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

When the movement that became the UnderGuide was first beginning, there were people like Deidzoeb, Ben, Spiff, Waz, Tube, Terran, sprout, GTB, FwT (and looking at that list, I'm saddened by how many I haven't spoken to in probably two or three years), and others debating the concept of creative writing on h2g2. I was engaged a bit in those discussions. I don't know how I wandered into them, but I read and participated. They were scattered across many fora, and it was kind of a hassle to keep up with all of them, and find the new ones when they popped up.

I distinctly remember, in one of those discussions, seeing someone say that, of course, the AWW would never be as busy as Peer Review, but we could at least stop it from being such a dead-end. Well, looking at the review forum pages, <./>RF5</.> seems busier than <./>RF1</.>... this week at least. That's probably due more to the sudden weakness of PR than anything, but I just wanted to commemorate the moment when I discovered that the AWW is now usefully fulfilling its purpose in the great web of h2g2. It's a destination, not a dumpster. The UnderGuide's name was created by a misunderstanding. Deidzoeb (I think) had coined the term 'Underguide' for the places that entries went to die (it was more than the AWW, I think it included the FM, WW, CWW and the Grim Reaper) and he mentioned it in a thread at an opportune moment, and someone mistakenly took it as the name of the project that was being discussed.

Maybe PR, with its restrictiveness and focus on the mundane (spelling, formatting and grammatical errors) could learn something from the AWW, with its openness and focus on the important. And incidentally, being someone who's got his hands in both the UG and EG, I'm kind of troubled and happy at the same time It's an odd sensation.

(in a gadfly-kind-of-mood)

Excellent post Jodan I'm honoured to see that I had some part to play, however small, in bringing this about. I've actually been shocked today to find how quickly people have replied to something I've done in AWW - and I've not done anything with AWW in too long a time.

Actually on this note, I feel this <./>F54784?thread=4584020</.> is of the same mood of disaffection generally - if potentially distructive. My feelings of the unrealised potential of h2g2 are well documented. And I've gone and come back too many times out of tiredness and frustration its probably a bit of a running joke now.

But if this is the only result of our efforts those years ago, then it is surely worth it. I just wish there was more motivation from above to make more of this site. Because it has the potential to be greater than any other on the web, and to revolutionise it completely.

Funny thinking back now how I got involved. It was FwT who directed me to those conversations, saying it was something I'd be interested in and he was right. He'd been involved in my Terranic Army role playing stuff, and clearly saw my talent for a unique type of revolution . Not heard from him or a lot of people involved in ages. Interesting though.

I met FwT my first day on h2g2. I still consider him one of my all-time best online friends. I keep hoping he will pop back in one of these days, either as himself or thelostgeographer. I got one of those blanket e-mails from him about a month ago. He's fine.

As to the UG, you guys need to take pride in getting it started.