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

It's in the name, Mina. Hitchhiker's Guide to the GALAXY - not to the UK.

*blinks* But Mina, I wasn't aware you had actually written any solo entries, umm, ever? And apart from one in 2010, you don't seem to have contributed to joint entries since 2002. Are you saying Gnomon had taken over the site by 2002? It's a long time to wait to voice your concerns publicly.

Good Oh. That's the way to do it

Bring out your whinges
Make everyone feel good
Doesn't matter about the volunteers, they're big enough to take it aren't they







For god's sake

SHUT UP

for an hour
then get back on subject

Mina's solo entries (75+) are under her other account: U290

it might be a good idea for alla youse to take a break
and meditate upon just what is going on here

have you forgotten your postings are here to stay?
have you forgotten many folks read postings without being visible themselves?
have you any idea what kind of impression all of these shenanigans make on any reader?

honestly, you look like a bunch of people huddled over a table in some dark room
whispering and muttering amongst yourselves
totally unaware that that mirror on the wall is two way and the world is on the other side

wake up

My entries are here. A651025 It's not quite up to date, so there may be a few missing.

I haven't written an entry since Dec 10, which I pulled from PR in Feb this year because of the news about the site. I didn't want to keep writing for a site that might not exist. When it turned out it would still be here, the news about a certain person came to light and I wouldn't write any more.

HTH

"It's in the name, Mina. Hitchhiker's Guide to the GALAXY - not to the UK."

But one of those intergalactic languages has to be chosen to right it in, and DNA chose English.

*write*


I think a break is a good idea, especially if His Gnomonness won't be moved.

>>and DNA chose English<<

Quelle surprise. English was his native language after all. He worked and lived in the USA, too. Don't they speak English there?

And even though you choose to ignore that this wasn't a decision Gnomon made just because he can, it is still not true. The Guide Editors (plural) made the decision on the basis of the results of the discussion about it.

The two multi national internet giants Facebook and Twitter are American companies.

It would be oh so quaint silly for h2g2 to go for the option of anything other than being US English based.

Oh hang on h2g2's identity is wound up with being quaint and silly..

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

Actually

The new h2g2 people have got the hang of Thursdays..

This personal attack on Gnomon is an utter disgrace. Fortunately he has broad enough shoulders to not be put off. Those attacking him however should seriously consider whether they want to continue with this site, and if they wish to, in future to be considerate and polite to other people.

*furious and bitterly disappointed*

Ah, OK, I stand corrected. I thought that was a bit odd tbh.

But I do agree that the attack on Gnomon is uncalled for and, in my experience, wrong. And my experience is of somebody who doesn't have a venerable history of contributing to the Guide, but who is not ignored, sidelined, patronised or talked down by him when I venture an opinion on the Guide.

And furthermore, one of the reasons why I thought we could win the bid and continue to run the site back in January was because when I started (sporadically and very infrequently) visiting PR again after a long break in the last few years, the experience had improved out of sight from when I (sporadically and slightly more frequently) visited in earlier years. I was impressed by the adroit reviewing and by the tactful sub-editing and the overall expertise that the regular contributors and volunteers showed. My opinion of that has not changed now I am paying more attention either.

If that is Gnomons work, then good on him. But (no disrespect to Gnomon) I think that's the result of a lot of hard work, and experience and talent from all the editorial volunteers and contributors.

Just my opinion, of course.

'Those' ??? Apart from Mina's posts, who else has attacked Gnomon?


Bel, the issue for me is the unclarity (what will be changing and why?) and the fact that this process happened off site. I disagree that using British English as the House Style makes this a British site and thus insular. I say that as a non-Brit. I can see the case for changing the House Style, but having that conversation intentionally away from the community was a mistake. This thread was inevitable IMO and I doubt it will be the last.

What I think would be good would be a written explanation of changes in an Announcement, and, as most people know by now, I think more of the decision making process should be happening onsite. There are ways of doing that that don't mean the SVs hand over all decisions (or have to ask every researcher onsite ). It's about respect for the people here who have invested alot in the site as well as the SVs. And for the community. The outcome of the decision may well be the same, but the community may go through less drama.

Dear Researchers,

Please note that a change to the Guidelines: English Usage in Approved Entries
has now been made. This decision was taken after much discussion, and reached by consensus. It has now been approved by the Board of Not Panicking Ltd, and implemented today.

You may see the change here: A41950046

"in instances where an American author is writing on an American subject, then use of American spelling for that Entry is both sensible and acceptable"

which has now been added to the Guidelines.


Lanzababy

Guide Editor, on behalf of the whole Guide Editorial Team.

I generally have a lot of respect for Gnomon, but I have felt that some of his posts in this thread have been unnecessarily dismissive and disrespectful of the community. If one of the SVs is going to post and say 'we're in charge, too bad', and then belittle what is being said, then it's likely that people will respond badly to that

I hear you, Kea. Gnomon explained why this hasn't be announced yet.

I have no idea why the discussion wasn't taken to h2g2. Personally, I wouldn't have expected such drama and bitching (not you!) over a thing like this. That's not saying it isn't important, but I think it has been blown out of proportion here - like so many other things.

However, I fully understand the frustration of the community members who feel excluded. I've had such moments myself. I'm sure all volunteers had such moments at some point or another. Communication doesn't always work the way it should work. We can all but try to get better at this.

>>I generally have a lot of respect for Gnomon, but I have felt that some of his posts in this thread have been unnecessarily dismissive and disrespectful of the community. If one of the SVs is going to post and say 'we're in charge, too bad', and then belittle what is being said, then it's likely that people will respond badly to that erm<<

Well, I think it wasn't exactly like that. Gnomon pointed out that the decision had been made, so a huge discussion about the pro and cons now was mute. I haven't seen where he belittled anybody? Mina attacked him for personal reasons.

Thanks Bel I heard Gnomon's explanation and understand that to an extent. I still think that threads like this are a consequence of not keeping the community informed though. My problem with Gnomon's post were how he communicated.

The reason the noesis conversation happened away from the community was because the people running the conversation wanted to keep it away from the community. I think that was because they felt like they could work better that way (I assume the concern is that doing it in the community is more work and more likely to achieve less, and let's be honest, it's harder to make change in public). I was advised at the time that the people running the EG were to be trusted and that that was the best way of working.

If things are being blown out of proportion here, I think some of that is due to the frustration of having things change without being told in a good way, and being kept out of the process. So there is the frustration at the decision (unavoidable), but then there is the frustration from the process (largely avoidable IMO).

I didn't say he belittled any people, but that he belittled what was being said. I felt that when he said he wasn't going to ask every single researcher their opinion. That came across as a dismissive response to my posts about including the community. It's very marginalising to say something like that (as if I would think that *everyone* should be consulted).

>>so a huge discussion about the pro and cons now was mute.

I disagree. I think if the actual reasons were laid out clearly in a formal way, then we might still discuss things and it might still get heated, but at least we, the wider community, would (a) know what was going on, and (b) be less disempowered.

It interests me the differences between top down bbc decisions and top down SV/Core Group decisions. The impacts on the community seem different. I'm expecting to get slapped down at some point for posting as I am in this thread. We have a low tolerance for dissent currently. I can't tell how much of that is we're not supposed to criticise our peers (whereas criticising the BBC was fine), and how much is just that we're still in quite a chaotic phase of the move.