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

yes we could & (IMHO) should

Of course we could. And, given the community we have it's unlikely to be as bad as moderating, say 606. But there will always have to be someone at the top who will take the flak when things get ugly as they will one day, that's all.

I also think we should start slow, even if not everything works right from the start and then make improvements step by step.

You could but the very nature of volunteer moderating changes the whole dynamics, I don't think it is going to be a profit making enterprise at all, even with advertising.

Advertising will bring in some revenue but not much unless you are getting vast number of hits to the site. I personally think advertising will spoil h2g2 and what it stands for.

I'm very involved with another website, and our volunteer group, that picks content for the site, decided to remain anonymous. There is so much animosity when somebody perceives that you made a "wrong" decision. Even being anonymous, it still hurts. You have to be able to shrug and get on with your work.

Modding is a very difficult job. You'd need some thick-skinned volunteers to take on the job.

Actually, a lot of that can be tempered by cutting back on the level of moderation we currently have. Much of the moderation here is BBC driven.

The buttons have been here forever and they are a great first level.

Down the line other options may open up. Possibly up and down voting. let the community at large decide what remains visible. Make an offensive post and it gets buried. Want to still see what it said, feel free but you'll know what to expect.

Just a thought.

After years of a stagnant h2g2 (not to blame our Editors, who I have always had great respect for) I think this is a great opportunity in some ways. The BBC supported h2g2 for years, and for that I'm grateful, but it also held it back and contained it for just as long. The community has always been the site's saving grace. Look at things like the UG and the Post. We have had capable volunteer analogues of the Editors for years.

I'm with this effort. I'll donate (I'd be willing to do a recurring donation) obviously. Not being technically-inclined, I don't know what other contributions I can offer in the transition, but when h2g2 becomes an independent entity, I'll offer everything I've got as a volunteer, researcher, community member, etc. Glad to see there are still lots of people with passion for h2g2 left.

I*ve just read all the threads, and all the google threads, and my brain is now leaking out of my ears.

But yes.

Mol

Same here.

Yes that's what we thought when we started out, everyone believed they were free of BBC censorship!! That belief in itself can be a problem as there are laws out there you have to be aware of for example inciting racial hatred. If the site is in the public domain which it will be I assume? Then unfortunately you can't just allow people to say and type what they like. There are also issues of liable etc. etc. and websites/owners are responsible for the content they publish. The persistent trolls and spamers make life very difficult.

Managing the actual guide, the technical side etc. I'm sure as a community you will have no problem with, it is moderating all those threads and conversations that will be the most time consuming.

DR Z I shall join the google group when I have full internet access.
The forum side of things could be handled by pro-boards or simular. They are free and seem good to use, the advertising is not very intrusive. The guide is the tricky part isnt it .
You have my support, for what its worth.

I don't think it's outlandish to envisage the guide as a collaborative blog - I regularly read one of these which easily has as many contributors as we have active writers. It is well run, it commands a significant amount of attention from professional writers and journalists and it manages to survive the moderation issue. And that's a blog about Northern Ireland politics - a subject that can get far more heated than any discussion I've *ever* seen on h2g2.

In conjunction with that there could be a message board like the ones you mention, which could easily serve the function of Peer Review, Ask h2g2, miscChat, and so on.

I really don't think we should be daunted by this. In many ways it's a fantastic opportunity. I don't think it need be as complicated as we fear.

We're gonna need a Gallery, a 'room' where we can post pics.
And a music room where we can post music.
And a TV studio where the aviators can do their video thingy.
And a wine cellar.
And a cage for 2legs...

And yeah, I'm sure most of us on the other side of the ocean
will be glad to help out with some user fees.


~jwf~

Which laws apply to content depend on where the site's hosted. But yes, the new community might need legal advice (or might need to censor even more strongly than the BBC does in some areas).

TRiG.

That's exactly the type of thing I mean when I say an opportunity, jwf. Photo galleries, sound clips, A/V content - these are all options that are open to us with greater flexibility than we had under BBC stewardship.

Just today I thought it would be great if we could have more pictures in Entries because all these outside links tend to not work anymore after a while.

Well, if there's anyone that's ever been on h2g2 that I have any way of getting ahold of online that hasn't heard the news by now, it's not my fault!

Great job Amy.

I wondered where they all were coming from.
And my apologies to anyone who may have taken offense
to my use of the phrase 'coming out of the woodwork'
in several threads. It is good to see from you all.

~jwf~

Count me in. I'll buy lottery tickets. And work on any future netiquette squad.