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

A thread about teacups (thank you Hyp) has just led me back to DNA's PS for the first time in a few years - U42. From there I had a quick scan of a few of his guide entries and I was reminded of the original thinking behind H2G2. It was an interesting and - for me - timely reminder. Read on...

In A550955 he said:
>>You will be able to read and write to the Guide wherever you are: at the station, in the plane, on a park bench, in your car (pulled over to the side of the road with the handbrake on, of course) in a café. And when you write in something as simple as 'The coffee here is lousy!' the Guide will know exactly what to do with that information and where to put it. And if you see, a few seconds later, a note which says 'Yes, but the cheesecake is good' it might be worth looking round the other tables to see who you've just made contact with.

The more people who use the Guide, the more useful it will become, and the more useful it becomes, the more people will use it. A long way down the road we see... well, I'll come to that in a later post.<<

There's been a bit of recent debate around the traps that I read about the purpose and shape of hootoo and its community. Whilst I reckon it's a healthy thing for the site to shift and move with the times, I also wonder whether we should be hanging onto that original vision. After all, that's what brought most people here (isn't it?).

As a result, I'm going to head back into the fray with guide entries that I feel meet DNA's vision. PR has been well-documented as ailing. Well, perhaps it's about time I stopped sitting on the sidelines and started contributing once more. I still think DNA's idea was fabulous and I feel slightly ashamed to have been a relatively passive bystander for a few years. We've been leaving it up to Gnomon for too long

Any other budding guide-writers care to join me?



Fb

I'm always torn whether or not to write. I have phases when I contribute, then again I wonder why I bother.
I've just finished a little project, and once that is done with, I may have a long break again.
with your plans.

Thanks Bel.

I've been talking myself in and out of writing for about three years, but re-reading DNA's vision reminded me of the original reason I got involved in hootoo. My ideals haven't changed, but it's taken me a while to recognise them again

It'll be interesting to be in PR again... I haven't dipped a toe in there for a long time and I'm a little nervous about the reception I might receive. Still: nothing ventured...

Re-reading that, it sounds a bit like Twitter.

The man had foresight

I think hootoo's more than Twitter - I only pulled out a bit of the piece he wrote. And Salmon of Doubt explains it even better: he was looking for intelligent debate too. I've never looked at Twitter, so I don't know if it engenders debate?

Good luck Beanie, I hung my researcher's hat and coat up recently because I felt the vision was not 20/20 anymore. Good luck reinvigorating PR

I've only found out about Twitter last night. I don't think hootoo is in any way even similar.

Enjoy your hiatus, Matt, then come back refreshed.

I've had an entry on the go for a little while, adding bits here and there. Maybe I'll try to finish it off today.

Hootoo is definately better than twitter.
It only made me think of twitter, cos people can post from anywhere and all their friends can get it as a message on their mobile phones.

I've not used it myself, couldn't think of a use for it. But I understand the ammount of words you can post is quite limited.

I'll stick to hootoo then?