A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 1

Ste

This place is getting big. Very big. Is it time to have an official Chatroom at h2g2 that is distinct from Ask the h2g2 community? Then we could get back to the original vision of askh2g2, and make it a little less random.

Or is it too late?

Opinions?

Stesmiley - mod


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 2

Researcher 177704

<./>MiscChat</.>

There kind of already is one smiley - smiley

smiley - rocket


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 3

Emmily ~ Roses are red, Peas are green, My face is a laugh, But yours is a scream

There conversations here A746219 for and against a chat room..there's probably lots of other simular threads too..

What would be different?..IMO..a busy conversation is not that much different from a chat room..

Emmily
smiley - rose


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 4

Researcher 177704

I think the main argument against a chatroom on h2g2 is that content would be lost - defeating the overall idea of the Guide. I don't see what would be wrong with a chatroom hosted by the BBC though smiley - smiley

smiley - rocket


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 5

Ste

MiscChat is barely used, perhaps there could be a migration of threads there? Though I'm not sure it'll be worth it; it will also probably be to disruptive to this place too. Hmmm.

I wasn't talking about a realtime chatroom, more somewhere where people can go and ask what their favourite type of bread is, etc. Nothing wrong with asking that question, I take part in those types of thread too, it's just that it's more chatty than other threads.

*shrug*

Stesmiley - mod


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 6

Aargain

Yay chatrooms!I hope it is as good as ifmuds'. smiley - biggrin


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 7

Dr Deckchair Funderlik

This very issue is being discussed at the Community Soapbox here:
F55683?thread=264448

My own view:

Keep AskH2G2 as it is - to avoid segregation.

Have a new area sanctioned by the eds.

This new area only for questions that are based on a practical or intellectual need which would be satisfied with an answer.

This criterion avoids needless elitism, while ruling out questions posed just to have a game: (4 word answers),
or be amusing (Nighthoover),
or just for the sake of conversation - (What can you see out of your window?)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these, but it would be very useful to someone who has a question based on need to know there is a place where that has a good chance of getting a serious answer.


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 8

Ste

Excellent Deckchair! I shall pootle on over to that link to join in the discussion. Thank you.

Stesmiley - mod


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 9

There is only one thing worse than being Gosho, and that is not being Gosho

There's a noticeable absence of Eds in any of these threads so far smiley - sadface


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 10

Mina

We are reading them, but it's getting a bit difficult to keep up when new threads keep cropping up. We don't want to have to say thigns three times! Do you want to pick a thread that covers all the things that Researchers want to say? That way we can concentrate in one place.


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 11

IctoanAWEWawi

personally, I wouldn't want to have to say 'thigns' once, bit of a mouthfull smiley - winkeye

smiley - run


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 12

kea ~ Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small, unregarded but very well read blue and white website

Mina, I'd be interested to hear the Editors' perspective too. How about on the Feedback thread? F55683?thread=264448 (it seems to be more orientated to solutions than the others).


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 13

Mina

Abi is working through that one as we speak. But we aren't ignoring you, just reading slowly to make sure that we don't miss anything.


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 14

kea ~ Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small, unregarded but very well read blue and white website

smiley - ok


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 15

Lady in a tree

smiley - laughI have a picture in my mind of the italics pointing to each word as they read them . . . l - i - k - e . . . . t - h - i - s . . .


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 16

The Groob

I don't think a chat room would be good for H2. They have a habit of attracting the wrong sort of chatters. H2 is a good sanctuary from chat room sort of nonsense. However, I've thought of posing a question (in a thread) about having a meet-up one night in an established chat room. Any thoughts?


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 17

Aargain

I am apart of a mud. Yes there are some weard people there.smiley - smiley Other than those few the rest of the people are alright.


smiley - dragonAargain


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 18

The Artist Formerly Known as Nerd42

hehe, very funny aargain, an h2g2MUD. I don't think so.

But a chatroom would be good because right now, because otherwise, what good is the "Who's Online" feature? That encourages live communication, but the whole rest of the site hinders it. I suggest not a chatroom, but more like an IRC. (internet relay chat) with multiple channels for different topics or maybe a #life #universe and #everything or... oh, I dunno.


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 19

Cheerful Dragon

Very late reply to Dr Deckchair's posting #7

The original purpose of Ask H2G2 *was* to answer questions based on 'a practical or intellectual need'. OK, some of the questions weren't deep and meaningful, and they didn't lead to heavy intellectual debate, but they weren't ultra-trivial. IMHO, the problem with Ask H2G2 at the moment is the plethora of games and 'What did you have for breakfast?' type of questions. There has been a games forum set up, to which the games threads could be migrated. The ultra-trivial questions could be migrated to Misc Chat. Both forums could be linked to the Ask H2G2 page - I notice that Misc Chat doesn't even get a mention, even though it's the ideal place for some of the conversations that are taking place on Ask H2G2.

Maybe the problem is that Misc Chat isn't publicized enough. Or maybe I just haven't been looking for it!

smiley - bigeyessmiley - dragon


Time to make an official h2g2 chat room, separate from Ask h2g2?

Post 20

The Artist Formerly Known as Nerd42

Here's the answer: Put links to all these other places on the Ask h2g2 page. That way most everybody would see 'em.

But that still doesn't give us live communication between researchers which is what I want.


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