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

Ok, here's a thing. I was idly perusing the Front Page earlier, and I noticed something. You know underneath the guide links there used to be a link that said 'Infinite Improbability Drive'? Well it's been replaced by a link saying 'Random Edited Entry'. Now, this bothered me somewhat. I've gotta say, for the past few months it's seemed like the spirit of Douglas Adams has been sapped from the site, and here, apparently, was proof. So I checked the Front Page that shows before you sign on, and every reference to Douglas Adams was gone. The only thing left was the 'Don't Panic' graphic.

Douglas Adams is an important person to me, and he was the reason I joined hootoo - he shaped it and made it great and unique. Now it seems like the bumps that were put into hootoo by him are being steamrollered flat. I realise that it's probably a BBC directive that sites have to be homogenous - but absolute conformity was never anyone's dream. It just seems like Douglas Adams' warmth and humour is being drained from the site by dry, humourless impersonal rule.

Maybe it's me. And yes, I am blowing this 'Improbability Drive' thing out of proportion... but it seems to me like it's the final clinching proof that the site is changing beyond recognition.

So here's my question - is it me? Or do other people feel the same?

All responses greatly appreciated.

FF you're not the only person who has asked me about this, and others also have simalar worries

But I don't know if it's just something I'm bothered about because I'm appreciative of Douglas Adams, or because I'm worried about the site. I suppose what I'm thinking is - can the site really function without some vestige of Douglas Adams? Because, without him there'd be a site, but it wouldn't really be hootoo.

Douglas Adams set this website in motion but he had very little to do with the running and operation of it, even in the early days. I've been told by people who were around (and even by some who were part of the project) that he pretty much set the ball rolling and then walked away, only coming back to it very occasionally because by then he was living in California and busy trying to get the film off the ground.

What it became after that (and remains to this day) was entirely down to the people who joined up during the first year or two - they're the people who shaped it more than DNA ever did. There never was any 'spirit of Douglas Adams' about h2g2 other than the fact that the people who were intially interested in joining and contributing were HHGTTG fans.

It's true though that deleting DNA and HHGTTG references can have subtle changes, but it's up to us to prevent that happening.

You can't really have a site that was shapped by HHGTTG fans and not have referance to some of the books and Douglas Adams, who wrote them.

But how? It seems that it's already happened. Or at least, started happening.

>>It's true though that deleting DNA and HHGTTG references can have subtle changes, but it's up to us to prevent that happening.<<

Well we failed, didn't we?

The way I see it, it's the little differences like the infinite improbability drive button that helped to separate us from the rest of the message-boards on the internet. It made us seem sort of quirky and interesting. Sure, when I first came across the button I had no idea what it did, but it only took a push to find out. So why change the name? A newbie who doesn't know what it does only needs to press it to find out. What good does it serve?

If we keep on normalising to be more open to new members then we're going to lose a part of what we are as a community, and I believe that process has already begun. Slowly, it seems to me, we'll just become wikipedia under a different name, and then the beeb will delete us since they can't fund sites if there's already something like it out there.

Maybe this site doesn't have DNA's actual spirit in it, but it does have, or at least did, have the idea of him behind it. That's part of what drew me into the site in the first place, and as that idea is being taken away, I find myself using the site less.

Why don't you email TPTB with your concerns and put that point across in your email GB

I'm a coward.

*poke* GET SOME BACKBONE MAN!


GO


GO DO IT


you know you want to really </>

We will *never* be Wikipedia under a different name, even though they've already started a peer review system.

How could we - we were doing it first and they're just *us* under a different name

If I emailed the italics then I doubt that they'd really care. I wouldn't listen to underlings if I were in a position of control.

But I do believe in free and open debate.

So unless they decide to close the thread...

TPTB
H2G2 Towers
c/o The Beeb
London
Londonland
England

Dear Powers

Can we please have our ball back please, Mister?

Yours faithfully

the Researchers

p.s. Can we have the infinite improbability drive back as well, while you're there?

RF

point is if everyone thinks like you, then this is the reason thinks get changed without consutation of the people who use the site.


They think we don't give a monkey's because no-one ever says anything

If Gandhi went and protested against British rule in India by himself he would have been shot. Instead he did the smart thing and got lots of people to go with him.

interesting. I just went ot the front page and got a 'you can help us by taking our survey' type pop up.

Off to fill it in now

"I wouldn't listen to underlings if I were in a position of control"
Then I'm damn glad you're not my boss.

F47998?thread=2780860

It's still referred to as the Infinite Improbability Drive in the FAQ... A308198-Explore#5

RF

Could I sign your letter too, please?

Yep. Follow link to thread above.

RF