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

As with most diaries that I've started, I find I have little to say. I've looked around the site, found much to interest me, made a few tentative comments, and will try to write an Entry, if I can think of a topic on which I know a little.

One thing does puzzle me. Is the fact that no-one uses their own name as a nickname a concern with security, or do people just like these "handles"?

Or some of each. Or both together. Or neither.

It might be to use this place to escape from their usual self, or their public image. Or to role play.

It might, in the absence of a visual image, style of dress, choice of car or job title be to give some indication of identity.

They might just dislike their real name.

And then there are those who do use their real name, or use their initials and state their name on their homespace. Or at least they say it's their real name, you never really know of course. One of the joys of web space are its possibilities.

Whatever the reason the handle's important because apart from what you say about yourself on your homespace, which may or may not be true, initially there's nothing to go on in assessing who you're talking to but the handle and the style of writing/speech. (Shame about mine, then )

What fascinated me when I first got involved in web space was how people cling to those indicators of self. I thought this was a place where everything would be equal. No prejudices of age, gender, status, ethnicity, background... But in no time at all you find people stating these things.

Welcome to h2g2, the place where other people barge into your diary. I got here from the entry you submitted to the Alternative Writing Workshop in case you're wondering. Nicknames was a subject I could talk about .
Waz

Thanks for the replies, Waz. And I do, now, see the point in a distinctive nickname. In any case, with a community as large as h2g2 we need something more than something like "jb" (which I tried until I found there were rather a lot of them about). (I was "avocet" in a previous virtual life.)

Avocet the bird, or avocet the missile? There was an avocet missile wasn't there? Not sure now.

Most definitely avocet the bird, a most elegant wader, symbol of the protection of endangered species.

It was Exocet. Most people do use an anonymous handle but, as stated earlier, you do find people stating their real names on their PS's.

One thing that fascinates me is, why when we're all (or can be) anonymous) do some people directy plagiarise articles and try to post them into the Edited Guide. i.e. They gain no kudos from it - unless there's such a thing as 'vitual kudos' whereby ones whole identity is encapsulated in cyberspace.

Finding something I know enough about, and avoiding the possibility of using other sources, is a challenge that, so far, I've found too much.

It's possible, for instance, that I have the material for an entry on the author T.F.Powys. But, apart from my specific, over specific it may be, responses to his books, I wonder if I could do more than paraphrase the content of such few references to him that exist on and off line.

What I was really referring to was people who copy an article in toto from some other source, then post it onto hootoo verbatim, passing it off as their own work.

of course, exocet!

It's amazing how many web pages have both avocet and missile on them. It appears that avocets must like missile ranges. jb, are you attracted to missile ranges?

One thing that fascinates me is how this virtual community mirrors a real community. Which of course it is in a way. People play roles here, they do in RL too. Guess there's as much to be gained in the context of the h2g2 community from kudos for their virtual identity as kudos they get in RL in their RL community.

Not so long ago we had a very well written, very funny but plagiarised entry in the Alternative Writing Workshop. Just caught it in time before it got into the <./>underguide</.>.