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

I don't know about everyone else, but I've seen a dramatic increase recently in Researchers with spaces like:

hey, y'all, wazzzap..14/f/ny wanna chat any hot guys drop me a line

Too many researchers are under the *false* impression that this is a chat server. The place is a community, yes, but a community with a pupose. We are here to build an encyclopedia of Life, the Universe, and Everything, growing and changing with its wide span of subject matter. Sure, we have fun here with unrelated community events, but that's not the primary idea.

The problem is bad as it is; giving h2g2 a permanent chat server will only make it worse. I have trouble with the idea of a special-event chat room as well, but for different reasons. A permanent chat server is sure to become full of the same thing that fills every other chat room on the Internet. And without as much backlog of the 'right' use of the site, new researchers will have less of an idea of how to function in this community.

-Spike A.

Well, you're exaggerating with 'every' anyway: unless my old haunts have gotten wilder while I've been away...

Objecting to chat rooms because they make frivolous talk easier seems to close to social engineering for my tastes. Personally, I think that allowing and encouraging the frivolous talk feeds back into the Edited portion, which feeds back into the talk, and so on. As long as the Guide idea is given the emphasis it deserves, all to the good.

hey, y'all, wazzzap..14/f/ny wanna chat any hot guys drop me a line

Sorry, that's me ... I must have accidently switched the numbers in my age though ...

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hi..another reason for not having a chat room..i believe most of the people who would use it are those who have come here from LD (chat rooms)..&..most of those are here via email link..i think it's very likely that these people wont be able to access chat room here due to digibox memory capability..

emmily

Lucinda,

> Well, you're exaggerating with 'every' anyway: unless my old haunts have gotten wilder while I've been away...

Well...yes. Yes, that was a blatant exaggeration. I'm very sorry, and I'll never do it again. No, wait, that was one too.

The real point:

> Objecting to chat rooms because they make frivolous talk easier seems to close to social engineering for my tastes.

Point taken. In fact, I agree.

> Personally, I think that allowing and encouraging the frivolous talk feeds back into the Edited portion, which feeds back into the talk, and so on. As long as the Guide idea is given the emphasis it deserves, all to the good.

My fear is that the talk *won't* feed back into the Guide at all. I worry that many *won't* give emphasis to the Guide, specifically these 'chat types' I've mentioned. Nothing against that kind of chatter, but it doesn't really 'belong' on h2g2.

Perhaps my worry stems from a fear of control. Here in the fora, ACEs and others who may as well be ACEs can 'steer' newbies a bit so that they can understand the environment and culture and become, hopefully, 'melded', though not simply 'assimilated', continuing the melting pot of h2g2, the sum of its parts and more. Perhaps I am afraid of newbies overruning the room(s) and turning it into something it shouldn't be.

I believe Peta was trying to set up a test room to try out a one-time chat and see how it goes. I'm up for that.

-Spike A.

..... have you ever thought of the
..... elderly and house bound? The
..... chat rooms are their only way
..... of getting to chat to so many
..... people and making friends.

...... Marion

if they're here via pc..they have the whole of the net to choose from..with lots of choice of chat rooms..if they're here via digibox..it will probably be another part of h2g2 that is not accessable..i like ask the h2g2 community..can't access it..

emmily