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

I think for now, the best thing we can do is just carry on. Any final decisions should be months away from what the Eds have said, and until that time, the bugs are to be addressed in the new site and we've learned the old skins will be open, possibly with only a different URL, until then.

Yes!

>>What you need to understand though, taking this on would be a case of being able to do it in your spare time. This would need a core team of full time staff looking after it.

Pastey is right. Volunteers are all well and good, but with a website that people are accessing at all hours, you need a dedicated staff. The volunteers add to what staff does, but I don't know if it could replace it.

I point you to several sites that maintained by volunteers.

It's my understanding that at nights and weekends, the only people generally available to maintain the site were the moderators. Could be wrong though - but yes, many sites are maintained entirely by volunteers.

If the site were maintained by Volunteers, the core of those in charge, moderator's, techie's et al would have to have a representitive in all corners of the world or it will be chaos, I was once part of a site that had it's server in the US and the Server tech guy....in Australia so when the site went down they had to wait over 12 hours before tech guy was even aware there was a problem

One of the things we might have to get used to is that, yes. There might have to be more down time, and slightly cut back version of h2g2. You do what you can with the resources available, and those of the BBC will no longer be available.

I'm in too. Thanks Z for moving on this so fast.

I don't have any money, or the required techy skills, but I'll have a think about what I can do to help.

*cheerup**tea**cake**choc* (for the long haul)

(posting from barlesque *winkeye*)

Well, but it would be better than having no h2g2 at all and it could be changed later.

I see no reason why volunteers could not do the trick. I'm a member of sdf,org (a hacker (old style non-tabloid use of the word) community), it is a hugly complex operation with thousands of members and an annual operating budget of over $20,000, it is maintained entirly by volunteers and funded by its members.

Exactly, Tav.

Hi

Just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear the sad news about h2g2. I've never been a big user more sought refuge here when the Beeb started making cutbacks 3 or more years ago. I also don't like the new look of it either the black seems to have disappeared and to me that always made it seem like you were in space if that makes sense? So it should come back IMO if you are successful in buying it or getting it gifted.

Couple of things embarking on the running of a website/message board is a very big thing I know because I started Jezza Exiles when the BBC closed the R2 News & Current Affairs board. The costs are not so much an issue as the actual running of it. Whilst we might all moan about the anonymous moderators etc. when you have to make those decisions day in day out it is very difficult to not upset someone, especially if they know you. It becomes a full time and demanding job. So it is something you need to consider. It's not something with the benefit of hindsight I would embark upon again in the way I did by owning it personally and the community idea is ok but who would actually have ownership? There will be running costs I don't know the size of the files but I would imagine they are well pretty large and any server that hosts it will need to be able to cope with that and the traffic. Also the technical side will be pretty complicated I would have thought.

Having said that I believe that h2g2 represents an historical record of early networking etc. and information sharing in the UK's/World History and maybe this is the angle you need to focus on if you are to save it. We have English Heritage and the National Trust for buildings, places etc. but is there any reason why it should not now start to apply to technology? h2g2 is a very important record of "time" and how things were at that time all the stories and messages left that can't be deleted from people's pages and I believe it is very important that it survives. It also give a record in "time" of many very obscure facts about people and many other things....in that sense it is very unique.

Perhaps some kind of "Trust" might be the way forward?

I really do hope that you manage to preserve h2g2 and everything it stands for.

All the very best
BDG

I imagine moderation would be taken care of by a new volunteer group?

It would, HD, but the point is that it's actually a tough job which is thankless. You get a lot of hassle and spend your entire time dealing with the fringes of the group, have to deal with complaints and accusations of 'not being fair' and so on. It's not a job that I would relish. It's a shame Mina isn't here, she spoke about this before, I think.

I'm not shocked by there decision but truly saddened,
I would gladly help out in whatever way i could to save h2

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/25/preserving-digital-archive

Just a thought, also there may be some obscure funding available for this sort of thing from the National Lottery Fund, it's fairly simple to make a request for an amount of £10,000 and under, possibly worth researching?

I think also we need to write formal letters to the BBC asking for consultation on it as to the best way forward.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for charity funding. It's becoming increasingly harder to find - and I think you'd have a pretty tough case to make, anyway.

That is absolutely right Rip and that is why if you can get someone independent to take it on and moderate it then it would be much better.
Having said that the BBC outsources it's moderation so it there any reason why this could not be continued with the same company (or similar one) if the funding to keep it going could be found?

funding is the key word

True re funding but you don't wait for it you go and find it !!

I still thing the British Library is the best one to get advice from on this or possibly this organization?

http://www.dpconline.org/

Couldn't we start off with volunteer moderation, and then move onto proffessional moderation once we know that it's a good investment.