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

I have a newbie here U10815507 who seems to be interested in much the same things as you are, so I thought I'd tell you in case you want to say hello. Our conversation is here, feel free to join that, too.

F9112843?thread=4972142#p57859385

Bel

"Are we looking to create some work that is peer reviewed and edited so it forms part of an approved text for others to digest? "

Seems to have summed up h2g2 in one sentence. Are we sure this is a newbie??

I saw one of this Researchers posts on an entry the other day, about recycling.

>>Are we sure this is a newbie?<<

I can't be sure, but I think so, yes. He said he had a general idea about the site, so I take he has read a lot before signing up.

If it's not a newbie, I wonder what all the questions would be for - to wind me up?
To test the quality of Aces?

It's camoflague for when people start getting suspicious and start poking round their message centre!

I could be wrong, but it seems so odd to see a complete newbie 'get' h2g2, unless they've been looking for a site like this - then they generally head for PR.

I'm often surprised at how easily people seem to get used to the site, knowing that it took me years, but then I put my slowness down to my age, the fact that English isn't my first language, and the fact that the internet as such was totally new and unknown to me when I joined. All I had ever done before was writing emails, and very rarely googling for something.
I think today's younger people are much more accustomed to, and less frightened of all this, I can see it in my own sons.

Still there's always a bit of doubt left with newbies/new accounts, lil and I call that 'Ace's paranoia'.

We just get to see so many accounts and sock puppets, you couldn't imagine if you hadn't once worked for h2g2., and probably seen more than enough of those yourself.

I never could spot returning members - I don't know if I'm too trusting, but I always had to have them pointed out to me, and in the case of a banned user I used to agonise for ages over whether to ban again or not.

It was easier when they just signed up with the same name!

Oh, some of them do, or use at least part of their former name, which makes them easy to spot.

I'm sure if I sneaked back onto a site I was banned from I'd be spotted because I'd argue with the same people, want to talk to the same friendly people, and be just as annoying to the same people I always annoy.

We have a saying here, that a leopard doesn't lose its spots, and I think it's often true.
Most people give it away just by their style of posting.

We have that saying too!

There are lots of phrases which are similar in both languages.