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

In one of my comments I was very sharp with you last night and I think it was unreasonable of me. I am regretful and very sorry

Peanut

Fear not. I've been here long enough to have developed
a very thick skin and to recognise when I have over-
stepped the marks and deserving of some come-uppance.

So instead of feeling sorry why not accept my thanks
for your quite well received corrections.


~jwf~

That is very gracious

I don't think I deserve that thanks but er, thanks

I am just happy that apology is accepted, thank you again

~jwf~

and just when we had smoothed things over...

I hope you don't mind me asking but what was that post on the How do you Ask h2g2 all about?

I am kind of assuming that as you seem to take an interest in h2g2 in general you think they are conversations we should be able to have.

You also know how diffcult they are to manage, yet as far as I can see you just breeze by cast some generalised aspersions about the nastiness of the place just to bookmark it

Why did you do that? What did you hope to achieve? How did think other people would feel when reading it, or did you think?

Personally I was upset and frustrated by it. I am treading very thin lines and putting a huge amount of effort into thinking about what to say and more importantly what not to say and you just throw a fire cracker in

Peanut

>> I am treading very thin lines and putting a huge amount
of effort into thinking about what to say and more importantly
what not to say and you just throw a fire cracker in. <<


Well said!
And if you manage to get through my long response
perhaps you will recognise that you have answered
your own question.

I admire your tenacity in your search for meaning
in the vague impermanence of cyberspace. I really do.

And I will try to explain; at the risk of offending.

Firstly, I am old and have a reputation as a bit of
a curmudgeon. But this is mainly an act - a vehicle
for me to be critical in a way that will emotionally
engage others and cause them to think more deeply
about any given topic or situation.

Secondly, I have been here for 12 years and am both
a student of human nature and the way it behaves in a
cyberspatial environment as well as being something of
an expert in the patterns of behaviour that usually ensue.

I'd like to say I've seen it all before but if that were true
I would have abandoned interaction at h2g2 more than
a decade ago - when it was becoming obvious that the
unfiltered clash of personalities was producing mostly
self-destructive conflicts between persons of such a
wide variation in age, education, social status, etc.

Now for the risky part.

You are currently undergoing a series (in several threads)
of set-backs because you have been rubbing certain fur-
bearing critters the wrong way. You are especially distressed
by the closing of a thread in which you were campaigning
against, or at least questioning, the methods and style of
the current site management. The trouble is you are now
taking it personally.

Never take anything here personally!

And stop beating your head against a vacuum.

No one knows who you are. They cannot be sure of your age,
gender, intellect, education, political or religious state, income
or social status, sexuality - you (and by YOU I mean anyone
who posts here in the anonymity of cyberspace) could be
anyone, with any agenda. And YOU are only ever judged by
the LATEST posting you have made. Just post something sweet
and all will be forgotten. Fiction is often stranger than Truth;
and the Truth is usually just whatever works.

h2g2 has entirely changed management at least 3 times and
there were also periods during the BBC years when the staff
and their mandate was in constant flux as the Corp reduced
its interest and committment to the site. With every change
came changes in the supposed 'atmosphere' of the site, changes
to the way in which those in positions of responsibility/authority
interacted (or not) with members in general or in particular.

All too often I have seen researchers get into pissing contests
over changes to the way the site works, what we are allowed
to say and do. I have seen waves of researchers put into deep
emotional turmoil because their idealised image of the site was
challenged. And when they complained or resisted would end up
being attacked, dismissed and even expelled (banned) for their
almost addictive behaviour in pursuit of what they thought was
Justice for their Cause. But this is seen only as spam and flooding
by those in control. And as just a nuisance by others not involved.

(I have a poem appearing in tomorrow's Post called
'Goners' which celebrates these waves of lost causes.
A87778606
It was written at least seven years ago when yet another round
of dissatisfaction caused dozens to go away angry and sad.)

This pattern is a product of the conflict between the bored,
over-worked, self-pitying, hard-core of whatever current 'IN'
group is managing the site who fail to communicate the reasons
or methods of changes going on behind the scenes. Most 'moderators'
(being human after all) cannot back down from a decision and will
refuse to argue the details of their reasons for pulling a post.
No one likes to admit they were wrong.

Sometimes one can justify or explain something that has been mis-
understood but it is never really worth it and only causes long-
term grudges. Better to just ignore moderation and accept it.

