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

Q: When I look at a thread, some of the people, including me, have googly eyes next to their name, and some don't. What's that all about?

A: In some of the skins, users who are online have eyeballs next to their name; if they log off or stop posting for a while they disappear. You can't lurk anonymously if you're logged in, but you can log out and lurk freely.

Well you get the honour of the first FAQ and why not?!

I've got to head out now, but I'll post some more as soon as I can. Once we've got enough to start off a page I'll give you a little GuideML tutorial...

Hopefully, people who have questions will post them here for incorporation.

Best be simple for now, I work full time so time is a rationed commodity! Though thankfully I have broadband at home!

LP

Nice one, LP!

Would you like me to put a link to this place on the Mustering Station, so people know where to come with questions etc., or shall I wait a bit?

Take care,

Katy

Q: How do I find those little smiley things?

A: Click on any smiley --> <-- and you'll be taken to a page full of them, with instructions!

Hints for LP: In GuideML, use <smiley type="smiley"/> to insert the face. If the page isn't already in GuideML, you'll need to insert blank lines.

Peet, is there any way of incorporating a smiley in your board name?

katy

Sadly, not at the moment, Katy. You could always ask Peta to make it work in time for the launch, though...

Hi Katy

Yes I think post a link, it's always going to be a work in progress and perhaps the fact that it is so basic at the moment will help people! Ie, its plain and simple nature will help them to realise that we are no more expert here than they are but learning too.

Also they could start posting questions right away and then............ Peet can answer them

LP

Cheers Peet

Have done it quickly as I think it's a good one, but not having the time to play with code I've done it a slightly different way.


LP

LP, that's not really the answer I gave... The point was to remind people that you could just click on the nearest smiley, and that you didn't have to search out or bookmark a page...

Peet will add that in & give people a choice, will put the simpler one first.

Q: People keep calling me a "Researcher" - what's with that?

A: People who register with h2g2 are known as "Researchers". It's from the "HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy" stories.


Q: People keep talking about "Articles" and "Entries" - what are they? Are they the same thing?

A: Yup. The Guide is built around the ability for "Researchers" to write articles about, well, pretty much anything. If it's well researched and written it can be submitted for "Peer Review" and eventually become part of the "Edited Guide". You don't have to have anything to do with entries if you don't want to.


Q: I want to CatPee a posting - what's the procedure?

A: On h2g2, the "Linda" button (don't ask) is the equivalent of Mustardland's CatPee link. On clicking it, the post it's attached to is *immediately* hidden and the Moderators are alerted to it. They review the posting and decide whether or not to reenstate it. This is different to what happens in Mustardland, where the CatPee link alerts the Mods, but postings can't disappear until they have time to look at them.

Done

I think it's already worth letting those who choose to come to hootoo know about it. Far less sure about posting it in TB, though clearly it would help some people and is a better placee to ask questions than keep upsetting folk int' Bull.

I think the numbers are a bit redundant, though; just a between each one would look better.

For once I don't quite agree ! My thinking is that especially as this grows the numbers will be useful reference points. So say someone in TB says what are those eye thingies, then we can say see question 1. Obviously this will be very important when it's question 45 +.

LP

One thing though, is it possible to have a line between each one? NB Only if it's simple, I'll learn code but not yet, & I'm not up to doing a grid etc



LP

The puts a line between them.

The reason I'm not too happy about the numbers is precisely because people will refer to them! At the moment I'm just throwing them in as I think of them, but at some point soon we'll need to sort them into some logical order, and that'll mean scrambling the numbering system, particularly if there are others that come along and fit "in between"...

What you *might* want to do instead is precede each one with something like, say, , and then refer people to look at <./>U1485159#catpee</.> which will take them directly to that entry wherever it moves in the page. You just need to think of a single, unique word that sums up each question.

You are a bit to far ahead of someone in their lunch hour which is about to end!! I need to get a better handle on using the code, I'm still using the simple version.

I don't quite love the look of it yet, but we will get there, agree re the re-ordering so understand where you are coming from, I'll take another look when I get a mo.

LP