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

I'm becoming increasing involved in the development of the new Communities that are intending to use the DNA platform. All of the current developments will become apparent to h2g2 Researchers in time, they'll all be using the same database, in the way that 360 does.

However, this means that I'm not going to be able to check my page as often as I used to. So if you leave a message - particularly over the next three weeks or so - don't be surprised if Abi or Linda respond on my behalf. I'll be back, but for a while I have to go off and concentrate on other things.

Do you be a stranger now, y'hear?

Sounds like lots of exciting things are afoot! Good luck with it!!



- X

Hi Jimi!

Thanks for the nice message.

It's all going really well here now, the BBC are taking a real interest in DNA communities, and are backing us up with lots more staff and resources. That's great because it means we can help others to start new DNA's and we can start to develop some of the really cool groovy stuff on h2g2 that we've been wanting to do for ages! So good news all round really!

I'm going to be away from today, through all of next week, apart from Friday and then in office for Monday and away all of the next week, working with some of the local radio stations in interesting places like Northern Ireland, Lancashire and Devon. So I'm going to have to just put my page on Answerphone mode and check it when I get back.

I'll miss the site though, for a dedicated addict like me this is a long time to be dragged away! But at least I get to talk about it lots!

Sounds very exciting!

Will any of these interviews be webcast?

If so, we'll need dates and times to tune in and cheer.

Have a brilliant time, but *do* remember to come back!

Sounds very exciting!

Will any of these interviews be webcast?

If so, we'll need dates and times to tune in and cheer.

Have a brilliant time, but *do* remember to come back!

It should be good! I'm not doing radio interviews, but working on a radio related new community project. I can't be more specific at the moment, but I'll definitely invite all of the h2g2'ers in to check it out once the site launches. At the moment we're training up the Editors and Community Editors who'll be working on the new sites, and making sure that they're starting up with the right sort of content and the right sort of approach.

When h2g2 first started up we got it totally wrong, the content was written by the h2g2 Writing Team and it was far too 'funny' and unfactual. It took us quite a long time to get over that, because we set an example, and it turned out to be an example of exactly what we *didn't* want. We're trying to help others not to make all the mistakes we did!

I'm always going to be round here somewhere though Jimi, 'you can log out anytime you like, but you can never leave!'

So are you saying We are all just prisoners here Of our own device

And this other project - anything to do with F647?thread=106102 ?

So, when will normal researchers get an "answerphone" mode for their personal spaces?

Take care,

Joanna xxx

Just coz I'm extremely nosy and can't help asking awkward questions

I noticed a certain 'radio related new community project' that was asking people to send in photographs, does this mean we're getting closer to being able to post our own photos to the site?


whisky

Hi Jimi

No, these two projects are unrelated! It'll all become much clearer in a few weeks' time I hope!

Hi whisky!

"I noticed a certain 'radio related new community project' that was asking people to send in photographs..."

Are you thinking of the http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/360/360/ project? I can't think of any other that might be asking for photos.

Photos, again still on the list, but not exactly close at the moment. We'll get there, bit by bit!

Not 360, just looking through a few BBC local radio sites and they appear to have a joint project going that's just screaming out to be DNAed... and one of the sites was asking for photos....


If they eventually went over to DNA, and considering the fact that 360 is asking for videos, wouldn't it rather let H2G2 researchers' photos in through the backdoor?

Drat!

My powers of deduction must be slipping...

Now where did I leave my deerstalker?

Ooo, I wonder if the local radio thing is the same one that we're working on?

To set up pictures on h2g2 we have to have a rather large server to store them, we also have to set up some kind of picture moderation system, otherwise people could use copyright images or post up porn. It is on the plan to do, but it'll just take time to sort out. On the good news front is we have a new Producer starting on Monday, and she'll be taking up a lot of the management and administration that took up so much of mine and Mark's time. This frees us up to work on setting up new cool stuff, like adding a picture facility. If/when we set this up we'll probably set it up so that all DNA sites can use it. It's definitely on the to do list, we just have to work out how to make it a workable system. Now we have more time, we can get working on this kind of thing, which is totally fab!

Nothing will happen for a while though, cos both Mark and I are away for the next couple of weeks training DNA people, we're off to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, then Devon, then Lancashire. Should be interesting, I've never been to Belfast!

Yup, it's the same one ...

*whispers sneakily *
- you can't keep anything from us, and if you want to find out how I know, just send large amounts of used notes in a brown paper bag to....



whisky

just to leave a cryptic clue .... yes it's the Same One Peta

(check out the capital letters )

Oh you are a clever thing Whisky! Keep quiet about it though, we don't want to spoil the surprise!

I know nothing

*in best spanish waiter's accent*

Someone had better tell BBC Scotland; they don't know anything about it either

'so they can concentrate on spreading DNA throughout the BBC'