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

I think 'How To Survive Peer Review' is the best idea I've heard so far.

Thanks for continuing to discuss this.

We've always had a bit of a problem with the help sections - it really is a rather complex site for newcomers.

Whenever we think of making the place more accessible, we do hit a bit of a stumbling block. We don't want to add to the stuff already there - if anything there's too much of it. There seem to be a lot of pages that do similar things, and it's hard to know how to reflect it in the limited amount of space on the front page. (Whereas the front page of around 2002 used to link confusingly to just about every help page going!) An overhaul is definitely in order, if we ever get some time to spare!

'How to Survive Peer Review' might be a good option though. I do understand both sides: for authors, it can feel really intimidating to have something you've worked over challenged in any way at all. On the other hand, the same people offering feedback are absolutely invaluable and for the most part are extremely generous with their time and expertise; helping volunteers and improving the Guide in the process. I would anticipate a fairly jokey support group with the motto 'Relax! It's only a website!' Our aim could be to remind people that it's nothing personal and we're all working towards the same thing. Hmmm... We must have a think about it.

Regarding 'stickiness': Obviously it's hard to measure the separate sections of the site, and unhelpfully we can't give any stats out. However, all we can say is that the underlying trend continues to be one of growth (increased page impressions and users). From this side, the quality of the Entries, in general, gets better. (A casual worker who worked for the site many years ago has remarked on this).

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Thanks so much - this really does make a difference to us as we really do want this to be a site people enjoy using.

Now, if I only could think of something to submit to Peer Review...

I am Quote of the day!!!!

Lovely, but then i am both an attention seeker & a lurker....

zdt

Yay!! Quote of the Day!!

Well done, Terri

's Terri!

You see, it's also often about the community just talking about absolutely anything on ASK or MISC threads or on PS journal threads.

Which everyone can access. And maybe sometimes these threads turn out to be more interesting than the 'Topic of the Day' on the Front Page. Well, if so, who cares? It's still about making this place 'sticky'.

So sometimes a PS journal will end up being way more interesting to me than what's on the Front Page, on that particular day. But it keeps me coming back for more. Isn't that what you all want?

az

ok, to clarify my "front page is a bit boring" (or whatever it was I said comment)

it could be, of course, that I look at it every day...

however...

for someone who just stumbles on it one day, and never comes back () it isn't entirely clear that the 5 entries at the top are new and change daily. Maybe they could be a tad more clearly labelled as such?

Talk to the h2g2 community - that bit is lovely

it's a pity that Quote of the Day is only 4 days a week - I do understand the reasoning behind it and agree. Is there any way to do something like the IID for conversations on the day when there isn't an "official" quote of the day? On second thoughts, you might land in a particularly hot thread and definitely not come back.

oh wait! Quote of the day is there today, I thought that didn't happen on a friday (oh and could it be in the talking to the h2g2 community bit?)

h2g2 Newspaper + Creative writing + Spotlight on You + Community groups - yep, I like this bit.

That deals with the main part - on the whole I like it.

On to the "Sidebar type thingy" well, frankly, I wonder if anyone uses the guide in the way that it was envisaged? One of the problems I have with a daily new entry is that they get one day in the spotlight but unless they really really generate a lot of convos (which hardly seems to happen these days) they then go into the guide and rarely see the light of day again. Which is a massive shame.

Since we're not showing up in the G-word-search-engine on the top any more I really feel that the content of the Guide is being filed and not used again. So, I would really like to see more prominence given to the IID. Really. I use it a lot when I don't feel grabbed by the new entries on the FP.

Alternatively, how about a "spotlight on an old entry" or a "what's your favourite entry" or "everyone put a link on their PS to their favourite entry" - as long as it doesn't become too much of a beauty contest.

I like the recently edited, and the two bookmark sections.

