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

I noticed that you had something about 'moderation' in your paste buffer. Have you ever considered becoming a moderator yourself?

Hi Chiki


It would certainly have an element of "poacher turned gamekeeper" about it!

Considering I've been modded a few times and, thinking about it, I might break these down as

40% modded for valid reasons - no argument
40% unsure about reason/consider mods have been too zealous
20% jury would be "hung"

it might be interesting to look at life from the other side of the wall to see how it works out for the moderator - I should imagine this is partly responding to complaints, partly "random sampling" of new postings as they are made, and partly, with the realities of libel, racism, et c in mind, having to think quickly and make snap decisions re instant deletion?

Having spent time on the BBC's now - defunct Jeremy Vine boards on Radio Two, I can see why moderators are needed. You get personal atacks on BBC staff members which are hurtful and unjustified, you get organisations like the BNP trying to push their own agendas which are sometimes in contradiction of common sense and basic law and decency; you get troll attacks; you get instances of over-excited members throwing teddy in the corner and getting angry with each other, so Nanny has to tell them to play nicely; you get vendettas against presenters perceived as unpopular (it's perfectly OK to criticise the ahow or the format or the choice of presenter - attacking the individual concerned is just not on); you get juvenile people hell-bent on pushing the envelope to goad the mods into action ansd see what they can get away with (hands up - I'm probably guilty of a little of this myself in the past). You get sad people controlling lots of sockpuppets.

And in the middle of all this your mods, like football referees... who, like sewage workers or Inland revenue inspectors, are needed to make the thing work. Just go to messageboards where there are no moderators - the instance i quote is always the political talkboards of IsraelInsider, where things get passionate - and look at the alternative.

So how would I explore what's needed to give it a try, then? The non-scret aspects of tha art might make a Guide entry afterwards!

I'm not going to tell you, but I have just spent the last hour thinking about ( i nearly wrote nit so I wrote it) thinking about it! Have a New Year and Merry Christmas half wit

"half wit"? Now there's nice... probably correct, given the amount of alcohol that's imperriled my braincells over the years...

how do you sign off if you want to be rude to people?

Dear AgProv

I wasn't suggesting that you are a half-wit that must've been one of my eccentric typos my sincerest apologies

...it was ChiKiSpirit rhyming slang....
half wit wot went ding dong dang
merrily on high
in heaven the wells are springing...



"Where have all the flowers gone?"