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

In spite of the general positivity about this site continuing to exist post-BBC, and the herculean effort put in by a large number of immensely talented and dedicated volunteers, I think there's one thing missing. One thing bringing everything and everyone down.

It's this.

There just aren't enough threads about the site itself, about site culture, about moderation, about various other policies. The problem with this site is that we just don't do enough navel gazing. We're not nearly self-obsessed enough. As a site and as a community, we're the anti-narcissus. An unexamined life is not worth living, and therefore the more examining we do into the life of the site, the better. Obviously.

When do we ever take time out from writing and reviewing guide entries, posing and answering questions in 'Ask', bickering about religion, blaming 2legs, and trying to get featured on QotD to take a long hard look at ourselves and pose some serious questions? It seems as if no-one is ever brave enough to start a thread or risk derailing an existing discussion.

We're in real danger of drifting away from DNA's original vision for this site, as one in which researchers will endless analyse and re-analyse the community, the site rules, the interpretation of the site rules, and the 'atmosphere'. It was meant to be the guide to it's own life, it's own little universe, and everything about h2g2. Shamefully, 'h2g2 researcher' has come to mean 'researcher for the h2g2 website' rather than the original intention of 'researcher into the h2g2 website'. This needs to change.

Which brings me to my modest proposal. That we set up a completely new site dedicated expressly and exclusively to the study and discussion of this site. I propose the name 'Hitchikers Guide to the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, or h2g2h2g2tG for short, though that's probably the chemical name for something explosive.

Naturally all discussion of the politics/culture/rules of this new site will be banned for being excessively meta, PoMo, and silly.

I completely agree Otto. I don't spend enough of my life talking aobut h2g2.

I mean I had a conversation last week with my wife that wasn't about h2g2 at all, it was most improper. Of course it was essential otherwise I wouldn't of known I had to pick the cat up from the vet, but usually we manage to get some important h2g2 discussion during this.

FB