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

Hi Babe

It is *good* to see you around again. I thought you might have some interesting things to say to these folks, and because it is possible that you and they might miss each other on the site, I am dropping by here to let you know about them.

Don't say anything to scare them now!



B


F1599167?thread=600156&latest=1

and

F1599167?thread=601005&latest=1

"Don't say anything to scare them now!"

Too late! I was actually a bit sharp to one of them who posted on my (other) page. I didn't want to talk to them really. I'm annoyed by the way that they are crawling all over the site bothering people. In my personal opinion they should have gone to the staff to be verified so that they could have been set up in a way that means that we trust them enough to give them our phone numbers, and we had a chance to go to *them*, not have them bothering us asking for phone numbers.

And the other thing is that I manage communities for a living, so if they want to pay me for my experiences and observations, that's another matter.

Oh and one last thing - being an ex member of staff, I'm not sure how valuable I'd be, or how much I'd actually be okay to talk about.

Thanks for popping in though, it's always lovely to see you. I lurk your converations so much it's nice to actually exchange messages.

Well, maybe on e of the things to say is that it is interesting how people (American Colleges - remember Prof Burnham?) assume that it is ok to go trampling all over I-Space and using it as a giant lab full of rats in a way in which they wouldn't in Real Life.

I know what you mean about having chargeable knowledge though.

You lurk me? God, you *must* be bored!

Ben

That's a very good point. Maybe I should make them phone me so I can whinge at them for 60 minutes. The trouble is, that I'm not giving a complete stranger my phone number when people I've known on this site for years haven't got it!

I only like to give my advice away for free when people *don't* want it.

Hi

if they're asking for phone numbers they should be yikes-ed...

They do need verification - they could be absolutely anything!

I'm only on here for a few mins, if you get a chance and come across any of these messages can you hit the button?

Sorry missed this until just now. The ones I've seen haven't asked outright for the phone number, just asked if they could do a phone interview and left their email address for people to contact them off h2g2.

I'll be honest Peta, they're really pissing me off. They're crawling all over the site like a plague. I know I'm just generally bad tempered anyway, but this does seem to be taking the piss.

I've been tailing these two for 24 hours or so, and certainly in the case of one of them, I wonder if something more suspicious isn't going on.

"h2g2 Researcher-02" is clearly familiar with the workings of h2g2 (F48874?thread=585358 Post 2 and F1996028?thread=572599 Post 17), but appears to have posted these immediately after signing up. Either he/she did a lot of lurking first, or it is remarkably coincidental that he/she has been asked to do a project on something he/she is already familiar with. He/she has also annoyed me by re-typing my email address in full, forcing me to request a moderation so I don't get Webbotted.

On the other hand, the weblinks they are giving seem to be very legit, and their Professor has worked with online communities before (Dr Bruckman http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/people.html). I dunno: Mina rightly says that they are being quite intrusive; on the other hand, it would be a shame to deny them genuine research material if that's all they want. They seem to be very green about how to get it if that is the case, though.

B

I got a message too after I aced them

F2012823?thread=584854&latest=1

Rather than bothering lots of people it would have been better if they could have just used <./>askh2g2</.> with the staffs permission.

This may well be genuine but the next time it may not be

At least one of them is already a Reseacher called dancingbuddha.

I complained about the first one I found - F7190?thread=537646&post=6632034#p6629618, and it was removed. The second one wasn't removed when I complained, although I think it's exactly the same wording - it might even be the same person reposting it.

Ideally this would go past someone at the BBC first who could verify their identity, give them guidance on how to go about this, and let us all know that it's safe. Or tell them it's not allowed - which it isn;t on some community areas of the BBC.

I haven't seen a word about what their privacy policy is, ie what they'll do with the contact details once they've finished this.

I agree with Mort - they shouldn't be bothering people. There should have been somewhere central set up, and us sent to them if we are interested.

Dare I say this might have been a good use of the announcements page?

I thought of making an annoucement on the Announcements page about it, but decided that would have been trolling. And as we all know, I am sweetness and light, and NOT a troll. No. Never. Not me.



Ben

Ha! That's almost as good as the one about 'not giving your phone number to just anyone'

B

Well, their site looks kosher to me:

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2005/cs6470_spring/researchstudy/

and

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/

and

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/people.html

I think what they are doing is interesting, and it confirms what I said to Natalie, (though she hasn't responded <winge&gt that there are people doing academic research into E-Communities. (I do sometimes wonder if she has *read* the stuff you and Moxie put up on the Hub, you know).

I think that you both have relevant things to say to these folks, though I can completely understand why you would both be reticent about spending time on them. Their loss.

I am going to help them out, and keep an eye on what they are doing. Looks interesting to me.

Hey ho.

to you both.

B

Well I don't give my phone number to just anyone! Only to internet wierdos that I actually like!

an internet wierdo called Ben

Mina, Peta,

Having chatted to a couple of them, it's clear that they have tried to be 100% responsible, but that the site has made this tricky.

One of them (Arvind) U1306707 is a longterm h2g2 researcher / contributer called Dancing Buddha, who I remember from some time ago.

They tried contacting the Italics, but as you know, it is hard to track them down, especially given how little this lot actually post here. They decided not to contact the general purpose BBCi links in Feedback, and there is not much else they could have done.

They have not actually asked people to post their phone numbers on site, merely offered to contact people by phone. (Apparently their tutor prefers them to do phone interviews, but they have suggested to her that they contact Hootizens by IM or email, since it is a site for writers, which shows sensitivity and flexible thinking).

They have been sensitive about who they have contacted, choosing people who have expressed opinions about web communities in general, and this one in particular.

They have given their RL names in their U-Spaces and they have provided links to the programme they are a part of.