All in all, then I was telling a big fat fib when I said the FP was boring and I humbly apologise and hang my head in shame

As for the Forum - sorry az, I don't agree with all you said. I think that some people who frequent it really "like the sound of their own voices" too much. It was described to me recently as a pub where the locals chat and know roughly where each other's position is regarding any given subject but they are able to discuss it. But the non-locals aren't welcome in a way that I don't feel with Peer Review - stay with me, there is a qualifier about that coming soon. It's also well known that I absolutely hate the "where's the link" comment that follows almost any statement made - as though because we're writing rather than actually talking in that pub, our own opinion doesn't actually count. I have gut feelings about a lot of things, and personal observations about a lot of things that I won't now say over there because (the usual suspects) will flounce in and snark about the lack of links.

and having said that, I think it was Dogster who said "treat them like footnotes" which is great and I'm all for that - ie. not anti links just anti the opinion that a conversation can't take place without referencing a 3rd party.

if anyone wants to talk on my PS about that they're more than welcome I realise that most people's eyes have glazed over and they are

Peer Review - my feelings about this have been made painfully often enough that I'll just say: we really need to have a very clear guideline about how much of what would normally be considered subbing for an article is done on PR. By that I mean "comma here... full stop there... rearrange the grammar of this..." as opposed to a pure Peer Review of the content and not the style. The reason the usual suspects are in there is that if you want your entries to be PRd then it's only polite to give other people's entries a read.

enough already...

I'm keener on h2g2 now than I have been for a while though, and I'm coming up to having been a member for 7 years so I've lived through one or two changes.

Exactly! I actually changed my "marque pages" to get me direct to Front Page, not my PS when these changes came in & i do look much more at stuff...if you get taken direct to your own space, all you do is dive for your journal or see what's happened in your most recent convos: this opens up the possibility of meeting new people, commenting...or having great fun ing!

zdt

Yep, for what it's worth, I have also changed my bookmark to the FP - and I did that when the changes came in too, Terri

I prefer it now than the way it was (though losing the IID for a while was a bit unnerving I use that a lot)

W

Traveller in Time crawling over the backlog
"I am in favour of working on the help pages, many are outdated and many are neglected for other reasons but I think it is not wise to make them 'perfect'.

What are the ACEs going to do when a newbee will instantly grasp the complete user manual for the Guide ? ( even more games)

The Guide has to be a little quirky. And the volunteers have to know the ins and outs in the help structure. The new Researchers have to communicate to get the drift (and the party). While playing it that way the community will maintain itself.

At some of the message boards the members concider a search facillity the holy grale. With a search no one has to ask how to bake a bread anymore <?> If there would be such search facility the community would sease to exist in a few days time. "

Er.... well I haven't got time to write an essay, so for now I'll just say

Aye

I'll be back, oh yes....

I do agree about promoting the EG more, though.

The Forum .......... a playground full of school bullies. Not my scene, tried it one weekend - didn't like it ..... unlike PR which is friendly and the reviewers are actually trying to help.

I like the new FP, but do think there should be some sort of spotlight for already EGEs. The IID is great, but to actually highlight the entries gives everyone a second chance to catch them.

The front page is doing the job of introduction to the days activity on H2G2.
If anything promotion of activity, I liked challange H2G2 it got us thinking.

Can anyone think of a way to give the social side a tweek useing the front page as a point of contact.

I think that's what they are trying to do by linking FP to individual personal spaces *if* the owners give permission.

zdt

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For quite a time, <./>TheForum</.> was a nest of "in" people. And everything devolved quickly into the usual Science vs Religion theme. A lot of the more ... ummm ... vociferous? ... folks wandered off about the time of the profanity filter. Feeling it as a slap in the face, a very personal affront. Since then, atleast half of the subjects opened have, in fact, been somewhat more balanced. It is no longer a place for common folks such as I to fear to tread in.

As to PR, I haven't the time nor the writing talent (time, mostly ) to put in any of the half-dozen started entries. That zone cycles through bits from severely confrontational, through hugglily-cuddly-everything-is-lovely, to balanced, quality stuff. This past several months have been enjoyable to read, and post to, for being balanced and looking for quality rather than staid, or feel-good stuff.

Of course, this is just my tiny 2-pence-worth.

Your bleedin' link doesn't work Nick! I shall have to find this forum, I've never actually been, and see what it is like for myself.

The Forum - A1146917

That's odd, it used to work. Perhaps when the staff took it off the Front Page (under h2g2 Community Bookmarks), they also disabled that short-hand bit.

Never mind, I'll let you off this once. Anyway, I've popped in to say hello, and I am waiting patiently to see if anyone sets fire to my trousers. I will keep you posted.