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

ok everyone. if you're an artist, or if you're not, the Spaced Out Guide (A962769) needs a logo. the community artists seem to be busy, however, i have been informed that if someone else in the community made the graphic, then there is a chance it could be blobbed.

so here's the thing: i'd like any of you members of the community to do a logo, then e-mail it me (note: by e-mailing it me you give permission for the picture to be used on h2g2 and for me to include it on a different site of my own showing all the different great pictures, if i get any of course).

you don't have to think of a design. i have specifications. they are (taken from a different convo):

"my idea of ideal banner if one would be made for it would Contain the writing 'Spaced Out' in large comic sansy writing, slightly tilted so that it is slightly higher up on the right, with a comet having swung round the back of the writing to have left a seeable white cloud trail, the trail would U turn on left side and go right sort of underlinin text, with the comet just right of the text. The word 'Guide' would then appear in red sci-fiy writing on the white cloud. the 'Spaced Out' would be light bluey with a blue glow, and any spaces between letters or behind letters would wither be left blank or filled in with a black stary background."

OR, in terms of the smiley:

"water = white gas from comet
surfer = words 'Spaced Out'
surf board = white has with word 'Guide' on it
end of surf board on right = comet

words 'Spaced Out' in bluey colour.
word 'Guide' in red
comic sans type font for words
black for fill in background"


there should be some Guide specifications on Community Artist homepage for colour backgrounds for diferent skins if needed.

please post in this thread if you are interested. if you have an idea please send it me to [email protected] . i welcome all graphics from everyone, and my favourite will hopefully be used, and the artist will get a mention on the spaced out guide home page.

have fun!

spook

Who informed you that you can get blobbed without being a CA?

It's funny Verc and I were toying with the idea of a UG logo thing. There are even some pictures on the yahoogroups site

I'll try, but I'm not guaranteeing an email

Spook, I fear you may have been misinformed. I think it is very unlikely that a blob for your page, whether by a CA or someone else, will get blobbed until there is a system in place to make such a facility available to everyone. It would be a great shame if anyone put a lot of effort into this for nothing.

Which Italic told you this would be possible? Can you give us a link to the relevant conversation or quote from the email?

Amy

it wasn't an italic. and it wasn't a guarantee. i actually requested the logo through the post to go with the spaced out guide entries in CAC. i was informed by 1 CA that the logo would not be made, and fr that i'd like an explanation. i was told by someone else, not a CA that there were political issues and problems going on so i should find a CA or someone to make the idea, then when it's done it may be possible to get it blobbed through the post. no guarantees. no promises.

it may be very unlikely. however, with the UG talking about having a logo i will be the first to jump in that the UG having a logo and the Spaced Out Guide ,which has been runing actively for much much longer then the UG, not, would show favouritsme and unfairness, especially since the Spaced Out Guide logo has 4 wanted uses:

- CAC Post Column
- Spaced Out Guide Updates in the Post when it grows a bit more
- The Spaced Out Guide homepage
- People's personal spaces avertising the Spaced Out Guide

the UG logo would have 3 uses:

- Post Column
- People's personal spaces
- Official UG pages

i requested the logo for the CAC in the Post in April. It is now June, and all i have heard is information here and there not giving a particularly good picture of events. now Amy, since you are a CA, is there any way you can find out why the logo was not created? The request went through the Post since one of the main uses would be for the Post, and if it has been rejected i'd like to know why.

spook

Is there a way I can find out why the logo was not created? Sure. I can ask an Italic or Shazz (as appropriate). But then, so can you. I don't think the fact that I am a CA helps at all here. The CAs are not part of, and are not privy to, the decision-making process.

Sorry Spook.

spook, the UG is discussing requesting a logo from Shazz because we're running a few press release type things in The Post.

There isn't an art director for CAC. I've never seen an entry in CAC be blobbed and the SOG isn't much different. I may be totally wrong though.

Amy - have information from a former CA that the logo was in line to be made by someone but that an italic stopped it for some reason. i can't see why. it was suggested that with a logo it may be possible to get it blobbed. if/when i actually have a logo i'll probably see about asking shazz if she is able to get it blobbed. if the problem was in the making process of CAs doing this then having the logo to be blobbed may be the solution. i'll see.

Jodan - you are totally wrong, since the graphic is not for an entry, but for the column, with the multiple usage of Spaced Out Guide pages. just like the UG logo, it is for a column with the multiple usage of on UG pages. the Spaced Out Guide is having an entry featured in the CAC each week. Hopefuly in the future, when the Spaced Out Guide has it's logo, more entries may be featued in CAC each week, and a bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or tri-monthly post column Spaced Out Guide update will develop. it hasn't developed yet since i've been busy with exams, as hasn't the fact of me pushing for a Spaced Out Guide logo. however, sine the UG is also wanting a logo, and i only have 2 exams left, it seemed the right time to push along with things.

spook

I am totally wrong?

Darkwin and [HPB] run weekly columns in CAC. They haven't recieved blobs. Shazz's priority isn't the CAC. The difference in the UG is that it's trying to run updates directly in the post. You're running entries in a column in the post. Let me illustrate this

The Post-->CAC-->SOG entry-->SOG

The Post-->UG

The whole things strikes me as very egotistic spook

no Jodan, it is not.

i have already had one Post-->SOG. as far as i know, the UG will have one Post-->UG, and that it won't be a weekly thing. monthly at most. maybe bi-monthly or tri-monthly at first. so, the UG and SOG are in the same boat here, as i am also planning monthly/bi-monthly/tri-monthly updates in the Post. the difference is i am also including SOG entries in CAC regularly. that goes Post-->CAC-->SOG. the entry is in the SOG section, as would be the graphic, which isn't just for the SOG homepage, but for the CAC column itself. by your reckoning your graphic could also go Post-->UG Update-->UG, since you will be including it on all your pages. very egotistial i must say of you to not even wanting to for inclusion in another column in the Post as well as your own one must say.

get the pictue now?

spook

ps. The Spaced Out Guide is not a weekly column in the CAC, it is a part of the CAC as an entry FROM the SOG is FEATURED in the CAC each week, and NONE of those entries are to be blobbed, so that argument fails. also, many CAC columns have evolved into columns in the Post with graphics, like Verc's 168s Greatest Story - A Tribute.

pps. The SOG is part of the CAC column, not a column in the CAC, to put it simply.

