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

Halloooo jqr,
Just thought I'd drop in and welcome you to H2G2. I'm Shadow, one of the ACE's (The volunteer welcoming committee.) here. If you have any questions or need help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask. You can do so by either clicking on REPLY below or by clicking on my name above and leaving a message at my page. If you're looking for a place to get started, this is always a good spot. http://www.h2g2.com/A5752 Have fun wandering the vast, twisted and myriad halls of this place. There's a LOT here!
Welcome again,
~S

Hi there, Shadow, and make yourself comfortable on my home page. So far (day 2!) the most exciting part is seeing that people continue to pick at threads that I've already picked at. One question: This "forum" is the jqr "message centre" and there are "conversations" and "subjects" and "threads". So what is the difference between starting a conversation and replying to an existing thread with a new subject?

Not much other than organizationally its easier to follow the train of thought. New conversations come in under a new heading and the reply's branch from there. Rather than having to continually scroll through one loooooooooong entry.
~S

So using the alabaster skin, if I click on the reply button it keeps the same subject and alerts you, but if I start a new conversation it can have a different subject and doesn't alert you. Could this be so?

Correct. UNLESS, you were starting a new conversation on my page, in which case it would notify me.
~S

Or if it's an existing conversation that I have taken place in. For instance, when you replied to the message at Dr. Funk's homepage, I got notice that a reply had occured. I meant to enclose this with the previous reply, but got interupted and forgot.
~S

Right. So since this is on my page, you don't see the link, because I've changed the subject. But if it was on your page, you would.

Mr/s jqr,

I think you got some notice that I responded to your note to me about the Funk, but just in case, my response is on my message board.

Welcome to h2g2! I hope you are having fun reading the Guide and contributing to it! I like your page- everyone has information they can impart. There is an entry on the NY Subway, but I'm not sure where it is. Try searching for it with the search engine at the top of the page...

ah! so somebody knows of my entry! http://www.h2g2.com/A347474 - Now if anybody would be so kind as to approve it...

Yes, I have read it and it is good! Be patient about approving articles. Mine's been submitted for a few months and I think it is almost approved. There is a long line of articles and we must be patient...

I like that even if the article hasn't been approved, you can still read it. Nice feature.

Yes and even if it never gets approved it will still show up on searches as "guide entries" So there will always be access to it...

I suppose you could make up a counter-guide with entries of the same name but the wrong information. The Mouflon, say, could be in the counter-guide as a four-star restaurant in Paris. Like having a parallel universe where there are all the same things but the words are all different.

That would be fun! You should suggest it to the Powers that be...

I thought it would have been kind of scary, but maybe it's comforting in a way. Especially when you get to the more philosophical entries...

Ah yes, however, it's enough work to just keep the Guide on track for the staff of H2G2, let alone starting an anti-H2G2. Hence the reason for relying on volunteers to accomplish some vital functions greeting, reading, approving entries and discovering new ones. So...while it's a cute idea, I think it may be a bit premature for its time. Perhaps down the road when the H2G2 staff has grown in size a bit or the Guide becomes a little more stream-lined...? Remember though, this is just IMHO and not to be taken as gospel. Those who dare, can. Those who never dare, never will.
~S

I agree with you, nearly wholeheartedly. There are certainly already enough guide entries that bear on RL only in the slightest, such as the *opens door with a shove, making the jukebox in the far corner of the cafe wobble slightly* kinds of forums (forgive me if I forget what the general term for those posts are).

I'm guessing it's toast with banana on it. Am I right?

Well, yes, Banana Toast is pretty much toast with bananas on it. But if you add butter in between, it makes it really delicious. You see, the bananas get slightly soft from the ambient heat of the toast, and the salt of the bread and the butter sets off the sweet taste of the banana. Plus the fat from the butter makes the banana seem more delicious.
I have it two or three times a week.