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

Hello. My name is Clive and I am one of the ACES here at H2G2. ACES are volunteer researchers just like you who go around site welcoming new researchers and trying to be helpful and friendly. Learn more about our role here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Aces There is a welcome message from the staff of the site here: http://www.bc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/welcome-newcomers If you have signed up here following the tragedy in America at the WTC and Pentagon on the 11/09/01, the Community has a talking point dedicated to it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A630163 There is also a forum for leaving messages of condolence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F76594?thread=140830&latest=1 If you have any more questions or need any further help, do not hesitate to reply to my message here. I will get back to you as soon as I can and try and help out. Clive P.S I've got a longer much more cheerful side a loads more helpful links should you need them.

Hello...um...Carrie is it now?

I was seriously rushed off my feet yesterday, whizzing from space to sapce greeting new researchers like yourself making sure everyone got a nice friednly welcome. For simple reasons of speed I curtailed my usual type of introduction and in so doing missed out on telling you about loads of the other great stuff that goes on around site.
H2G2 is huge and it can be quiet disorientating for new arrivals. Therefore I've got a couple of links to places around the site to kick-start your adventures.

May I suggest first off looking in Preferences
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/UserDetails
and sampling the site in it's more groovy state of Classic Goo. I'm not bias, promise.
While your there you can also change other things about how the site is viewed on your computer like turning Frames on or off.
This is all explained in more detail in a welcome message for all new researchers here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/welcome-newcomers

Douglas Adams was intimately involved in the foundation of this on-line community before his sudden death earlier this year. He has a page on site which you can visit if you like to read more about him, the stuff he wrote for and about The Guide.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/U42

If you are wondering how to draw those little smiley faces and pictures that I've been flinging about with glee abandon. This site has loads of 'em and you can find out all about how to use them in conversations like this on by clicking on this smiley face
--->

There are many, many different conversations being had here so try doing some investigating (or "Lurking" as it is known here on-site.)
Did you know - we have our own newpaper - published weekly on H2G2. With editorials and regular contributions from researchers all across the site as well as feature articles and not forgetting the superlative H2G2Life Cartoon strip.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/thepost
Those nice people at The Post have also gone to some lengths to gather their own list of useful links for researchers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A616718

To see where the community is talking
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Talk - hosts a comprehensive list.
Seek enlightentment here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/HowdoI
Another good place to start here is
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/askh2g2 - here you can post a question about more-or-less anything!

These are some of the popular forums where you can engage with the rest of the community. The forums form one half of the site, they are were reseachers meet and chat. Forums stem from particular Guide Entries writtten by researchers.
For instance the AskH2G2 forums all stem from a page set up by the staff who run this site.
The Powers That Be - fondly known as The Italics because there names all appear in bold italicised font - Gawd Bless 'em all have pages on site. You can learn more about the team that runs the site here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Team

The forums as you've no doubt seen are where researchers meet and talk. However, by far the best part about being a part of this on-line community is you get to write your own articles otherwise known as Guide Entries and have other people talk about them in the forums they generate. You can write about whatever interests you.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/index
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Search
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/randomentry
As you can see, Guide Entries can also be about anything at all. The aim of the site is to write a kind of comprehensive encylopoedia for Earth (with some handy tips to help you live on it.)

But the Guide is not yet complete!

And this is where you come in. If you have an interest in diverse a topics as ballet, car mechanics, advanced quantum physics or the daily frustrations of trying to naviagte the London Tube System or anything else, now is you chance to flex your writing muscles and put finger to keyboard.
And there's plenty of help to get you started:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Writing-Guidelines

The site supports two methods of writing. You can use either Plain Text or if you want to make a page look special you can use a specialised code system called GuideML. It is terribly simple to use and can enhance the look of anything you write. I promise it doesn't require a doctorate to master!
It is based on a series of open <> and closed </> command brackets and is similar in structure though not indentical to HTML. A really helpful place to keep refering to is the GuideML Clinic, which can be found here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/GuideML-Clinic It explains the basic structure of GuideML, how to use it and is the best place to go if you need any help or get stuck using it.
Your personal Space counts as a Guide Entry and can also be edited to include pictures and text formatting using GuideML.
This is a link to an archive of pictures and images you can use to brighten up you personal space using GuideML!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/C809

If you are genuinly stuck you could always try looking at other researcher's Guide Entries to get some ideas.
If you want to see how any one has constructed a page using GuideML
put this URL in your address bar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/testXXXXX - where XXXXX is the number of a page without the "A" or "C".
If you want to see how someone has constructed their Personal Space in GuideML use this URL
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/testuserpageXXXXX - again where XXXXX is the number of the page minus the "U" number.

Clicking the Who's On Line button will call up a menu that displays all researchers currently logged-in.

There is plenty of help to get you started writing entries for the Guide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Writing-Workshop offers helpful advice and also there is the Peer Review System that lets researchers help each other out in puting the final finishing touches to their articles.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/PeerReview

If you are stuck for anything else you could try first checking the Don't Panic! Help Pages & FAQS :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/dontpanic

If you want to reply to this message you can by clicking on the Reply button in the corner. I will know if you do because my page dispalys a record of all conversations I have taken part in and have replies to. If you want to stop by my page as well, you are
more than welcome to come ask any questions or even pop over just for a quick chat.
I am here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/U113478

Welcome to H2G2.
Enjoy, reading, taking part in and contributing to The Real Life Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy [ Earth Edition ].

See you around.

Clive.