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

Oops! I changed my email address, so that might be a problem.

SWL, sincere apologies for lack of correspondence re: A19298820. It got stuck in a folder pending a decision and we completely forgot about it. We'll email you directly in the next 24hrs.

All the best,

Eds

Is there a lack of subs at the moment? I could probably volunteer again, but my 'availability' for 'concentrated work' rather than 'chatting' is in fits and starts.

If you put your hand up, they'd bite it off, I'm sure!

Glad to see the eds are watching these pages.

Nats has volunteered for the Writing Corps!

I've not comitted to a regular output (perhaps I should: I'll think about it), but I've stuck something in the Writing Workshop. It's been in the back of my head for many months now, so it's good to get it typed up. (Or, sort of typed up. It has some gaps which a little research should fill. Should get that done on Thursday.)

TRiG.

Well, the advice for students to write about what they're studying is all well and good - my last entry (and first solo entry ) was based on a Uni mini-lecture I did - but I just don't have *time* to write and research entries except during the end-of-term breaks - and I assume it'll be similar for many others. Do you get more entries during breaks?

I always used to write my entries during term-time. Mainly as a way to procrastinate. I'm not sure that there's a site-wide pattern (except for the summer lull). Be interesting to find out though.

We could write an entry on it

How about an entry entitled:

Top Ten Excuses For Not Writing Entries And Why They Don't Count

That'd be brilliant actually...

1) Not knowing that h2g2 exists: Obviously this is an outright lie. Just what do you think you're reading?

2) Real life got in the way? What is this "real life" you speak of?

3. 2legs made me stop writing, honest.

4) I meant to do it, but.......

Kea, we were talking about excuses that don't count!

5) I couldn't find the link to Peer Review. Switch to Alabaster - which everyone should be in anyway - there's a huge great link at the top of the screen. Very handy!

Oh, right Psycorp.

Actually, there used to be this stuff about all the miscreants (myself included) who spent all that time playing on the site but never wrote an entry. The line was that if you have the time to be in the community why can't you write a few entries? I thought this was both valid and invalid. The thing that I kept coming back to is that writing entries is quite hard work, at least for me (I know some people can pop them out in half an hour). So when I come here and think hmmm, fun or hardish work which will it be? it's a relatively easy choice most of the time to just go with the thing I am most attracted to. (also my life is pretty stressful at times and the community side of things here has been a central part of my stress management of recent years. The last thing I needed was more work to do).

Other researchers have their own reasons eg for some people writing is a daunting prospect, or English isn't their first language, or they have a disability which makes writing, researching and editing difficult.

That's why I think creating a supportive, encouraging culture here for writers would work better than the school of hard knocks that PR often is.

For the non-native speakers... I propose a volunteer service (I volunteer!) where people struggling with writing entries for that reason can team up with someone who will translate them... Without, of course, changing the content. This would have to be done via e-mail, of course - there'd just have to be a thread saying "I've written an entry, but it's in +insert language here+, who can translate?" and then have it mailed to them...

6) I'm personally convinced that the EG is doomed in the medium term.

Sorry - I did write for the EG for a long time, but I just don't believe it serves any purpose any more. I think it falls between two stools.

sprout

Which stools would they be? And why would it be doomed in the medium term??