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

I've got a clip on YouTube of traditional fishing at Tumani Tenda, a place I visited in January and wrote an Entry about at A19882218. I was wondering if YouTube clips were considered appropriate external links? You can see the clip at http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=6je-pkCYiIo

As a wider question, as the Aviators don't appear to be going anywhere soon, would this be a useful second best way of adding AV to EG Entries, by linking to clips that Researchers have created for Entries?

Apologies; I forgot the 'EF' in the thread title

And I got the link wrong - it should be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6je-pkCYiIo

Sorry...

The question is, can YouTube links be deemed appropriately stable for inclusion in Edited Entries? They seem sort of to have a transient nature, y'know?

Not to be a party pooper or anything. It could be a good idea.

>> can YouTube links be deemed appropriately stable for inclusion in Edited Entries? <<

Like w*k* entries, which can change dramatically from day to day, the short answer would have to be no. With regard to the AViators, I was all for it, and still am, but only if it is hootoo produced and managed. I don't know enough about the soft and hardware required - I still use a camera with film in it but I have to say that setting upand running the <./>photographers</.> was a cinch. All you need is to clone Annie and Emmily


W

Rich, you could post the link to a conversation at the entry, which is what I did for my 'bocca della Verita' entry.

That's why I wanted to ask, EMR. I'm not sure if YouTube is 'permanent' enough to be linked to from EG Entries.

My own feeling is that, as the AViators are on indefinite hold, it would be great if we could find a way to develop AV for the EG, even if on a different site. That way, there's still innovation going on, albeit not on h2g2 itself - and obviously there would be a pool of material that could be moved to h2g2 if the situation changes in the future.

The fact as I understand it is that there is not going to be any AV on h2g2 itself in the foreseeable future; perhaps never. I'd be interested to know if other Researchers and the Eds can think of any way for us to produce AV for h2g2 in an unofficial way.

The simplest way to do this would be the model we use where I work - we've set up our own YouTube account. We make our own trailers, upload them to YouTube and then link to them on our web pages, like this http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=4381 It saves us a whole heap of money because YouTube has to bear the cost of storage and bandwidth.

If h2g2 was to have its own YouTube account clips could be uploaded, after being scrutinised either by the Eds or the BBC's legal dept to look for copyright infringements, and then linked to in entries. If it was h2g2's own YouTube account there'd be no chance of the clips being deleted and creating a broken link, and if they were, for some reason, the Eds would know about it and be able to remove the link from the entry.

Of course, what with YouTube being a commercial venture and now owned by Google, it might not fit in with the BBC's public service standards.

Ah ha! Funny you should say that...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/03_march/02/you_tube.shtml

BBC and YouTube have already agreed a deal for the latter to carry stuff by the former. Don't know where hootoo might fit in, but it suggests the usual concerns about the non-commercial nature of the BBC might be waived.

Coooo I sense a development developing

If we could have a little Italic input, we could actually start something moving here. There are enough of us that are keen to get on with it, whatever it may be.

*hands Rich a long pokey stick*

Here, have at'em

Hello there,

Thanks for this, and sorry for the delay. We'd love to add this sort of content to h2g2, and we have made our own TPTB aware of this - however, for now, any development is going to have to be along the lines of an unofficial group, as you mention.

Of course we have no problem with links to Youtube, providing that it's to stuff that's not under copyright.

We're unable to spend much time on anything new at the moment, but if you do want to set up a group along the lines that Gosho suggested, and tell us what sort of input you want, then we'll certainly be very happy to consider it.

Kind regards,

h2g2 Feedback

One problem with YouTube is the comments. Would h2g2 be happy linking to a site where every other comment is 'That's so ing gay'?

I wouldn't be happy with that.

I believe you're given an option for comments or no comments when you upload a clip.

Aha, I wasn't aware of that. It's all good then!

Fantastic! I'll get on to setting up a h2g2 account on YouTube and a Yahoo! group this evening, then - might as well get this thing moving along I'll post back with developments later

waiting patiently for the linkylink

*wonders whether Chris de Burgh isn't too old for all this techie stuff*

Quiet, you rabble

Anyone interested in membership can find the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/h2g2aviators

I haven't set up a YouTube account as yet.