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

AB - you probably know the DNA hub better than anyone here; I've a favour to ask you relating to it, but probably better discussed offline.

Would you be kind enough to email me at agirlcalledben at yahoo dot co dot uk?

Many thanks

Ben

Have a lurk - Just 5 posts F21291495?thread=8218331

Little or no technical knowhow I just play around in general intrigued by the functionality :-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/entry/A686586

Ben-Much of my intrigue with h2g2 has been and still is how it works technically and socially.
We spoke here :- about Guide Entries and Convo's with BBC in their URL.
Strangely the post above this one has a similar URL it does not work but that is of no real concern.
However that is not my reason for contacting you. I just want to post here to illustrate a point.

This whole thread is of no concern to anyone but you and I. I have no objection to this thread being removed, have you.

The point is. There are Hundreds of threads like this where a nod and a wink could see them cleared. The campaign could go under the heading of 'Clean up the site and renew old friendships.'
There has to be some value in clearing up the clutter.
I tried with the thread Name Rank and Number that you hijacked
I was going to launch this one under 'Keep Britain Tidy'
You can hijack it before it starts if you think there is anything in it.

Ben - Please read the previous post then look here :-F19618?thread=8285099&show=20&skip=0#pi12
and here :- F1712451?thread=8285454&post=110480887#p110480887
The three of you decide - Is it just an old man's rambling ?

Its surprising what a missed 'space' will do :- F19618?thread=8285099&show=20&skip=0#pi12

...mmmm.....

I don't know. I'm not entirely sure what is fidgeting you, but I get the idea that you might not be sure either.

I'm picking up a couple of ideas though. One is the question of whether it would be helpful if people gave more information, or more truthful information, in their personal spaces. And the other is whether it would be good if the site was tidied up and old threads were got rid of.

Pegasus said exactly what I would have said about the personal spaces. I think the pseudonymity is a key part of the site, and increasingly rare online. Few people maintain it; so many of us go to meets and marry each other and things. However, the freedom to be a winged horse or a little lost mammoth or whatever other persona you want is an important part of h2g2 and, as I said, increasingly rare.

Regarding tidying up the site. Again, I personally would resist that. The search engine is working again, Google is our friend. It is easy to find older content; something I found incredibly useful when doing my dissertation on the history of the community's relationship with the owners' of the site. So much web history vanishes, in particular so much that is written by ordinary people is the first thing to be deleted; it is an honour and a privilege to be part of a site which respects its history.

Ben

If there is no advantage to be gained from cleaning up then if it isn't broke don't fix it. If there is infinite space just fill it.
In my working career we moved a few 100,000 engineering drawings over from the old blue prints through, half plate photostats, 35mm film, to digital. A step by step switch, At the time of the first switch to photostat copying we had no idea that we would eventually finish up going digital. Long term thinking. Admittedly the final stage was beginning about the time I left.
Over the years the need for 200 sq. meters of storage area was eliminated and the transfer of information was much faster.
My first computer was a 32k bbc 'b'. Space was important.
If space is not important and just stuffing it all in is no problem then let it roll.
Case dismissed.