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

I have a 30k user number too - though I'm later than Woodpigeon
and no, I don't mind my memory being used and abused.

I heard a passing mention on a daytime TV show, and since I had free internet access at college I took the opportunity to sign up. In those days the guide attracted a lot of fan fiction, and that's primarily what brought me back. I was dismayed when after a few months there were official announcements that only "Factual" articles were being encouraged... But by that time I had got hooked on the community aspect, so I'm still here.

I *wish* I'd seen DNA on Tomorrow's World - I'm still quite proud of my 11XXXX - number, given that we are about to cross 20XXXX of new researchers signing up - you look at some new users i.d's it's not long now....

I found it via my WAP mobile in the pre BBC days. It was under new stuff on the orange WAP site.

i thought i remembered seeing something on an old front page about accessing h2g2 on mobiles... presenting it as being almost exactly like the guide in the books (in format at any rate). can it still be accessed that way? now that i have an internet capapble phone i've never tried it.

i was registered with the starship titanic site tho i don't recall participating in any fora there. i received an email from them probably much the same (if not exactly the same) as tube's and signed up in september of 99 with an 89xxx u#. i didn't really become active for another month, and i kind of drifted on and off the site and lurked for some time before joining again in october 2000. then i became addicted and the rest is history.

I don't think the WAP site is still about. Not 100% on that but I can't find it.

There used to be a link too Hootoo from Altavista; they offer a translator which they call the Babelfish, and the link was there. I joined in the Summer of 2000.

What is gutting is that I had taken a comprehensive look around the Starship Titanic web site a year or so before, and received a couple of odd emails relating to that. I cannot now remember if they were from Ford Prefect or from the commander of the Titanic, or who.

But these were the emails which solicited the first researchers to join the website; and I binned them.

Ben

Ben.

Still, you're here now.

I used to watch Tomorrow's World a lot, but I missed that particular one.
I would have loved a 5 digit U#, but I'm happy with the one I have - it's a straightforward plus = 42ism.

i am actually slightly embarrased by the largeness of my user number. i also lurked far too long before venturing out into the deep dark world of the h2g2 fora.

I joined up on the 12th of May 1999; the snapshot of the site taken by the "Wayback Machine*" for the 8th just shows an almost blank page with a "coming soon" banner in the middle...? I must have been pretty near the start!

(* http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.h2g2.com)

i got that response for all of the 1999 pages...

Its kinda interesting reading about how everyone got here. I found out about it after that Omnibus episode. I visited the BBC cult site and then got the link from there. I must admit, I would have preferred to have found out about h2g2 through a 'happier source' because its such a great place, I love it here. I joined up as soon as I could. If I had known about it before Douglas Adams died I would joined up much earlier, if you see what I mean.

Back in October 99, I connected a modem to my computer at home, connected to my ISP, started looking......................................

The rest as they say is history.
I went looking for my favorite writer.
Been here ever since.

Rod

St.b, the first of the October 9th 1999 snapshots leads to a "real" front page...

okay... got it.
cool site.

I was kidnapped by Aliens and forced here against my will.

'chuckles.' No, seriously, how did you hear about it? I'm interested.

Are you ? well I'd hate to disappoint ..... I was just idly surfing one day and searched for HHGTTG and the rest is h2story

I was kidding about the aliens

Douglas talked about it on his site and in interviews. Then it went all quiet about it so finally I emailed him and asked when it was launching and he said they'd already launched like months ago. So I registered sometime in mid 1999.

Lots of material for this article, thanks guys! I haven't the time to do it today but watch this space...