They can spell.

It is hard to think what more they could have done. What more *could* they have done?

Personally, I think that they are suffering from a resentment against American Academia created by Prof Burnham's notorious, rude, and frankly freeloading attempt to hijack Peer Review for his 'creative writing' class. But there are only three of this lot, and they are very different from the Prof Burham students. They can string a coherent sentence together for a start, and they have tried extremely hard to work within the ebb and flow of the site.

So, I don't know who got grouchy about them, but I think that they are being responsible, and doing something that is interesting, and my personal view is that we should give whoever they p****d off some and and maybe some and suggest that they lighten up a bit.

Just my , but since you both seem concerned, I thought I'd let you know the results of what I found out.

Cheers.

Ben

Ooops. I missed some of the previous posts in this thread, in particular the fact that you already knew that one of them is Dancing Buddha.

I still fail to see why what they are doing is offensive. Isn't it cool that h2g2 is this interesting? Colour me stupid, but their research is legit, it is impossible to track down the Italics these days, and its a free bloody internet anyway. Or £15.99 a month, but you know what I mean.

Can't we lighten up, and let them get on with it? They'll go away, though they aren't nearly as much fun as GiGaBaNe was. Now there is a net-nutter I miss!

Ben

Sorry, Mort, I missed your post too.

>> This may well be genuine but the next time it may not be

Um... it won't be Dancing Buddha, 'next time' will it? I am willing to help out hootizens - hell I am willing to help out netizens and even real people. Isn't it a shame to start off being so suspicious?

Anyway, I am going to get offline and get a real life. It's quite interesting right now.



Ben

I'm not sure that I agree how hard it is to contact the h2g2 italics - have they posted on the personal space of any of them? They *do* post on site, and they answer the messages on their personal spaces, at least posting once. If they'd used the feedback page it would have got to the italics (I'm pretty sure my old team would have seen it at least), although I agree they must have been doubtful where it would have gone.

I was only h2g2 staff for 20 months - I've been on site in total for 70 months. I resent being spammed, and I hate it when people come online, pester all my friends (and even people I don't know), and think they can just barge in on people relaxing and do what they like. I'd like to see how they get on if they did this sort of thing in a pub. How long would the landlord leave shcoolchildren doing their homework annoying the customers?

What I meant by 'this time it is genuine but next time blah blah...' is that others may use the same method to contact people - ie "I am doing a survey..." - not that this particular group would abuse it.


I think it is a fine line for the Beeb to walk, being seen to allow such surveys that encourage personal contact - unless they have been screened by the staff.

I am sure it is just one of those situations that could have been handled better but meant no harm.

But I am depressed and have PMT so couldn't think straight if I tried!

>> I'm not sure that I agree how hard it is to contact the h2g2 italics - have they posted on the personal space of any of them?

C'mon Mina. How are newbies supposed to find the Italics, or know who they are? Especially given that they scarecely post at all these days.


>> They *do* post on site, and they answer the messages on their personal spaces, at least posting once.

Yes. But first someone has to work out who the Italics are. See above.


>> If they'd used the feedback page it would have got to the italics (I'm pretty sure my old team would have seen it at least), although I agree they must have been doubtful where it would have gone.

Glad you can see that. And given that it *is* unclear where it would have gone, wasn't it a responsible call not to use it?


>> I was only h2g2 staff for 20 months - I've been on site in total for 70 months. I resent being spammed, and I hate it when people come online, pester all my friends (and even people I don't know),

Have they spammed?

Really?

I had the impression that they have *only* approached people who have recently expressed opinions about online communities in general and this one in particular - who might therefore be *inherently* interested in the research they are doing. I suggested to Madhur that he contacted MoG, because I know she has opinions about the site.

If that is being spammed then being Aced is being spammed. Isn't it? Or me going over to the U-Space of someone who has written an entry on a subject I am intereste in (such as, say, cheese on toast), and asking for the recipe. I really fail to see how contacting someone on a subject they have a declared and proven interest in is spamming.


>> and think they can just barge in on people relaxing and do what they like.

Ooops. Pardon me for all the times I have invited people to join the UnderGuide, or to write an entry on a specific subject, or to share a recipe, or to do anything which might intrest them.

And pardon me for every single time I have dropped by the U-Space of someone I don't know and started a conversation.

It's an OPEN SITE. How can it not be ok to start conversations here?

Their nettiquette has been exemplary - far better than the nettiquette they have been shown in response, to be honest.


>> I'd like to see how they get on if they did this sort of thing in a pub. How long would the landlord leave shcoolchildren doing their homework annoying the customers?

There is a world of difference between doing homework and doing serious post-grad research. And this isn't a pub. It's an internet site. And some landlords will permit polite approaches to their customers, and some won't.

Part of being a human being is helping others, or it is on the planet I come from, well, part of being an alien is helping others on the planet I come from, and they are simply asking for help. I've asked people to help me write guide entries, and edit them, and join writers groups, and criticise poetry, and work down the shafts as a miner, and meet me for lunch, and snog behind the bikesheds, and join revolutions, and dig my allotment, and all sorts of things on this site. And I am willing to help when asked. Helping is part of one's citizenship. Isn't it?

Mina. I fail to see the problem. Is this an open site, free for anyone to contribute to, as Dancing Buddha has already contributed over a good while, or is this a closed group of people who are only allowed to talk to each other?

>> I think it is a fine line for the Beeb to walk, being seen to allow such surveys that encourage personal contact - unless they have been screened by the staff.

Ye-es. But the BBC allows people to f**k other members of the site provided it is behind closed doors and between however many consenting adults are involved at the time. And long may it continue to do so? What's the difference, other than this will be less fun?

Ben