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

It's true, he really does exist! But more of that later.

What I remember of it, this was a successful and enjoyable meet. It wasn't as busy as in previous years - maybe 35 or so researchers. I'm not sure quite why this is, but I'd guess it has a lot to do with the fact that h2g2 is now so large that it has fractured into lots of sub-communities. It's difficult for an individual to be known everywhere on the site, and so we've lost an over-arching sense of the community, which I feel was a spur to get people to attend the London meets.

So what of the news from the Towers. Well once the italics had finally shown up; Jimster (ie the one with the loudest voice) made a few announcements about the future of the site. First off, the site has been given a bit of cash for development work, which is damn nice and sort of shows that we aren't going to get shut down in the next few months!

This development money is going to be spent on the following bits and pieces:
- The University is to reopen. It's planned to work in collaborative basis, I think following the type of model that the SEx forum has successfully pioneered.
- There are to be badges on folks' U-pages to designate the number of EG entries that they've written.
- There is to be an additional cutomisable credit on all EG entries. Therefore CAs and others who deserve an acknowledgement on an entry can receieve it.

The staff also seem to have got hold of a publicity budget. There are new t-shirts - these are Goo with a white print design. There are pin badges which were doshed out to all and sundry at the meet. And there is a new special enamelled badge in the 'Blue Peter badge' styley, that will be awarded to researchers who have made a special contribution to h2g2. The staff say that they have a list of those who they would like to honour, which I guess will come out soon.

However they did make the first award of this special badge last night: it went of course to the truly wonderful 2Legs The announcement of which was greeted with loud and sustained applause from all of those there gathered.

Oh, and Number Six? Yes, he turned up as promised in his t-shirt. He's a thoroughly nice chap, though rather shorter than most might have imagined.

The events of last Thursday (I refuse to go all USAian and refer to it as 7/7, if we do that the next thing will be to bomb Yorkshire).

Also I find meets tend to go in cycles. At the moment it's the same clan of researchers coming to meets, so I hardly met anyone I didn't know in real life. Given that I tend to meet up with these people in-bettween meets then it's less special to come.

The heat also would have put a lot of people off, it makes things just so exhausting - or at least that's why Teuchter couldn't make it. Along with the fact that there wasn't an Afternoon Activity. It was more of the same-old same-old sort of thing.

I may, of course, develop a Dennis Wise-esque inferiority complex and start getting all aggressive...

Anyway, five foot eight's not *that* short!

*draws Self up to full height*

For some reason I'd forgotten that I hadn't met you before No6..
..

Of course he's not a myth!

He's a mythter, isn't he?

B

Seemed busier than 35 people to me, but I'm not always terribly good at judging such things; and we are such a damn loud bunch when the booze beginns flowing There does seem to be a hardcore set of researchers who go to pretty much any meet that is on But there were a few new faces this time whom I hope will come to futher meets Maybe there is still a bit of problem in advertizing the meets; not everyone is singed up to ask, announcements, or checks the front page (I rarely ever go to the front page as I've bookmarked the log in page)

I should really go to one of these one day.....

I could have gone to this one (I've been on holiday this week), but somehow I don't feel that I'm an active enough member of the community to qualify these days. The fact that I didn't even know that there was a meet demonstrates that rather neatly.

Yes you should!

I think we should promote meets more widely on the site. What would be really good would be if we could have a link on the front page on a semi-regular basis just before the Big London Meets.

When the italics are moved to Manchester (as I think most of hte Beeb will be) will we have Big Meets up North?

This meet was advertised on teh front page So hopefully that can be a regular feature that we can get it on there But there is still the problem, like with people like me, who hardly ever go to the front page I can advertise it on Ask, the upcomign meet pages, in my username, but again it is dependant on what pages people are visiting

I link to it from the 'Announcements' in The Post.

That's how I know what everyone's up to and I love reading the planning and the post-meet blogs.

Jules

I wonder what stops people going to meets?

Are there ways we could make it easier for Meet Virgins?

Ooh Jules! Were you there? did I miss you

For me it's to do with being anonymous. Although I would have to sit down and think about my reasons for that as it's just something I've always done online.

The publicity and welcome extended in planning threads would work for most people if they intended to join you, I'm sure.

Jules

I've no idea on the making it easier for meet virgins, I guess a meet and greet type thing, but they would get that anyhow, as we're friendly to anyone new whos come to a meet I dunno

No I wasn't (confusing batch of simulposts)

I reckon we need to find out what stops people coming to meets for the first time so we know if we need to change anything.

I'll start a thread on Ask..

For me - I was working this year, and weekends generally are bad for me - but those of us who are married to non-h2g2 people are not really likely to come.