Random Ramblings Special
Created | Updated Aug 19, 2009
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Surprise!
I know, we're supposed to be on our annual Summer Break, but sometimes, there are events that need being reported now, and not weeks later. Like the h2g2 MOT which is going ahead as you read. Or maybe it is finished, but we're still awaiting a detailed report.
It all started with an Announcement by the eds on Friday, 7 August 2009. Now, like everyone else, the eds know that the announcement drops down conversation lists quickly (due to the fact that the threads are closed, so nobody can post there and keep them at the top), and that there are lots of people who aren't subscribed to them in the first place, so they opened another thread on Ask h2g2, and the feedback there was very good. Sure, it wouldn't be hootoo without a series of disruptive posts, but even after more than a week, the conversation is still pretty much on topic. At the time of writing, there wasn't even a great deal of name-calling, although quite a number of people were upset by a few postings in the BBC Internet Blog: MOTs: Putting h2g2 through its paces which this is all about.
Those of you who have been on their summer holiday and missed all the excitement may wonder what exactly I'm talking about, so here's a summary: like other 'significant components of BBC online', h2g2 is submitted to a review to
...ensure they serve our audiences well and meet our current quality and accessibility standards.
For a detailed description read the BBC blog linked to above. When I went to read the blog, I was very worried about the very first reply to it (as were others). I was a little upset, too, because I couldn't (and still can't) understand why somebody who isn't involved with hootoo any more insists that the BBC should dump it and that it should be run by its users. It puzzles me. However, that seems to be FrankieRoberto's idea of the future of h2g2, for whatever reason. In an attempt to get as many hootooers involved as I possibly could, I spread the word, posting links in the Atelier and in my journal, and lots of people went and posted their two cents' worth. Everybody was very civil, the replies were well put and not off topic, which was great to see. However, there was no reaction of Seetha (the BBC controller in charge of MOT and this blog), so after about a week we all got a little restless.
Enter Nick Reynolds, who told us not to worry, linking to his BBC Internet Blog: Pic of the day: h2g2 MOT where he gave some more information, and had put up a really comforting picture. If you go there, you'll see that he promised to give us more details (at the time of publication he may already have done so, so best check out his blog for updates).
Completely undeterred from the good news, the discussion on the first blog went on, with a second former h2g2 researcher weighing in with his negative opinion. Apparently, he hoped for us to attack him, but those who've known him knew better, and told those who don't know him to leave him well alone and not start any name calling. It has worked. People replied to his posts, but in a rational way, as should be, apart from the fact that off-topic posts would very likely have been removed. Yes, imagine that! Somebody posted a link to yet another BBC blog, and there were incredibly many removed posts. Not because they were offensive, but – wait for it – because they were off topic! Just imagine this were to become policy here on h2g2! Most threads on Ask h2g2 would be moderated from about the third post on! Admittedly, off-topic posts can be very disruptive, as can be seen in the h2g2 MOT thread, but more often than not, they stir some interesting debate and witty replies (some of which may even end up as 'Quote of the Day' on the Front Page). Give me h2g2 any time, but I'll never get the hang of blogs. You can't even 'subscribe' to a specific blog, to get to know about new posts. You have to subscribe to the whole package, which means you can either subsribe (via RSS feed) to all BBC blogs, or to all blogs of a specific person. My browser offers to subscribe to an RSS feed, which I did. When I found out that I couldn't delete all the sports blogs and what have you, I cancelled the whole subscription.I have now subscribed to Nick Reynold's blog, but knowing me, I'll forget to check it. Anyway, going by what Nick said, h2g2 has passed its MOT, so we can 'drive the car'; and who knows, maybe h2g2 is going to be a star (ie getting more attention and support by the BBC). For its users, h2g2 already is a star.
Wednesday night, and still nothing really official - at least not in the blog, as promised. However, in her Announcement from earlier today, Natalie told us that1:
[...] the MOT process went even better than we could have expected and the h2g2 redesign process is well underway.
On that positive note, I'll leave you with this very topical, Special Summer Special of the h2g2 Post. Enjoy!
