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

You'll have to excuse me, I'm new to this, i.e. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Not only do i want to know how you get those little smiley faces and all that, but I also want to know how all this works. I once entered a chat room one evening, and I didn't quite know what to do, and besides, they were all talking about dwarves or something, so I became thoroughly bored and left.
Do people actually respond to you, or are your musings forever doomed to float around cyberspace forever, all alone and un-read? My answer I'm sure will simply be your reply itself.
I'm rather perturbed with this faceless form of communication, but I'm willing to give it a go.
By the way, I'm English, I'm an artist, I'm 25 and my favourite animal is the owl. They look funny.

I'll answer you backwards... I'm American, 19, a writer, and my favorite animal is the wolf-- they look like my best friend.

Anyhoo, plenty of people read *everyone's* postings here-- not just the Moderators, who are supposed to read them within an hour or so of posting.

The whole site works as a huge number of forums to which anyone can suscribe and talk in. You obviously understand how to make a posting to a person's page since you posted to mine, and the reply button is pretty self-explanitory. As far as the social ediquette goes... I think what you may be experiencing is a phenomenon that I've witnessed (and been part of) where a newbie (new researcher) comes in and says one thing, then the forum takes a completely different direction and hardly notices their comment. Don't take it personally-- the simple fact is that several forums here move so fast that the people in them can hardly keep up, much less say anything to a new person, no matter how much we try to avoid appearing unpolite. What I recommend (and how I got started, two years ago) is joining a few organizations-- so at least people see your name here and there. And then just go into a few conversations and make a few friends. At least, that worked for me, but the site was considerably smaller back when I joined and everyone knew everyone else. *shrug*

As far as smilies go, the link to the main page is this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Smiley . In order to see how a particular smiley you see in a conversation is made, you can click on it (for example, click on this: ) and it will wisk you away to the smiley page and to the code for it. Most of the smilies are simply the name of the object (wizard, rose, wow, etc) inside brackets.

I hope that helps some... and I hope you enjoy your time here. (I'm going to visit your page in a moment). If there's anything else you need, just let me know.

~Amy (ACE, Keeper of Wolves, Muse of Procrastinating Novelists, High Priestess of Thing)

thanks for that. You certainly go out of your way to explain things properly. You must have a lot of patience.
I'm not sure how I would join any organizations like you suggested...
I never have much time, and it seems that you need to be on the ball if you want to follow a conversation enough to become familar with people. (I can't imagine how you do it - you must be up all night...!)
Well thankyou once again for your advice, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it someday.

Me? Up all night? Surely you jest... Actually, most things around here don't move *that* fast, it's more a matter of learning how to read things and getting to know people (and hopefully have a fast modem connection). Getting to know people really isn't that hard, especially if you read through their user spaces and get a handle on what they do and who they are (if they've posted such information). That's one of the things that works sort of like real life.

Joining organizations isn't too hard... usually there's a forum at the bottom of the page with a subject line similar to "sign up here", and usually you just post your interest and your U number. Sometimes it takes a while for the researcher running the club to get around to putting your name on the list of members-- I've actually been a member of RAA (researchers against alabaster) and the Royal h2g2 Procrastinators' Society for several months now and neither of them list me as a member. But if no one responds, again, don't take it personally. We all have lives outside of h2g2 (as inconceivable as it may be!) and if something major happens there, that takes precedence. Only a handful of the researchers here are actually on more than once a day-- and then there's people like me who're on at least three times a day like clockwork...

And-- me? Patient? Funny guy you are... Actually, I just like helping people. ACEs like me have volunteered to help out people because we like to help, not because we were forced into it or anything. It's genuine interest in other people that keeps me helping, and I try to even if I don't really have the time. (Would you believe I'm shy in real life? I think that may explain why I'm so outgoing here... )

I'll be around... see you later.