Many who question are passionate newbies who simply cannot
grasp such notions as 'change is inevitable', 'life isnt fair' and
'power corrupts' (at least it makes those in authority short-sighted,
lazy and intolerant) and much sleep is lost, much emotional grief
is exercised and a lot of bandwidth gets filled with embarassing
anger and sadness that begets no sympathy. There is a tendency
among many sophomoric researchers who have become familiar
with this pattern to simply hold any complainant in contempt.

The advice I have given to others, especially those who have
become addicted to h2g2 - spending too much time online, coming
to depend upon it for emotional feedback and getting hurt by some
either deliberate or indifferent negative feedback - is to just
take a break. Many did not heed my advice and went on to get
themselves banned or to simply go off on a rant and never return.
A few have managed to calm down and carry on, posting only in a
positive 'community spirited way' and only to threads where there
is no conflict happening. And to avoid conflict when it arises,
by ignoring criticism and insult.

YOU (the generic YOU) are only as significant as your LAST post.

I can't name names, but there is one researcher who comes to mind
who rubbed hundreds of people the wrong way over the years. He
(I'm pretty sure it's a HE) was a constant source of unkind criticisms,
a product of his real life superiority as a mature and intelligent hard
working professional who had no time or respect for some of the
more juvenile behaviors we encounter here constantly. He had a
reputation beyond curmudgeon, he was a scary troll who pulled no
punches - but he usually did so without breaking any House Rules
and when he was finally banned he came back as someone else and
continues to be a harsh critic but with much less venom and a
more considerate manner. Probably because he has finally realised
their is no 'personal' advantage to be gained in cyberspace by the
alpha dog style that must work in his real life environment.

Anyway, I've been rattling on and have probably not answered your
question satisfactorily, But that is the nature of written language
in this medium. It ought not to be, but it is what it is. And I am
truly sympathetic for the phase of understanding you are going
through. My only advice continues to be, don't take anything as
a truly personal attack upon yourself. Your self is not the online
persona called Peanut. You are who you are and you should be
very careful not to invest any more of who you really are in an
online persona that you could easily abandon to re-emerge as
someone else.

But all that is probably a long way off yet - so just pull back on the
emotional investment you have and try being a little less 'enthusiastic'.
Remember what bulls do when they see Red flags and that carrots
always work better than sticks

In my case, yes, I have put on a war-painted mask that you have
quite rightly seen as mean and cynical, but it is just part of the
dress code in this area of cyberspace.


~jwf~

mmm well I have read it, so you are playing then and playing me, and others in the hope of a response

like Hoo,

thank you for that insight and your honesty

I now know not to really to bother then, or try to make an effort to get know you

Yep I know I am taking things personally at this moment but hey that is because, I am a person, no mask although you 'only' know me as Peanut, I am same Peanut in real life

and I am trying my best to work out that with other people, as individuals and who share this space in a so called community, as humanly as I can despite the fact that this is 'cyberspace'

stupidly, perhaps, that matters, here as anywhere

stupidly perhaps, that matters to me, I meant

oh and sorry because that didn't sound very nice about the not bothering and all

sorry to have bothered you in you PS, thank you for your honesty, I now think I understand where you are coming from and I see how we see things differently and can deal with that

no longer confused, will leave you alone now

best wishes

Peanut

I so do hope you meant what you said to Tav, that it was real not a 'nicety'

really I am off now

Yes, for sure. She really did unsettle my fixed
preconceptions of what cyberspace is capable
of achieving, of what it might yet be becoming.

But I have to add a caveat; that, it is Tav who has
created the h2g2 calendar, which is a tangible real-
life outgrowth of what began as an idea. She has a
valid, solid stake in this realisation. Her passion and
commitment to the h2g2 mythos is undeniable.

And I am led to believe that Willem is finally
getting some real whirled interest in his art.
A87778705

If we continue to expand our cyber-being into the
real whirled then perhaps some of the hopes and
dreams we had 12 years ago, dreams of potentials
being realised, hopes of creating a broad global
community with some tangible, effective, but most
importantly, positive, influence in RL...

Well.. Tav made it seem it might yet be possible.




Wanna buy a very used, very worn, very tattered
and very dirty old towel? OK, but just don't ASK
this Linus to give up his blanky.

Humbug.

~jwf~

This post has been removed.

Gosh where did all come from?

Seems a long time ago and hopefully you will forgive me for not re-reading the entire thread won't you

like to start again somewhere?

or just ,

not nice experience,being judged by your peers is it, in terms of moderation, different to BBC

not that I got modded at the bbc, well, just for the occasional post that had rude words in it

like ARSE

but that was all Taff's fault

and the King Cnut posts are down to Pinniped

me

um, hmmm

here is my email addy if you would like to talk about stuff

[email protected]

up to you