we will have, perhaps, a little more time to sort out all the obvious flaws in the help pages. It's just one step at a time. We are aware of all the things that need attending to, but so far they are just on a very, very long list.

1. "Re-use vs reuse. That was a decision of the BBC Editors. The Oxford English Dictionary is not the only arbiter of good spelling in the English language."

No, it isn't: http://www.onelook.com/?w=+reuse&ls=a

2. "without having to refer to a reference dictionary which most of us do not possess."

Anyone capable of posting here has access to http://www.onelook.com/ . I hope you're not suggesting that entries are written without reference to a decent dictionary.

3. "They thought that "whilst" gave an old-fashioned feel, and "spelt" could be confusing for some readers."

3a: 'Whilst' may be thought to be old-fashioned, but it is, in fact, younger than 'while'... and what's wrong with using whilst "to add a literary or ironically formal note to a piece of writing". Also, the word 'whilst' is commonly used in conversation threads (so, it's certainly not considered outdated here), and it frequently appears in Edited Guide Entries. ('Amongst' & 'amidst', though far less frequently used here, are not prohibited.)

3b. '"spelt" could be confusing for some readers."'

Sorry, Gnomon, but that's ridiculous. There are many, many homonyms in the English language, so why pick on 'spelt'?

4. Hyphens: "BBC Editors chose to set a standard for the use of hyphens which is easily understood and implemented".

Is that why there are so few hyphen errors in Edited Guide Entries?

Rudest Elf, your input is invaluable - but I really will have to put this discussion on hold for now. Can I return to it when I have time?

Hi Lanzababy!

I have no status here - I'm not even an 'Official Volunteer', so please don't feel hustled. I'm just expressing my point of view, albeit forcefully - and having a 'go' at Gnomon at the same time.

I wasn't saying the BBC Eds were right, I was just trying to explain why these things need to be considered.

I'm sure you don't say "otel" either. Ps Would you mind having a look at this, Gnomon? http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F52677?thread=8286787&post=110504432#p110504432 .