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

I read this entire entry, and much of the conversations. I think you should be happy that H2G2 is alive and well. As far as censorship goes, remember: we are RESEARCHERS for The Earth Edition of the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. This means that our contributions are subject to editing. I'm all for free speech too, but does vulgarity really belong in a Guidebook? There are many more fitting sites to swear on (at? ) And isn't it fun to see how close you can come to breaking the F***ing rules?

The only thing that is any inconvenience is not being able to use HTML. But I'm slowly getting into GuideML, it's not so bad...

I say enjoy what you can while you can, it's not much fun being negative.

>I think you should be happy that H2G2 is alive and well.<

It is alive but not "well."

I don't have to like it. I don't have to tolerate it. I don't have to get over it. I don't have to be happy with the table scraps that BBC has given us.

>...we are RESEARCHERS for The Earth Edition of the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. This means that our contributions are subject to editing.<

A few months ago at h2g2, there were Edited guide entries and there were Unedited guide entries. Now they're all Edited, just some are more edited than others. And I think you're confusing the title of h2g2 with the reality of it. The main focus is as a guidebook, and it has turned into an awesome source of essays and critiques on places to go, things to do, bits of history, legitimate information.

But in between the Official entries, the guide has also generated a community, and many people like myself have used the system for posting short stories, poetry, journals, old essays from school, etc. These things were freely allowed in the old h2g2, and no one who posted junk like this worried about them being accepted or approved or edited. These were bits that we knew would never be admitted into the sacred, elitist, OFFICIAL section of the guide, and we didn't care, so long as we could hang around together and share.

Now we can only share things within the scope of BBC's sanitation rules. These are words that schoolchildren know and use in every country. These are words that have been accepted as art for hundreds of years, words that have gone into popular books in our libraries for a hundred or so years depending where you live, and words that we should not have to omit just because BBC is unwilling to join us in the Twenty-First Century.

>I say enjoy what you can while you can, it's not much fun being negative.<

I say take what you deserve; it's not dignified to settle for any less.

I haven't seen so much whining and crying since kindergarten!!

If you don't like it, start your OWN damn guide!!

I did start my own guide, about two years ago. It was the posts I wrote on a place called h2g2.com, and it was a great place.

I'd like to save that guide, but I'm afraid a large body of former contributors and potential new users will go "start their own guides" at other sites if these restrictions stay in place.

Sorry if my desire to express myself seems like "whining" to you. But I won't sit quietly and play nicely with others, like the other proles who are afraid to cry out.

Exactly, with all due respect Cloughie : Who do you think built the bloody guide over the last couple of years ?

BTW : If you want some *real* examples go to my journalentries at U45152. I don't really feel like repeating myself all the time, so I collect my thoughts there.

There is MUCH more it than you see at the moment. If this continues the guide will be brought down to it's knees. The topics will still be chosen by the researchers, but they will all have that neat and totally unrealistic set of rulez in the back of their heads.

No more articles about writers or musicians, oh no ! You might quote from one of their articles ! Auntie won't like that, even though it is perfectly legal. Just not on h2g2 because the BBC are unnecessarily paranoid.

One small example : I cannot put a single quote in a journalentry or a forumpost because "They do not reflect the opinion of the BBC'. OF COURSE THEY DON'T. They are My Opinions. However, as soon as I submit a real article for the guide I CAN put these quotes in it, because once approved it WILL be the opinion of the BBC. This means very simply that NOTHING that is published on h2g2 can go beyond the BBC-rulez, but that at the same time there is one set of rulez for the researchers and another set for the BBC. Talk about killing the guide. And don't get me wrong : I am not protesting, I am getting f*****g furious ! (let's see how lng it takes before they filter that one out). WE built the contents of the guide, the BBC was interested in that content, and now they are preventing us from continuing with the job.

And don't tell me all of this won't happen, because it already IS happening !

Sorry, getting carried away again I guess.

TM.

Why can't they just hide all the h2g2-contents until you have registered ?
That way there is no way that the BBC can be held liable. After all, you DID sign the terms and conditions when you registered. Including the fact that you accept that your input May Be moderated after it has been published. Not before, free speech is what built the guide in the first place.

TM.

I know I should but I still havent been
arsed to read the rules and stuff and I
(like every one elce on the net) didnt
bother to read the terms and conditions when I
signed up.
All I know is that there rules are vage and that they have
banned about 6 of my posts so far and loads of my old
posts plus they have taken away my lovely pics.
New H2g2 users can not apresated the fact that
us 'veteran' users feel a sence of connection
with h2g2 will like it and we did help to build it
plus the fact that us UK residents HAVE to pay for
the BBC all of which means that it is our place not theirs!

Ok, Ok, I see your points. I guess I have fallen so far away from the guide in the last few months that I've forgotten what it used to be like. I wasn't as into it as a lot of researchers. I guess I just don't feel the restraints of the new rules so much yet. I WOULD like to get back some of my journal though!!!

Sorry for putting down your cause, but I still think that TPTB only did what they had to to keep the place going, it's got to be a lot of work to run a place this size.

Hope things get straightened out,

Cheers!

Hi Cloughie,

You said :

Sorry for putting down your cause, but I still think that TPTB only did what they had to to keep the place going, it's got to be a lot of work to run a place this size.

No worry, we are in the middle of a discussion so these things are bound/supposed to happen

As for the rest of the statement : I completely agree. I have written so many posts regarding this subject in the last couple of days that I don't know where I put it. But I posted something very similar on one of the forums.

And as I know the people at the Towers personally I *know* that they are not the reason for these new rulez.

TM.