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

Hey i was sent here by an ACE. She is trying to help me become a scout and suggests you are the person to speak to?

Ah, hello there - and not just sent by any old ACE, either, Lil helped show me around too with the lovely VV

Scouting, eh? Well, the way to start is to post regularly in PeerReview. You obviously already know about Peer Review (congratulations on the entry, by the way ), but the biggest job of a Scout is to read entries that are put into the forum and post comments to improve them - even on subjects you know little about. Is the entry in fairly plain English? Are there any spelling and grammar mistakes? Is everything explained thoroughly? The Writing-Guidelines are something Scouts should know very well, and as much as you can of EditedGuide-Style and A264520. It looks a lot, but you soon get the hang of it, and there are plenty of old hands around with advice if it gets tricky. Sometimes there isn't much to say, but it's always nice as a writer to get a pat on the back for your work, so it's good to post the odd 'Well done, nice entry' if you think it's complete.

Writing more entries helps as well, as you learn a lot about what Scouts expect and how to improve your own work - making giving advice much easier.

When you're really confident on giving advice, have a good read of the Scouts homepage Scouts and volunteer, even if it says they're not recruiting. You probably won't get in straight away (it took me two months of proving myself in PR before I even got near a Scouts badge), but you might get more advice on what else you need to do.

Finally, remember that if you do become a Scout, you sometimes need a tough skin. The overwhelming majority of Researchers are happy to make changes, but the odd one will refuse to and might even get angry or argue back. We do get a little stick at times from people who think we're too picky, or have no sense of humour. But all in all, it's a very rewarding job and you learn a lot from it!

I really hope this helps, and if you want me to answer any questions, I'll be happy to. We need good Scouts!

I'll see you in PR, then!

Thanks very much! I'll scour peer review from now on in. I always try to be encourgeing, after all i've been through it myself, i know how tough it can be at times. And of course gotta write more guide entrys!

Thanks very much for your advice, i realise you must have a lot to do so it means alot that you took the time.

(Yey front page entry , sorry it's my first edited guide entry!)

Sorry, I forgot to mention - this A1159751 is an excellent guide to Scouting, written by Z, one of our foremost Scouts!

Hope it's all going well for you,

Rich

Thanks very much i'll give it a read.