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

I'm incredibly new to actually posting on h2g2 but already I've picked up on the silliness of the moderator scheme. It seems to me that really stupid things are yanked. I used to check out h2g2 before the BBC ruled the roost and I agree with everyone else....it seemed to work just fine. I can understand that offensive stuff should be blanked out, yet I've seen some salacious suggestions in some areas that were obviously missed, yet someone's mere mention of an URL gets censored. Why?!

G'day and Namaste,
Reika

It was all done about a year ago Reika after D. Adams died and the BBC had to take over. Now, the BBC, being a State Agency, has great power over what is permitted to be printed or emailed or tv or radio. The BBC assigns a couple of "Joes" and "Janes" to watch over the conversations. If enough members press the little green "I'm shocked!" emoticon on the right hand side of the conversation by each posting, then that conversation subject is reviewed and, if deemed offensive, is removed. There is a process of appeal but I am not familiar with it. I, too, being American, was greatly offended when I discovered the "moderators." My feeling was, "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it!" But h2g2 is not American. Few realise that the citizens of the UK had to pay a tax to purchase a newspaper until very early in the 20th century. So the UK does not have a history of unbridled self expression. You must be patient with the BBC's h2g2 (we hope to break away sometime). They really are not unreasonable, just sometimes very ecelectic about what they chose to pull. Don't try to make sense of it; it will just drive you mad. When you get really upset, go on sanyasis: get away for a bit. Two h2g2 members can explain better: shagbark (warning, I think I really offended him) and Amy the Ant (Amy is unwell but might have time to be more explicit than I.)

So while I think the whole "moderation" thing is foolish, I like h2g2 enough to put up with "moderation" until we can buy ourselves back from the BBC. Patence Reika: Gandhi said to practice "satygruha": their oppression will return to them in equal force as it was used against the opressed, through "soul force." Don't try to rationalize it. Rise above it. I know you can!

I must sleep. I suffer horrid insomnia. I will stop by your page tomorrow and perhaps we can discuss things further. But for the folks in UK, the "moderator" issue is old hat: they delt with it a year ago.

Glad you stopped in Reika! Look for me soon! Micheal Jay Mole ACE

I really don't object to the moderators, per say. It's just that what is eliminated seems odd. For example, when I checked out a couple of the specific pages/rooms/chat areas (whatever you want to call them), I noticed that any mention of an URL is deleted. Are URL's not allowed? Why? Or does someone have to object to those too?

I can deal with the idea of someone (although a very nebulous someone) eliminating swear words or those who persist in acting like h2g2 is a pickup club. However, I do have a problem with eliminating stuff people simply object to. As we all know, there will be objecters to everything! It seems to me that moderators ought to have guidelines; that sort of power gets misused.

On the other hand, you're right. Being American born and bred does tend to predispose one toward thinking a certain way about personal expression which isn't necessarily the viewpoint of the rest of the world.

I'm truly sorry to hear about the insomnia, Micheal. Rest easy.

G'day and Namaste,
Reika

Its Orwellian Reika. I wish now I had let my posting against the moderators stand so you could see just how outraged I was. I made the exact arguments about guidelines: who moderates the moderators? Big Brother does. BBC stands for Big Brother Companion. Yes, some URL's are not allowed by the BBC to prevent children getting access to "undesirable" materials. The conversation about blonde women was deleted by the moderators. Whats next: deletion of jokes about the Irish (me 100%): no more lawyer jokes: limmericks went too. Now that I could say was anti-Irish since there is County Limmerick, Ireland but I don't care. But someone did, because "dirty" limmericks were being posted. Wouldn't they be surprised to know that Isaac Asimov wrote a book on dirty limmericks?

Lord Action "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely." A quote from an Englishman, hhmmmmm......?

Stay with us Reika. The moderators days are numbered. Relax or you will catch my insomnia (thanks for the 'rest easy'). Again, dig deep into the controversy surrounding the moderators. Look for old names. There is a prize at the end.

MJM, ACE (can you believe it? No they didn't bribe me!)