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

Yes, it's great stuff, Phred; you've done proud here and you're worthy of the business card

I've just realised, though, that I didn't explain the process to you very well!

First thing to do is email your article to the Post Team (though you've been having some problems, I see!) - either as a text attachment or as part of the body of the email itself. You can include all the tags and headers as part of the text, if you wish.

I'll then make a space in the next Post headed 'Journey to the Heart of the American Southwest (Part 1)'. No text will appear on this page for now, but anyone wanting a sneak preview will get enthused about your article's imminent appearance (for example, like A7446314 is at the moment).

Meanwhile we do any editing necessary and find a good picture with which to illustrate your column.

On Wednesday, late at night, we get the gnomes working on the presses, upload your article and for the first time, your writing appears on hootoo!


There's nothing wrong with doing it the way you have, really, but this way the entry is kept strictly under wraps until the Thursday of publication

If you're having problems emailing it, let me know and I'll copy your text over to the Post email address myself.

Thanks again for your great work and I hope I've explained how to submit things better! This editing stuff is new to me, too

I AM having e-mail problems....My business account appears not to like the postteam e-mail address...could you please copy it over for me on your e-mail?

My personal ISP provider is giving me fits about connectivity. They ave me a new modem that is not cooperating with my home netwok..

Hope to have things worked out by the next deadline in a week from Sunday (a fortnight is a week? Don't bother to answer, I'll google it...I know The Post has a weekly schedule).

To top everything else off, all my e-mail from h2g2 groups is being trapped in the business' ironmail spamcatcher.

Have a nice day!

I'll take it from here, Phred. The next deadline is two weeks today, so there's time to spare

Hope you get the email sorted soon; if you're still having problems next time, let me know!

Rich

OK, I should have a new ISP and mail box by then and my little computer problems should be over.

I've decided to go with MSN as an ISP and drop my expensive broadband connection in favor of a modem connection that will work equally well at home on my landline or with my cellular modem on the road.

Hopefully I can get Phred as a user name.

Thanks for the help this time. Hope things are going well for you and that you're getting in some rock climbing or at least heavy hiking.

Excellent! Yes, everything's going ok, am not on heavy hiking as yet due to some knee problems that have plagued me for a while, but am back on steep hills, five a side football (or soccer) and gradually regaining some fitness. Hopefully I'll be back on a proper trail in the spring!

By the way, your column will go into the 'Features' section initially - I didn't realise there is a five week period before contributors become 'regular' which is fair enough I suppose! It will go online as part of shortly after the Eds get into work tomorrow, which I suppose will be in about 10 hours time.

See you there

I e-mailed my second installment to the Posteam. It's a new e-mail and I'm not sure it was received, so I thought I'd ask you to keep an eye open for it's arrival

A7559120 Journey to the Heart of the American Southwest (Part 2)

Thanks and Happy Holidays.

Received, and it's marvellous again - thank you so much!

Just to explain:

The usual protocol is for you not to make an entry onsite; if you do, we have to make a new entry anyway, so we can edit it, and it's also possible for people to see the entry before goes online.

We can put in all the ML for you, it you send it as plain text. The aternative, if you want the extra workload, is to create a new entry but only preview it - then you can check it all looks ok for you before you copy and paste the text to an email.

Hope this all makes sense; thanks again for your article and if don't catch you first - have a great Christmas!

Rich

Ok...I created and deleted ab article (installment 3)after copying and mailing it to the post team Gmail account just now....I also attached some small JPG files....It should be obvious where to insert them.

Hope things are returning to normal for you.

Phred

Great Phred, thanks very much! Two more and you'll be an official Regular, working for me - and you'll get a badge, too...

Things will return to normal on 3rd Jan, when I plan to have an enormous lie-in and book a holiday!

Wow! Another badge....Reminds me I need to watch Bogart in the "Treasure of the Sierra Madres" one more time.

Thanks