Become a Traveller | Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe

The Guide exists for one simple reason: to record everything there is to know about the universe, including a great many things that there isn’t.

It is assembled collaboratively by beings of varying expertise, reliability, and attention span. Some contributors are leading authorities. Others once read a sign incorrectly and felt compelled to elaborate.

You are invited to join them.

BECOME A TRAVELLER

The Guide exists for one simple reason: to record everything there is to know about the universe, including a great many things that there isn’t.

It is assembled collaboratively by beings of varying expertise, reliability, and attention span. Some contributors are leading authorities. Others once read a sign incorrectly and felt compelled to elaborate.

You are invited to join them.

NOTE: This picture may be propaganda

The Guide is designed to be useful, reassuring, and only occasionally accurate. Its primary functions include:

Explaining the Universe: Or at least providing something to read while it happens.

Recording Facts: Including disputed, dubious, and entirely fabricated ones.

Blending Reality and Invention: Preferably without warning.

The Guide does not insist on strict accuracy. It merely encourages entries that are convincing enough to be quoted later.

What the Guide Is For

Becoming a Contributor to the Guide

Establish Your Existence

Before contributing, you must create an account, thereby confirming that you exist in some form.

Choose a username that you will recognise later.

Provide an email address that can locate you if necessary.

Select a password you will immediately forget.

Once complete, you are officially qualified to explain things to the rest of the universe.

General Guidelines (Largely Ignored, But Important)

The Guide maintains a set of principles, which contributors are encouraged to be aware of:

Respect Copyright: If you didn’t invent it, at least pretend you know who did.

Aim for Neutrality: Present information as though it were sensible, even when it clearly isn’t.

Be Polite: Especially when correcting someone who is completely wrong in a very confident way.

Choosing What to Add to the Guide

Selecting a topic is one of the most important decisions you will make, and also one of the least permanent.

Consider:

What You Know: Or what you can describe persuasively.

What Is Missing: Entire planets, concepts, or mildly interesting sandwiches.

What Sounds True: This is often sufficient.

If a subject seems underexplained, it is your responsibility to overexplain it.

Writing Entries for the Guide

Structure (So It Looks Intentional)

Introduction: State what the thing is, or what it might be.

Main Section: Provide details, theories, and any suspiciously specific information.

Conclusion: Leave the reader slightly more informed and slightly less certain.

Style (Important)

Be clear, even when the subject is not.
Be concise, or at least shorter than absolutely necessary.
Be engaging, as readers may escape at any moment.

Supporting Your Claims

If you wish to appear credible, include references:

Link to sources that sound authoritative.
Add notes that imply deeper knowledge.
The Guide values sources highly, especially when no one checks them.

Working with Other Contributors

The Guide is a collaborative effort, which means other people will interfere with your work.

Ask questions when confused (which is encouraged).

Offer feedback that is helpful, or at least interesting.
Accept that your carefully written entry may be improved, altered, or completely reinterpreted.
Always remember: if someone edits your work, they are probably wrong, but possibly not.

Sharing Your Work

Once you’ve contributed to the Guide, you may wish others to read it.
Share it in appropriate places.

Mention it casually in conversation.

Insist it is accurate if challenged.

Observing the Effects

After publishing, you may notice:

People reading your entry
People questioning your entry.
People improving your entry in ways you did not expect.

This is normal and should not be taken personally, unless it is.

Why Contribute to the Guide?

Because every entry adds to a growing body of knowledge that attempts to describe the universe in a way that is:

Informative
Entertaining
Occasionally alarming

Your contribution may educate, confuse, or inspire others—sometimes all at once.

Final Note

The Guide is not perfect.

It is, however, large, widely consulted, and surprisingly confident.

You are now part of the problem.

Good Luck fellow traveller and Don’t Worry