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

That's the sausage. Great cartoon.

Can I ask what EF is? *Rampant curiosity*

<./>feedback-editorial</.> or Editorial Feedback.

'Rich already mentioned the suggestion to Scouts that they should yikes plagiarised Entries. It wouldn't be my first resort. I think it's generally better to point out that it's not original, identify the source and invite the poster to remove it. Sometimes people just don't realise that's not how this site works. Yikesing might be appropriate where someone pretends writing's their own when it isn't, but assuming such pretence without evidence is going too far IMO.'


I also mentioned that when I was a Scout we usually worked along those lines: 'I've yikesed a few Entries in the past, but *only when they were plagiarised and the 'author' refused to do anything about it*. I think that's different, though - that's how I was told to deal with plagiarism when I was a Scout.' I can't speak for anyone else, and I'm not a Scout any more, of course, but I always got the impression most people used to engage before hitting the button. I think that's sensible.

I often encountered entries in Peer Review which were obviously copied from elsewhere on the web. The Editors always told me not to mention this in Peer Review, and not to talk to the "author"; the most sensitive way to deal with it was through the yikes button.

Thanks all.

Just in case anyone's interested, I got a note back from the Eds. They aren't going to put the yikesed Posts back (I only asked about the less contentious one, though they commented about both).

They obviously thought I was way out of line. I'm disappointed. It's not as if I claimed to have screwed Manuel's granddaughter or anything.

I think I'll forget about the Forum. It's a shame, but a noble idea seems to have succumbed to unpleasant people. And apparently the Eds think I'm one of them.

I agree about the Forum, but I'm sure the eds know you're not one of those unpleasant people from there.
Not having read the yikesed posts, I can't judge, but the eds will have their reasons not to put them back and even if you or I or whoever may not agree with the decision, I know they aren't out to 'get' somebody, and their decisions are not based on personal ressentiments anyone may feel.

The Forum is one place I stopped visiting a long time ago. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be places on h2g2 for debate for those people who genuinely enjoy intellectual tussles. On the contrary. But mean-spiritedness is unnecessary. When the Forum became stressful and annoying instead of interesting and stimulating, I unsubscribed.

Back to moderation. Since I didn't read the posts in question, I can't comment on them. But I'd like to make a general comment. When posts are yikesed for inappropriate reasons, like someone just not liking you or not wanting a post to remain that refutes his position or something he stretches way out of proportion in order to find a reason for offense, then I don't understand why the person pushing the yikes button isn't the one reprimanded by the editors. Especially if it is chronic. Or are they?

I've just had a look at the relevant section of the <./>houserules</.> where it states:

>>Please don't abuse the complaints system. The complaints button2 exists to enable visitors to let us know about content which breaks these rules. We take complaints very seriously, and we've set a system in place which will enable us to deal with them as a priority. Please do not use the complaints system to alert us to multiple Postings, spelling mistakes and so on: anyone who abuses the complaints system repeatedly may have their account suspended.<<

So yes, I would say that hitting the yikes button repeatedly because you don't like somebody's nose (as we'd say here) will be reprimanded. After all, I think the eds have more than enough work without being forced to waste their time with repeated unnecessary yikesing, and I could imagine they'd soon put a stop to that.

Thanks for that, Bel. I hope I never have to find out how the process works first hand. I don't envy the editors their job. They must get pretty fed up with it all at times.

I don't think anybody is keen to find out. I've had a few posts yikesed, for various reasons. You get an email saying your post broke the house rules and was removed. You reply to the email (usually to find out in what way your post broke the house rules because the email is too vague to actually tell, especially since you had no idea you broke the house rules in the first place). You get another response, and either you say, OK, I can see the point, or you amend your post, or you object again. Sometimes, your post will be put back, sometimes not. That's all, really.

It sounds a bit arbitrary, but I suppose it would have to be. Any time someone has to make a call like that, it will necessarily be based on an individual interpretation.

I think that on the whole, it works fine. Things like breach of copyright for instance can't be arbitrary. Other things may depend on which moderator is responsible and on the context, but I'm sure the mods have guidelines they follow, so what may look arbitrary for us has a good reason within a wider context.

True. I wonder how it works when someone appeals the original decision of the editors? Is it referred to a different editor or to a panel of some kind? Is the staff large enough for that?

From what I know the original decision is made by the moderators, not the eds.

Ah. I thought they were one and the same. Good grief. This points out how little experience I have with the moderation process. I need to pay closer attention. So, who are the moderators and who are the editors? Natalie is an editor, right?

Moderators are lowly-paid minions who don't post on-site and who see posts only out-of-context when someone complains about them (or when someone is on pre-mod).

TRiG.

We currently only have one ed and a half: Antelia and Derek.
I have no idea how many moderators there are, or how often they change. They never appear anywhere, nobody knows them, and I think they don't know anybody, either.

Thanks Trig and Bel. I should already know all this stuff.

Oh, I used to believe that the mods and the eds are the same people for a very long time, too. Being an Ace helps to learn a bit more about the site - after all, I should know what to reply to newbies when they ask for things.

I suppose it's because I've never been involved in the process enough to know what goes on. I'll try to keep my nose clean so I don't have to find out the hard way.