A short note from the h2g2 Editors: We have to point out that the only rules which count in the end are the official House Rules and Terms and Conditions - so while it could be useful in some cases to put these into context as done here, h2g2 Researchers should ultimately refer only to the official rules, backed up with guidance from the h2g2 Editors, and not to anything anyone else writes, which necessarily represents that individual's own particular view, and may be inaccurate, incomplete or not up to date. We are, however, always ready to listen to proposals (preferably constructive ones!) re. the official rules, but can't get into debate about what is essentially an individual's particular opinion about these rules, even when as well-expressed as here.

Contents | Naughty Words | Links and URLs | Flames, Trolls, Abuse | The Law | Misc

Note: As of the 18th December 2002, I am no longer maintaining this page. If you would like to take responsibility for it, please apply at the Community Job Slot. Thank you.

Various bits and pieces which don't fit anywhere else - there are a lot of odds and ends, and here they are.

Languages

The best language to use on h2g2 is Standard English, which has no specific moderation issues. An individual moderator may pass non-Standard English content if sie happens to understand it, but this is necessarilly inconsistent. If a moderator doesn't understand a foreign language post, sie will 'refer' it, and it will be left referred indefinately.

In practice, non-standard English dialects (eg, Gaelic) tend to be OK. French and German have about a 50% success rate, depending on the quantity and complexity of the language used. Other languages tend to be left permanently referred, with a few exceptions. The Italics hope to eventually have some kind of volunteer system to allow foreign languages on h2g2. Don't hold your breath: this is going to take a long time at the current rate of progress. Even when such a system is implemented, foreign language postings may still be left hidden for days at a time.

Foreign language posts that are referred do not have a 'yikes' button, nor will an email be sent to the appropriate Researcher. There is no procedure for querying or contesting 'permanently referred' Postings and entries¹. If you still wish to do so, I can only suggest posting on one of the Feedback Forums.

Codes count as other languages, except for very simple codes which have either an obvious decoding method, or have decoding instructions in the same post. Do not use them, as h2g2 almost certainly will never support them, even in the most idyllic of future blue skies worlds.

The rules on foreign-language URLS are in the Links and URLs section of these Alternative House Rules.

Personal Details

You are not allowed to provide the personal details of other people. In one case this has meant not being allowed to provide the name of a person followed by the name of the university they are studying at². However, in other cases identical combinations of information have been deemed acceptable. The actual rules here are unclear.

For yourself, you are allowed to provide any personal information you wish³, though obviously there are associated dangers with doing so. Under-16s are not allowed to provide any contact details at all, without parental permission. There is no standard age-verification on h2g2, but the Italics may find out a Researcher's age in a variety of ways.

Sexually Orientated

'Sexually orientated' does not mean sexually oriented at all, but something much closer to 'sexually explicit'. What you write should not be too graphic or unsuitable for younger readers. Anything comparable to a 'PG' rating on movies is acceptable, because people under the age of 18 are supposed to ask for parental permission anyway⁴. Magnolia Thunderpussy's conversations are a good example of what is above board.

According to the Italics, this weird phrase means "material depicting or describing specific sexual activities or specific anatomical areas in an explicit and sexual way"⁵. This would seem to be a pretty good definition of 'sexually explicit', but the Italics won't change the wording because, that 'doesn't cover everything'.

Discussion of sexual issues such as 'coming out', nymphomania, masturbation, porn mags, places to have sex, these are all OK⁶. For example, there is a University project on sexual orientation which has been completely unaffected by moderation issues.

Let's Pretend (we've been moderated)

It's not acceptable to post messages which look as if they've been moderated when they have not⁷. This is deemed to be anti-social, even if done as part of an attempt at humour. This does not apply to starring out your own words, though.

On a related note, encouraging people to 'defy the moderators' is also unacceptable. It's not entirely clear whether this is purely because it is deemed 'anti-social', or whether it falls under 'advocating illegal behaviour'⁸.

Piccies

ASCII pictures are subject to the same level of moderation as words. It seems to be the case that pictures which 'imply' violence are treated more severely than words that imply violence. For example, the Zaphodista Recruiting Poster featuring a guerilla with a rifle had to be altered so that a sunflower was placed in the end of the barrel. It is not known where, if anywhere, the original picture fell foul of the house rules.

Crime and Punishment

The House Rules have been updated with a 'transgressions' section, which explains this in some detail. It seems pretty straight-forward stuff, so I won't duplicate it here.