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

This is one that I'd like to throw open to the floor.

We've innovated a lot in The Post over the last year or so, and having an enthusiastic Editorial team is a real boon - we have some brilliant writers, and the guys do a fine job of going out and finding some superb writing for each issue. We've also got stuff like the Aviators and 'competitions' such as EotM and The Stretcher going on.

The flip side is that the 'community newspaper' part is perhaps a little less strong than it could be. We have the superb Random Ramblings, of course, and the occasional interview, but we don't have an awful lot of 'community news'. I'd really like to have more from the volunteer groups letting us know what's going on in those spheres, articles about projects such as 'Around the Day in 80 Worlds' and 'Help Page Update', updates from clubs, societies, AWW and EG - articles that are relevant to the community itself.

So how do we get more community pieces in The Post?

One thing that could strengthen the community aspect would be to commission a piece from members of each of the volunteer groups about what they do and how they do it. To people who aren't involved in them, I suspect they appear at times to be a bit clique-y and semi-detatched from the rest of hootoo. It's not really the case, as they are open to anyone with the skills and time to devote, but I can see how the impression might exist.

Similarly all you good people on the post staff - it would be interesting to know more of the what precisely you all have to do.

The same for the clubs and societies - while there's a handy links page, would it be worth inviting the people who run them to do a write-up? It needn't even be anything terribly long, a few paragraphs per edition should do - and they get the free plug for their club, too.

Just an idea to kick around.

Commission? Wow, this does sound professional...

That's a good way of looking at it, though. I've always tended to see that kind of stuff as being quite interview-based, where to get to the nubbin you have to ask some awkward questions, but something like Gnomon's last piece about how he puts together an Entry is fascinating and inspiring. And Tonsil Revenge's 'rant' (his word, not mine - I don't quite agree ) is similarly revealing and thought-provoking. An article written by someone fearless is better than an interview, of course.

'What they do and how they do it' is good. Perhaps 'why' they do it would be better, but trickier. It would be good to get a Scout's philosophy; why they make certain picks, what they're looking for in an Entry, what defines whether they make a pick or not.

Good start, this - thanks KB

Why do we write for the post, an interesting question, Personally it gives me a little thrill to know that someone other than myself is reading and enjoying my writing. Its a great springboard for ideas and for different parts of the community to come together and work on projects and stuff. There are writers here from all around the globe and from all walks of life, surely everybody that is an active and involved member of hootoo has something that they would like to say in the post. Its our paper and if we dont read and write for it, nobody will.

mini

hi
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i write things that mean something to me, or are usually part of my past life, ie the one i did this time, on my joining the army
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next time i will be changing tack
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ive done a story, in ex parts to send in, when i happy with it.
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for some reason i have only submitted on per year in the last 5+ plus years.
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one printed on the ew277 story, i think holds a sort of record. it was in the post, in the guides, and at the time the ww2 in less than a month.
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jim