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

I have been independently negotiating with the BBC management for a long time about trying to save GW and have put several costed proposals on the table for keeping it alive.

Although the BBC won't allow the GW site to be taken over by third parties they will help us set up a functional equal with much the same look (BBC provided graphics).

3 Days work gets you www.text.co.uk (it needs another week or so to get portfolio, authoring and review working like GW- tidy up etc -so don't panic!)
(soon to be www.morewriting.co.uk)
You cannot register on there yet but you can get on and into chat rooms with
user=poet, pword=poet

It will be the best compromise I can come up with, given the BBC won't change its mind, but we would need to motivate the remaining users to move house if they liked the idea.

I am keeping the BBC in the loop and they have said they will provide some support (not financial I hasten to add).

Tell me what you think.

I think all ideas are worthy of consideration, and I will save this posting for later, I have had a brilliant post today promising support, at the highest level, and demanding an explanation from The Director General, my long established contact does nor bear fools gladly nor do spin doctors influence decisions. I will get a sensible reply from the BBC, there is no doubt about that.

I have posted twice on GW and once on msn, feel free to comment and join in if you wish.

Cheers H.

I believe the BBC to be truthful with the information that they have given to you, however even if I do not get a complete result, I do expect improvements to all offers made up to now, and there is only a few more days to wait.

But rest assured my contact's letter is on The Director Generals desk already.

Cheers H.

The compromise GW survival position would be to keep open the editing capability, review and message boards, but for users to take over moderation (as in H2G2).

The problem is security of the BBCs good name and the cost of human input.
The software is part of the H2G2 DNA system and as such will be maintained anyway. BBC site hosting is not a financial problem.

If the BBC were to change postion then this might be quite attractive. No more training content of cometitions from the BBC though. I would envisage newsletter and all organisation to come from the users (unpaid) and be placed on a separate site.

You have far more knowledge of such things than I have, would a change of heart from the BBC as you suggest suit your needs.

I do not intend to use the sites much myself when the good weather arrives. I am only fighting for those who are worth the effort required, and to gain some advantage above the bare bones offers made already made.

To me it appears that if the chat lines were removed, and reviews and crits left in place the site would suit those who wish to learn to write and guide them in a sense of direction.

To do this efficiently the site would have to be improved in some directions,for instance to exhibit good work it needs illustrations and photos, a feature not available in GW's present format.

Please keep in touch I do appreciate your knowlege and interest.

Cheers H.

H,

I sensed no appetite for changing the GW software which although derived from H2G2 software does not allow inclusion of photos. The BBC are also very wary of people including pictures they might not own.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A3735380)


However, there is no apparent financial reason to switch any of the GW functions off. I think it is more they don't want any hassle in the way of:

* reports of software deficiencies
* newsletter production
* moderation (to a BBC standard)
* training material generation
* competitions
* general user support

So the job would be to negotiate which of these roles could be maintained by users and how the BBC could protect itself against it all going wrong.

Thanks Cad,

Sounds about right to me, if that was agreed I think we could reach a conclusion suitable to all reasonable members.

Are you continuing to negotiate with the beeb,? if so I think you will find the job easier tomorrow, so battle on with confidence, we are much stronger now than we were yesterday, I can not divulge my contacts at this time but you should find a difference in wanting to reach an agreement by the Director General.

My backer is really quite influential in these matters.

Cheers H.

Thanks, I will see if any red lights turn green.

But please feel free to suggest the idea of a compromise independently through your contact. Part of my difficulty has been dealing with the range of people within the BBC who have some interest in GW.

Try going above the usual level if you can, I am afraid my contact does not compromise, all deals are done by very firm instruction and professional guidance.

As a result things will sort of move of their own accord apparently, but we may have to just wait and see. The idea of red lights turning green sounds about right to me.

Cheers H.

Try going above the usual level if
perhaps bigger bribe , or comefrom other angle
instead M.P P.M

Hi each,
You may notice that I have already moved on to a higher plane, but time is running out, yet there is still time for cadd's ideas and information to be useful, yours too logicus.

It will obviously be needed should a last minute deal be offered, I have upped the stakes and an offer is still possible.

Having set up a refuge with anneymouse on msn, I shall transfer any unfinished business to msn.

Cheers H.

Logicus,
that has been done many times, they will ony answer to their own voters, in this case it matters little, theprotest is well registered.

At this election time, the foolish members of parliament do not realise that a spinning or negative reply is just one more black mark, and yet another lost vote for one of their cronies.

Swings and roundabouts, "what goes round always comes back." I know, not quite as quick and hard as a boomerang.

Cheers H.

just trying to be funny there ,trouble is being a minority group, as we are ,they know dam well none of us can afford a civil case for breach of contract ,as the shutting of the interactive part of the site and failing to respond to email and letters more so, so they carry on pandering to those with the money or golden backscratchers.

Appreciated logicus, you are as usual correct, but we are not beat yet, I ask you both stick with it to the bitter end.

You can not even consider lawyers or civil legislation even when you are right, there is only one winner and it is not us.

Cheers H.

will be here long after as mostly based on h2g2 , but the USA has several members ,some even may be considering this very action since ,this point must have been brought up because a get writing USA site is running? scandrea might have details as to how it is doing i did join and will look for the link when i can ,but methinks this site was open to diflect just this thinking.

Thanks again,

yes I have also joined h2g2, so you can be found easily I suppose, but I shall be doing very little if or when GW closes.

The net is not one of my interests, the computer is only a very good typewriter to me, I started with a pencil and paper over thirty years ago, progressed through new technologies, did all that I intended to do with it, and now I am here, but I am not taking my coat off, because I ain't stopping.

You have been one of the best on here, and thanks for everything, especially staying with us to the end, if this be it (san fari nelli) my very best home made latin for Kismet Hardly, tis said, Nelson never said it any way!

Cheers H.


Cheers H.

If the USA members are serious it may be possible to take out an injunction to stop closure while members have copywrite material on site.

This does not have to be pursued to an expensive conclusion, lawyers delight, but it can be deliberately dropped after the first court appearance, up to that stage very little expense has been incurred.

However trivial court cases can rebound and culprits may themselves get sued if there was no real case to answer in the first place.

Therefore the person laying the complaint should preferably be a man or woman of straw ie; no assetts.

Herewith a sound story line, anyone interested can have it, copywrite free to any member of GW, looks good to me, but I do not have the time, even though it should take no longer than a week at the most.

Great site this, pity there is a rumour that it is closing, and on my birthday too.

Cheers H.

may i be the first to wish you a happy or merry one , I on the other hand did not start writing untill i started to use internet three or four years ago ,as my written work on pen and paper looks far worse than any MD could ever achieve ,just glad we stopped useing latin as my conjuctives and split infinatives would be well does not bear thinking about.


man of straw much prefer to see perputrator of shuting site down as wicker man ,

Thanks logicus,

I will open a bottle of wine on the 23rd, no matter what happens.

My hand writing has deteriorated from reasonable copperplate to doctors scribble since I got the computer and aged about the same time.

I once many years ago interviewed a doctor in Manchester and he was busily writing a prescription as I walked into his office, seeing me enter he went a litte pale and pushed his prescription pad to one side.

Must have been guilty knowledge because I only wanted a statement from him.

The joke was that finally I had to write it for him, he could not write at all.

Cheers H.