E2, while being the world's premier database of writings of all kinds, also has its own vocabulary.

Some is quasi-technical, referring to the code and data that backs the site: nodes, writeups, links. These are not particularly unique. Soft link (as used here) is.

Then there are ones that outsiders might recognize from other contexts, especially gaming: XP.

And there are E2's own: noders, nodevertising, chings, the catbox, the bots like Klaproth (enjoying retirement), Cool Man Eddie (still delivering glad tidings), probably others I've forgotten.

And the most unique: the nodegel. Ah, the nodegel. What is the nodegel? It's hard to pin down (or to nail to a wall). The nodegel is you, it's me, it's the writeups we've agonized over and the ones we've drunkenly tossed in to await their fate. It's memories of fled noders.

And ... there's the sidegel. A portion of the nodegel that can only be seen by some, and yet there is different sidegel in many corners of E2. And it's easier to describe: sidegel is nodegel in progress, being shaped toward perfection in your eyes, a bit of nodegel waiting to be realized (though sadly, it might not be).

Sidegel is your drafts. Sidegel can lay neglected for months or years, becoming dessicated. Or it can quickly be shared, bringing a bit of excitement to all who see it in the New Writeups. It's all up to you. The nodegel is what we collectively make it.

Don't forget the sidegel!

Side Quest 2024