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

I feel too restricted on h2g2 to go there on my free time any more. Why would I continually go to a place where researchers aren't allowed the freedoms afforded elsewhere? How could I continue to frequent a place living with a memory of how things used used to be? (Yes that was sappy, but nonetheless heartfelt). Not even a year ago the guide was a froopy place for users to congregate, enjoy casual banter, philosophical questions, or discuss exactly why ricotta is the best cheese on the market. A very unique experience where researchers were nurtured by the community and pused out into the online world, given just a few guidelines about netiquette to use as their Tao. If their behaviour was too abrassive or down-right bigatory (in the greater sense), their behaviour on the site was judged by their peers and, in only the most extreme circumstances, information on their doings would be passed along for judgement by the higher-ups. To tell the truth, it rather hurts that we can't be trusted to take things a bit more into our own hands. If a researcher chooses to flame a particular thread or, god help him, he chooses to pick a name like Jesus and type in CAPS ONLY, well, that researcher will soon know the wrath of his fellow reseachers, as well as the coldness of their backs turned upon him.

That is the main reason really. But a lot of little things just ebb away at the experience. Casual swearing, perhaps (though not so much). I personally use the word b*****d in conversation. You could say that I use it rather casually; I am a b*****d and I don't quite see what's the big hoopla about it. You certainly hear worse on the BBC (s***e, b*****d, b****r, bitch are all common words heard on regular airings on shows such as Mirrorball, etc.). As I mentioned before, if swearing isn't acceptable in a certain conversation it is made known rather quickly. Besides that, there is the rather prominent Linda which can be clicked, advising the PTB that there is a most definite problem with swearing. Either way, it is taken care of if needs be and there isn't a need for someone to come in just looking for those words, perhaps even taking them out of context (the word b*****d has been moderated in many a conversation that I have read and/or taken part in, often times when it was used within context).

Quite another thing is the use of commercial names or the quoting of lyrics, etc. in entries or conversations. Commerical names are used in scandelous abundance in day-to-day conversations in "real life" (a term I rather dispise using), whether talking about what a person is wearing, eating, or doing, a commercial name is bound to pop up sooner or later. There are several generations of people who have grown up with advertising in such a way as to not even think about it any more. People tune out commercials, they flip through ads without seeing them; they don't even glance at banner ads unless by pure accident or boredom. Word to word mouth is about the only form of advertising that still thrives in the world and even then it is done in such a casual way that it escapes detection because it truly is unintentional. And that's exactly it. If people make whole page entries on how to make money, endorsing reality shares, or where and how to buy a certain product, and hey! I happen to have one for sale at Ebay right now, well, yes that should be moderated in a heartbeat. That is rather tasteless. However, if people are talking about certain things, such as computer programes, they do so with a great deal of tact for fear of being moderated. And fear is about the right word. People who are moderated are often shocked, having no idea why it occured, only realising why after the moderation already occurs. And then they feel quilty! What a nice way to treat researchers- give them a guilt trip for doing something that they never even realised was wrong. It brings me a great amount of shame just seeing something like the name "Heiniken" being moderated and then continuing conversing as if nothing happened. Because something truly did happen: censorship.

Perhaps the "last straw" for me was in having my user page moderated. I should have thought before I posted, sure, but I wasn't really thinking that it would be moderated. I posted the lyrics to Sorrow on my user page. The song was made nearly famous when performed by David Bowie, but it was written by a trio of gentlemen including Robert Feldman, my uncle. I had planned on doing a whole sort of guide entry on what that song meant to me, but when I came back to the page two hours later it was already moderated.

Sudden is not quite the word I'd used. Sorrow perhaps is.