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

Ask to Misc Chat
F19585?thread=2946764

Ask to Researcher's journal
F19585?thread=2922586

Ask to Misc Chat
F19585?thread=2930738

I know you guys are busy and some of these are borderline.

The first one I agree needs to be moved. It'd be good if an explanation was given there about why it's been requested to move it.

The second one I think is legitimate to be in Ask. If someone wants to access a large number of researchers to ask their opinion, then Ask is the place to do it.

The third one, undecided (I agree that one is borderline).

Also this one.

F19585?thread=2879519 Ask to Misc Chat


az

I fail to see why researchers think they should suggest threads to be moved. If you don't like the conversations,there is a simple solution: unsubscribe from them. The inhouse team will move threads if they think these are in the wrong forum, so where is the problem ? BH, have you thought of discussing the topic with the researcher in question ? Or have you, az ? I think this should be the first step if you're having a problem.

The thing is, B'Elana, we don't read Ask h2g2 unless we're directed to it, so we don't usually get to see threads that should be somewhere else.

Moving threads reminds people of the other forums and keeps things a little tidier.

So what's the process, Jimster? Can anyone just request a thread be moved, and you'll do it, or should they, as Belana suggested, discuss it politely with the participants in the first instance?

>>we don't read Ask h2g2<< How can you not !
I could understand the point of moving threads when 'Ask' was flooded with things like'what is your cat wearing today', but now, there's only the odd thread or two which I don't think really harm, generally, 'Ask' is a very interesting place to be.

It isn't a question of any harm being done or having a problem, B'Elana. It's just helping out the italics in a sense, if a thread has been posted somewhere and would be more appropriate somewhere else. Since Misc Chat has been revived there are fewer (well, next to no) 'what did you have for breakfast' type theads on Ask now. For awhile it was being quite overrun with chat and games threads, which now have their own place for people looking for those types of threads.

Asking to have a thread moved to a more appropriate place isn't a criticism of the thread or the researcher at all - it's just an attempt to keep Ask, as Jimster said, a bit tidier and used for its original purpose.

az

And it's good to discuss borderline cases so we can see if one person's spam is another's main course.

...or something.

But generally, we'll look at the request, look at the first posting of the thread and make a call based on that. As with all feedback, we try to consider what the best result for the maximum amount of Researchers will be.

"I fail to see why researchers think they should suggest threads to be moved"
Then let me enlighten you - the Editors have told us we can and asked us to do it here and in this manner. It's not something that happens very often because it isn't often necessary.

What would be the point of talking to the Researcher about it? They can't move the thread - only the Editors can do that. This process has been in place for a long time and this is the correct way to go about it. If a Researcher starts a thread in one forum which is is more appropriate a different one, any other Researcher can request that the Editors move it to the correct forum - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. So far, the process hasn't been abused by anyone.

New Researchers sometimes post content to the Don't Panic pages (or any other Help Page) which ought to be on their personal space or in Misc Chat. More often it's a case of someone posting something to Ask which belongs in Misc Chat or in their journal. The question of unsubscribing from it or 'having a problem' doesn't arise - it's in the wrong place.

Well, better to say, I think, that it's in a less appropriate place rather than being in the 'wrong' place. But I reckon that's what you meant anyhow, BH.


az

I had no idea that you are one of the 'behind the scenes' volunteers BH, no editor has asked me to do this - and I am subscribed to the announcement page, but I can't remember having read a request like this there.

I agree that some threads should be moved, particularly if the forum is losing its focus.

A thread is trackable only if you are subscribed to it, but not everyone does subscribe - many just browse/lurk through the forums. If you move threads then those who browse this way will quickly lose track of them.

The participants in the thread and the resident browsers/lurkers may not agree with your unilateral action of asking the editors to move the thread - perhaps it would benefit from a discussion. It's common courtesy, surely, and it affords you the opportunity to explain to them which forum would be most appropriate for that thread.

It wasn't so much a 'behind-the-scenes' request as a very public invitation, B'Elana.

F77636?thread=656367

Well, it says:>> If you want one of your own conversations moved,...<<

that's different from: if you want other people's conversations moved - at least for me.
But thank you for digging that up for me, it shows that I don't mind the concept of moving threads as such, but more the concept of 'normal' people thinking they know everything best.

'Normal people'? This is h2g2 dearie - there's no-one normal here Unless you're normal. You're not normal are you? We might have to get HM QE2 revoke your birth certificate and force your parents to have another child if you are.

I think there was another thread discussing the process of Researchers bringing threads that might need moving to the attention of the Eds but I've no way of remembering where it was or of finding it. The upshot was that if anyone feels that a thread should be in a different thread they could request a thread move here... but I've explained this already. I've obviously got nothing more to add other than to say this is how it works. I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it. If you don't want to do it don't do it. It's that simple.

>>>
What would be the point of talking to the Researcher about it? They can't move the thread - only the Editors can do that. This process has been in place for a long time and this is the correct way to go about it. If a Researcher starts a thread in one forum which is is more appropriate a different one, any other Researcher can request that the Editors move it to the correct forum - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. So far, the process hasn't been abused by anyone.
<<<

When the original big lot of threads got shifted out of Ask last year there was quite a bit of discussion about it, including the need to let the thread involved know that a request had been made to shift it. I think this is a common courtesy, because otherwise people who don't understand about the need for appropriate thread placement get upset.

Also in some cases last year threads were shifted and the thread participants were rightly very upset because a case for not shifting was made and the threads were shifted back (the Canadian Lightfoot thread I think was one). Letting people know as the request can prevent a big hooha happening.

There was an informal protocol on this at the time. I'm unsure to what extent it's needed now although I do think there is a level of respect in letting people know that the thread they are in is being shifted.

"Letting people know as the request can prevent a big hooha happening."

--->

"Letting people know as the request is made can prevent a big hooha happening."

Thank you kea, I'm with you there.

BH : >>We might have to get HM QE2 revoke your birth certificate ..<< Can I just say that I'm only glad that the influence of HM QE2 ( took me a moment to work that one out,btw) doesn't stretch that far, so in case you intended to send her a request to 'revoke B'ELana's birth certificate and force her parents to have another child' - it will be totally in vain
Oh, and don't call me 'dearie'