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

Hi Ottox,

I was just talking to AGB via ICQ, and we had some kind of a strange idea: Can you imagine some way to find out who the 'most prominent researchers' are?

I think of some kind ot hit list, like:

Mark Moxon, known by 100% of the community
Peta, Anna, Abi, dto.
AGB, 99,9%

etc.

Maybe we shouldn't use percentages but some kind of 'Google Ranking'

Example:
AGB's site is linked from 1000 other h2g2 sites,
Ottox: linked to from 900 sites
Dragonfly: linked to from 800 sites ...
... to be continued.

How about that idea?

Or more precise:
Ottox: linked to from about 10 sites

I really haven't got any ideas how it could be done. And to be honest, I don't care much. I will help you if I can, but what's the point?
(Why do I ask this question??? There's not much point in anything I do here! )

Btw, I think you're way too optimistic... Even Mark, Peta and Abi is probably not known by *lots* of the not so regular visiting researchers.

My point was:

When I checked my h2g2 entry date Jun 14, 2000 (thanks for that information, Ottox. It seems so very easy once you know what to look for) I found only one h2g2 'celebrity' (namely: Fashion Cat) who joined at the same day. My next thought was : "Who am I to say that Fashion Cat is a h2g2 celebrity and others are not". Is it just that *I* have already heared of her?

Is it possible that there are some 'parallel h2g2 universes' where we hardly ever go? Just like another table in a big restaurant: They are in the same room, they eat the same food, drink the same drinks, and you never talk to them because you are busy with your own party?

Example:
Currently there are 62 researchers online. I *know* 12 of them (I think they know me too, and I think I have talked to each of them at least once.)

What about the others: Some of them are 'new this week'. But there are lots of names that seem somehow familiar to me. Obviously our paths have never crossed so far. Or is there really a group of h2g2 'regulars' who go online daily, who write, pick and subedit Entries, who take part in the 'official' conversations?

How big is this group? Are we 20? 50? 100?

Sometimes I think that it's mostly the Volunteers (ACEs, Scouts, Gurus, Sub-Editors) and the Club Members (Angels, Muses, ...) that keep the site alive. This is not necessarily bad, I'd just like to have some more information about that (I'm soooo curious )

Ok, maybe I just don't wanna know, because I don't see how it should be done!
There's a lot of circles with researchers. Some big, some small. And all of them are connected. Probably not two researchers are in all the same groups. I'm in a number of them, the Muses, the Angles, Greebos quiz and more. I also know a lot of the people in Lil's Atelier, [Aroma Café], [Forum & Firkin], the Beach. And the 'insider' group from Floor42. And........ but I'm almost never there myself, and I'm sure there are people there that I have never met.
I wouldn't know where I should put you. We're in groups together, but we're not very much together. I wouldn't know where to put Dragonfly, though we talk for hours each day. She's in the Church of the True Brownies where I've only lurked a few times. And she's in other groups I almost don't know. I wouldn't even know where to put myself!
And there's subgroups! Take the Kingdom of Balwyniti. One Entry, but a lot of long threads. I wonder if anyone can keep track of all the threads. I can't! I can't even keep track on Crossed Purposes, even though there's only one or two active threads. And of course it doesn't help, that there's a lot of cross-thread conversations going on. Then there's all the egroups, the Offsite Topic Drift mailing list, the private mails, messenger, phone calls, meet-ups. Not to talk of the group I think is rather large, the 'serious' people, that 'only' writes entries and discuss them.
AAAAARGHHH!!!!
You've made me ramble...
I'm feeling dizzy!

I haven't got NOTHING to say!!!

Btw... I also noticed Fashion Cat and noone else on the list!