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

*is summoned*

Whoami?'s absolutely right - being quite a new subed, it's still a novelty to see one of my subbed entries as the Editor's selection. Therefore, I often save the Front Page on that day.

RhoMuNuQ

Hi Everyone,

I can't really comment on the Community Artists' scheme - that's Mina's area - but we don't inform the author that they're the Editors' Selection for the day because we value that selection and want it to be a nice surprise for the author. When an entry is stamped official, the author gets an email, so, in theory, they should know about it on the day.

Anna

the only problem with that is, if the author are on holiday that day or do not have access to a computer that day, they miss it!

spook

Ah - the typical inmate assumption that people check their mail and log in every day. Shocking as this revelation may be, some people seem to have real lives. They even go away from home/school/work occasionally. When not around, they often can't receive email or check the front page. They might make more effort or get a friend to do it if they had some warning though...

Although somewhat off-topic from the original issue of article accuracy, it strikes me that the surprise thing is another italic assumption. Perhaps it should be a separate Askh2g2 poll:

- would you be more/less pleasantly surprised by knowing a few days in advance that one of your articles was going to be on the front page?
- would you prefer to know the precise day in advance so you could make arrangements to copy the front page advert or check the final version for accuracy?
- would you prefer to know and have some input about a graphic if your article is going to be the Editor's top choice?

Obviously the wording might have to be different. For example I don't know how much warning of the precise day is possible. Anyone going on a month's holiday with pending articles would have to get a friend to keep a lookout instead anyway.

I'm not sure the graphic is a big issue for EG writers.

Certainly, speaking for myself, the one time one of my pieces was Editor's choice, I thought the article was very good and a nice bonus, but I can't imagine in what circumstances I would think that the graphic was 'wrong'. The researcher takes an issue and writes about it, the artist accompanies the work with their vision of the subject.

Maybe this would be different for scientific/technical articles where the graphic needs to make a precise point, but most of the EG articles don't fit into this bracket.

Also, it's a shame if people miss their day on the front page if they are editor's choice, but it's really the main picture on the article that most people will want to see, I certainly didn't bother going to look at the little circle on Communicate...

Sprout

I don't know how common it actually is (eg as a precentage), but Jodan is certainly not the only person to have complained about missing their day and wanting to see their circle and have a copy of the front page introductory remark.

Complain? Me? Never.

What's funny is that my entry had been pending for some 3 weeks, and then I went on vacation for a week. It was unpreventable, so I'm not blaming an italic or anything. Even if I knew that it would go on the front page that day, I would've still gone on vacation. I guess I should have gotten someone to check it.

would it maybe be possible to suggest that if an author has very specific ideas of a possible illustration that they voice them? perhaps at the end of the peer review thread after the dna messages that an entry has been picked there could be an opportunity for the author to make any suggestions about illustrations. with the disclaimer, of course, that not all entries will include illustrations, that making a suggestion is no guarantee that an entry will include an illustration and that not having a preference will not prohibit your entry from becoming editor's pick.

then when an entry was made editor's pick the ca could check the review forum for any preferences.

Since I have the Editor's Pick of the Day, I can say I had a nice surprise when I saw that my entry was chosen and given a graphic.

I've had dozens of entries wind up on the front page, but getting a little graphic to go along with it is always a nice bonus.

And personally, I'd rather not know. I like the surprise factor a lot since I'm old enough that I don't get pleasant surprises much any more.


- Jimi X

Do you log in everyday though? (ie you wouldn't ever have experienced missing one)

I've missed a few, but the graphic is always with the entry.

So the only thing you miss is the pithy comments from the italic who does the front page write-up. And often, those are worth missing anyway...

I tend to miss them while I'm on holiday (2-3 weeks a year). I'm a complete h2g2 addict in a way I'm not about anywhere else on the net.

Whoami?

Whoami: "No, you won't. The Editors have agreed not to do things like that"

Oh, the optimism and naivety of youth...

How amazingle pessimistic, SEF! Mabe I am naïve, but it keeps me happy to think that the Italics aren't trying to be difficult or unreasonable. Or maybe that's just what the last two years have led me to suspect - they've always been nice enough IMHO.

Anyway, how are you keeping?

Whoami?

Standards are definitely slipping. Two typos in one sentence!

Whoami - i think u r wrong when you say the italics aren't trying to be difficult or unreasonable. sometimes that is the exact thing they are trying to do.

spook

That's certainly my impression, Spook.

I'm a realist and an idealist, Whoami, rather than a pessimist. I see how things actually are and how they ought to be.

We somebody PLEASE, stop just hinting at things you don't like, and actually post an article detailing EXACTLY what you think has been done wrong, and how it should be done right.

Just complaining all the time isn't going to help anyone.

Tango

Tango - i will after i finish my exams, which i do June 20th. i start them this Tuesday