The difference is that we aren't putting in entries by other people into the post, so that it is The Post-->UG indeed.

I'm pushing for multiple UG updates. I want three. Maybe four. Shazz implied that she would like a series of updates. I sent that email as a draft for the first one. I'll make sure to email the details of my ideas for offsite.

>>very egotistial i must say of you to not even wanting to for inclusion in another column in the Post as well as your own one must say

Spook, you insult me before I have the chance to correct you. Also, for the record I am *NOT* the UG. You *ARE* the SOG. Remember, you're a miner too, so watch what you say

Like I said, features of the CAC don't get blobbed.

How is it relevant to Shazz to get a blob for a series of features?

If you want to continue discussion, I'll speak offsite. I'm not replying here anymore

To be fair spook, I didn't expect a blobbed picture when I was in the CAC. I didn't even expect it when I got in to the post.

Though it was welcome.

The impression I get with the UnderGuide is that it is looking for somesort of official status, which would be aided by a picture. And to be fair the notion of the UnderGuide was considered before the Spaced Out Guide.

The long term plan is to get the UnderGuide on the front page. To the best of my knowledge it is not your plan to get on the front page with the spaced out guide. I think if the group ran UnderGuide had a blobbed picture it would benefit a lot.

That is not to take anything away from your Spaced Out Guide, which is basically ran by yourself - which is very commendable. But With the "community" art in the situation it is, it is as likely that the Spaced Out Guide would get a picture as a community like the Terranic Army, the Everton FC Fan Club or the Lair of the No-Things.

To put it bluntly : Its unlikely.

However I am hopeful that the UnderGuide could have a blobbed image, as the itallics seem very interested in it.

While I wish you the best of luck obtaining an image for the Spaced Out Guide, I hope you will also put your weight behind an image for the UnderGuide also

All the best,
Verc

Jodan:

1. You are not in anyway going to be putting UG updates out for 3 or 4 weeks running. There is no point for one thing.

2. My Post-->SOG article was about the system. soon i will do one about progress. the direct articles are about the SOG itself, as yours are about the UG.

3. my insult was a reply to your insult, taking what you said about me and reversing it.

4. "How is it relevant to Shazz to get a blob for a series of features?"

the CAC is a series of featurettes. the SOG is a series of featurettes which could run as a series on entries by itself like the CAC, but hasn't because i decided to run with the CAC since i was asked to and it seems like a good idea.

5. "If you want to continue discussion, I'll speak offsite."

ok i'll e-mail this post to you as well then.

6. "Also, for the record I am *NOT* the UG. You *ARE* the SOG"

you are representing the UG, i am representing the SOG. the SOG is a Guide containing entries from the community that have been submitted or scouted. These entries form a group of enries known as the SOG where people can go to find Spaced Out entries. I am not it. I simply run it. I am not it. The community are what make it.

7. "Remember, you're a miner too, so watch what you say"

You're not my boss.

spook

Thank you for emailing it, we'll speak offsite

(I can hear lurkings booing me)

FYI -

We aren't allowed to solicit extra artwork for specific sections of an established column anymore.

Verc - the reason a UG image is being requested now is to go with the UG update. it has the dual use as for the UG as well. the CAC has about 5 images and even named entries, yet has no official status in itself. The Spaced Out Guide is looking for the same things: logo, named entries, but not official status. the UG is looking for the same thing, i think: logo, named entries (not particularly looking for but would come with the package considering things like volunteer schemes etc, for officialness you would want the same type of treatment as EG), except the UG want official status, which means frontpage publication and entry status.

a blobbed logo does not effect the front page promotion, and a basic logo can be created using tables and text. i did something like that as a logo for my Spook X column. a logo is not hard to create, but what the UG wants is a proper blob people can use on their personal spaces and the UG can use on it's pages. Jodan first mentioned it as 'for the UG archive pages as they seem blank without a pictue'. the Post only came after.

the idea of the UG did come first, yet it evolved two ways. one way was the UG, an official fiction guide. the other was the spaced out guide, and unofficial fiction guide used to makeh2g2 more sticky to new users and to provide people somewhere they can submit entries for it to become a part of something without a review process.

and out of the two, the SOG presently has just over 40 entries in it, and the UG has none to date. the SOG has been running for months, the UG preparing for months. the SOG requested a logo 2 months ago. the UG has yet to request one.

my point is that i support the UG having a logo, it should, but there is no reason why the UG should get one and the SOG should not, apart from favouritisme, bias and discrimination.

spook

h2g2 post team - thanks for the information. things are starting to make a bit more sense.

how regular would a column have to be for artwork? weekly/bi-weekly/monthly/bi-monthly? i'd be looking to do a bi-monthly column from the SOG for the Post end of year block when i try giving the SOG a big promotional campaign around h2g2.

i suppose i could speak to a few editors and things about it as well. things to look into.

thanks for popping by.

spook

Thanks shazz. I'll post here now that things seem to have calmed down

For the record, the discussions on a UG blob came about from a completely different discussion offsite. I'm not looking for a blob. I just think it'd be nice.

Spook - I'll have a bash at it. Anyone who wants to as well is welcome to.

How big do you want it?