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

Creating this summary is a constructive thing to do and will help in explaining the key points of the discussion. You've also gone about it in the right way - allowing the community to discuss/suggest changes.

I think it would be well-worth referencing this thread: F94020?thread=258677 and summarising the ideas there. You can use this copy if you like:

Alternative Suggestions

Whilst many people would like to be able to discuss the war in all areas of h2g2, as part of natural conversations (eg on personal spaces), there have been alternative, intermediate suggestions, most of which are discussed in this thread.

h2g2-refugee Messageboard

J'au-æmne suggested the creation of a specific messageboard targetted at DNA/h2g2 users, where the war can be discussed. This has the adantages of allowing researchers to talk to the people they already know, but has the disadantages outlined above of using messageboard-technology

War-specific Forum

There could be a specific forum created for discussion of the war. This has a precedent with the 9/11 incident. It could be on h2g2 - though this is currently peer-moderated, with the ability to put a particular forum into post-moderation requiring technical updates. Or it could be on an existing or new DNA site which is in post-moderation, the most likely option being the hub.

I also believe this to be a highly constructive, let us hope also productive entry.
Mighten an additional alaternative be that all discussions were limited to a single entry, such that all conversations regarding the war were restricted to an assigned, agreed entry? well, just another idea to ponder (or reject)

That's what I meant by 'war-specific forum' above...

Oh, ok, sorry, brain can't be working too effeciently, or I didn't read very carefully

respect.

i don't post on h2g2 very much, mostly on collective, but obviously this policy affects all the DNA sites.

that is an excellent summing up of the arguments.

i don't work on these areas of the site, but i am BBC staff, so i can really see both sides of the arguments.

the thing that has upset me has been seeing members of our online community slag off the moderators and community staff for doing what they *have* to do because it is the only way to keep the rest of the site running in this situation.

and i think some people have so not tried to understand that or walk a mile in their shoes. i know these people and i know they can't be altogether happy with this policy.

fantastic summary

Well said.

I think it's important to understand the reasons and intentions behind the policy, even if you don't agree with it. The problems presented by the policy are best resolved by sensible discussion and this is a good step forward.

Nice job!

Community spirit is alive and kicking

there is a discussion on the hub about the possibility of an are of DNA (based perhaps on the Hub itself) being set aside for the debate.

It might have been useful, if there wasn't such a short gap between teh 'proposed' guidelines, and their coming into effect. They could have started the debat over this months ago, and have had a solution up and running by now...

i think you will find that although it appears so, this wasn't an overnight decision, and there have been a lot of discussions about this for some time

discussions on h2? the first i heard of it was when it was announced a few days ago.

Same hear.
They obviously didn't go out of their way to announce discussion about it to the community, either through the DNA hub or on H2G2 announcements, or anywhere else I'm suscribed to.

Gosho said it two weeks ago.
Sort of a fair warning thing....said it was coming, if war did. It was on one of the heated threads about the war.

Gosho said it two weeks ago.
Sort of a fair warning thing....said it was coming, if war did. It was on one of the heated threads about the war.

> They obviously didn't go out of their way to announce
> discussion about it to the community, either through
> the DNA hub or on H2G2 announcements,
> or anywhere else I'm suscribed to.

=================

> Gosho said it two weeks ago.
> Sort of a fair warning thing....said it was coming, if war did.
> It was on one of the heated threads about the war.

=================

Does this sound familiar?

I think so

__________________

Mr Prosser said: "You were quite entitled to make any suggestions or protests at the appropriate time you know."

"Appropriate time?" hooted Arthur. "Appropriate time? The first I knew about it was when a workman arrived at my home yesterday. I asked him if he'd come to clean the windows and he said no he'd come to demolish the house. He didn't tell me straight away of course. Oh no. First he wiped a couple of windows and charged me a fiver. Then he told me."

"But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."

"Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything."

"But the plans were on display ..."

"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

"That's the display department."

"With a torch."

"Ah, well the lights had probably gone."

"So had the stairs."

"But look, you found the notice didn't you?"

"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."

_________________

>> i think you will find that although it appears so, this wasn't an overnight decision, and there have been a lot of discussions about this for some time

sorry - i didn't make myself clear - i did not mean that there had been an announcement and discussion 'on site', what i meant was the BBC didn't suddenly wake up on monday (or whenever) and make the policy up, then announce it within minutes - it has been an ongoing discussion for some time. and it is the same policy that applied during the general election, and to an extent during the conflict in afghanistan. hence 'although it appears so'.

and that leopard can be pretty lethal you know