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

I was just trying to pinch some gml and when I used this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/testuserpage3941697


I got this:

Article Deleted

This Guide Entry has been deleted.

Er, just figured it out


Actually, this was all a subterfuge to ... ah... do something subterfugie...

When you get back from exciting geek job, I want to ask you about this:

I've been commenting in a WW thread, and the researcher is cutting and pasting my comments directly into the entry, I'm not sure what I think about that, or what to do about it. Is there a protocol on this?

(They're also cutting and pasting off websites, but I've addressed that).


Oooh, exciting nature thing just happened (kind of )... I think I'll jurnal it

Subterfugery?

I'm not exactly finished overgeeking ...

But, yes, there is a protocol. Unfortunately, it's perhaps more like an etiquette, which makes it trickier to address.

(If this is the Entry I think it is, a reputation is being, or rather has been, acquired You'll note that the two Scouts on that thread are both being a little ... terse?)

Basically, if you're just prompting and suggesting and marking up grammar and the like, then that's just PR. If big chunks of your suggestions in PR are simply going into the Entry unaltered, you should get credit, co-author too. As I say, it's a tricky one to raise though. There's also the new tags, which is something the Sub can stick in, I suppose (I might raise that in the Subs group, actually).

If, as I say, this is the Entry I think it is, I see a suggestion has just been made that it head for the Flean Market. I doubt that will happen (see 'reputation' above) - but, if it does, it would be nice if someone who knows something about the subject were to leap on it

Right - back to the geekery

*goes and reads thread*

*comes back and bangs head on table*



Oh well


I wasn't sure that I wanted my name on that entry Where I write specific suggestions for the entry it's fine to cut and paste them, but where I've posted general information because the researcher hasn't done their own research, I'm not sure that cutting and pasting from that is ok. Although it was sentences rather than paragraphs. And of course the context is a big part of it in this case (there being a rather large annoyance factor).


>> but, if it does, it would be nice if someone who knows something about the subject were to leap on it<<

Strangely, I did have that topic on my list of entries to write but dropped it when I saw this one was in process.

Hello there Sorry I've been so rubbish this last week - my big work thing came to an end on Monday and I've just been drifting about since ...

I was the tap of a button away from shoving that thing into Flea Market myself earlier today. I see from the author's PS that Galaxy Babe did just that a couple of a days ago with one of the hundred and twenty or so started and never finished Entries they've got on the go. If there's no movement soon, I still might.

I think it's pretty obvious where the borders are, the difference between normal helping out in PR and actually contributing big chunks of fresh research.

Right - I interpret Opti's last posting on that thread (or the one just before me saying 'thanks' if there are more subsequently) to mean that it can be bunged into Flea Market and taken over *if* anybody wants to do it.

I could give a link, couldn't I?

F3745360?thread=2980036&skip=0&show=20#p38777765

(See? Rubbish, me).

So, if you're interested Really, I'm not saying you or anyone else should, but at least the option appears to be there now. Might do it myself if no one else wants to.

Having said that, I took over a Flea Market Entry in January and last night the original author returned to the site for the first time in years to find it entirely as he left it and I chickened out and suggested he take it back Bone idle ...

Right - it's now gone into Flea Market. I was going to wait for a bit, but there you go.

F74125?thread=3325763&post=38781896#p38781896

Sorry, that looks like I'm dropping you in it and I'm not. Slap me with a big fish here and I'll go and cry off over there.

No worries , I was quite keen. It's a bit more convoluted now though as I realise what it's like rewriting someone else's work rather than doing my own from scratch.

>>Having said that, I took over a Flea Market Entry in January and last night the original author returned to the site for the first time in years to find it entirely as he left it and I chickened out and suggested he take it back Bone idle ...<<



I'm sure I'm quite capable of that too


My other problem (which is also the one I am having with the other couple of entries I am working on) is that once I get researching I get too interested and end up with far too much information. I aspire now to writing a short entry - Gnomon once gave me a list of his entries that he had written in 30 minutes. I just can't think of anything that I know about that I know that little about

Rewriting is much tougher It often seems to be the case that you're better off starting from scratch as far as the structure and the actual words on the page go (the stuff that was there before feeding into it, but not great gawky chunks that stifle the flow).