The heart of our community is our Facebook group, join Galactic Hitchhikers HERE

This living document will serve as guidelines for all aspects of the Galactic Hitchhiker’s community. 

Galactic Hitchhikers is an unofficial fandom club and community,founded May 26th 2011.

A Fellowship of the Frood.

Galactic Hitchhikers- field researchers and contributors to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. A place for those who hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still know where our towels are.

We see the Guide as a filter to see the universe through, it reminds us that life is far too ridiculous to be taken too seriously. We are science and science-fiction fanatics, social activists, and hopeful futurists. We are space-hippies and dreamers, gamers and geeks, self-professed professional slackers, forward thinkers and generally good folk.

 Galactic Hitchhikers is a community of like minded individuals, dedicated to sharing the ride on planet Earth. Offbeat observations on life, the universe, and everything; We share our experiences, laughter, and hope.

 Dudeists/Froodists, and seekers of the Tao of the Towel, Taowelism©; We proudly welcome one and all, anyone who would enter as friends. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

This community is about you, get involved, be excellent to each other, Share and Enjoy!

Community Rules and Guidelines

1
Don’t Panic!

Apply to all situations. Our community isn’t just about the Hitchhiker’s Guide, it’s about finding what’s cool, and funny, and good about our shared ride on planet Earth. We celebrate our diversity rather than fret over our differences. Our community is the common thread that brings us all together.

2
Always know where your towel is.

It’s a tough universe out there. If any of us are going to survive we have to know where our towels are, meaning we have to keep our proverbial shit together.

3
Be cool, don’t be an asshole.

Pretty self-explanatory on this one we should think. Unlike many other groups, this community does not allow the flaming of posts, or derogatory comments. Please contact a mod or admin if there is something you really can’t just let ride.

4
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

Galactic Hitchhikers is all inclusive, we welcome all who would return our kindness and friendship. Equality to all beings is paramount, and is our prime directive.

5
Abide.

There is a fine art to takin’ it easy, and you should try it. You are here to be a part of a community. Relax, have a laugh, and remember we are all friends here. Your experience with us should always be judged in the context that you are among fellow froods.

6
“That’s just like, your opinion man.”

Being all inclusive means here at Galactic Hitchhikers we know that everyone will not always agree. And this is okay. Humor in particular is subjective. Being intelligent beings means we simply agree to disagree and go on with our day. It is just Facebook, after all.

7
“If it isn’t for you, then it might be for someone else.”

Our oldest mantra, “If it isn’t for you, then it might be for someone else.” If it isn’t for you, then just keep scrolling. There is plenty else here to love without getting caught on the bits you don’t care for. Do not ruin the fun of others because you feel offended.

8
Patience, kindness, and understanding should be your default setting while travelling with us.

Always be excellent to each other. We accept all, infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Intolerance will not be tolerated. If you can’t be cool, then kindly see yourself to an airlock.

9
We are a rated PG-13ish sort of soiree.

Try to keep it clean(ish) and family friendly(ish). Please note that this being said nobody is going to get too excited about small fries. Humor and entertainment are subjective, and are just like your opinion man. Try to give your fellow froods some leeway.

10
Always be excellent to each other.

And party on, dudes. We have come together to share a laugh, our stories, and our hope for a brighter tomorrow. It all starts with you.

Share and Enjoy! Posting Guidelines

1.This is your community-

You are among friends, share with us! If you don’t see enough of what you like around here, share more of what you like around here. We are what you are about. No free rides on this starship, everyone has to earn their keep. Share your wisdom, and your hope. Share logic, and reason, and love.

2.Politics, Sports, and Religion, and Cats-

The thing about Politics, Sports, and Religion, and Cats is that everyone has different opinions about Politics, Sports, and Religion, many of us have cats. If you choose to share your opinions about politics, religion, or sports; or you are more of a dog person: Please do so with the patient understanding that not everyone will agree, and give the due respect to your fellow frood and shipmate that is deserved. We ask, as with all you share with us, that your contributions to our community represent simply the best you have to offer. Share wisdom and hope, rather than ignorance or despair. Share humor and love, rather than anger or hate; Share the ride we’re all taking, and join together in being the way we want the world to be.

Posts about politics, sports, or religion are not necessarily encouraged, nor are they forbidden. We know that there will be world events we’ll want to talk about, we all have to work at our conversations being a comfort and strive towards unity, rather than letting our differences in opinion or belief divide us.

If you simply must post in regards to politics, sports, or religion: all posts should be bipartisan/pro-interfaith in nature, reflecting the best hopes for reality, or at least how we are all mutually screwed, rather than the views of one particular party/creed/belief or another…

Or they must be obvious satire. We’re quite fond of satire around here.

Addendum One: Inclusion Clause

While Galactic Hitchhikers welcomes all who would enter in fellowship and friendship, it should be noted that we are a private community and we favor a certain “liberal bias,” so much as the term applies as meaning we favor science, and science fact according to scientific method; We see the Climate Crisis as the greatest threat of our time, and strive to rise to the challenge of paving a brighter future for all. We attempt to embody compassion, equality, and just treatment of all beings in the spirit and practice of logic, reason, and love. Our charter is to be a club and community of like minded individuals. We reserve the right to excuse anyone we deem to be against that charter from participation in this community.

Addendum Two: The Voldemort Initiative

We admins of Galactic Hitchhikers do not want to limit the free speech of our community members, but nor do we want this group to become a rabble of assholes. At the end of the day we are peacekeepers, not censors. Pursuant to keeping the peace, being the liberal snowflakes that many think we are, and still making a satirical jab at the radical right:

“Like Voldemort in Harry Potter, it should be considered taboo, bad luck, and dangerous to mention the name of the 45th President of the United States; by mention in words, or by meme, or shared links until such a time as he leaves office -and- we find and destroy all of his Horcruxes.”

All uses of the forbidden name will be immediately removed by the moderation team. There will be no penalty for the mention outright; unless it is a repeat offence and further action is deemed necessary violations of this rule will be treated as a high level social faux pas. Until removal, the community response to violations of the Voldemort Initiative shall be nothing more to utterly ignore the post and just keep scrolling, for to engage the post by comment or by Facebook reaction is to bring the curse of the name upon yourself.

3.Culture, Sub-culture, and Pop-Culture-

While our heart and core will always be the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, all your fandoms are belong to us. While we are certainly based on the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, we are not limited to it or any one fandom. We are proud geeks, and science fiction fanatics. We love Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Firefly. We love Futurama, MST3K, Red Dwarf, and Battlestar Galactica, and literally dozens of other movies, books, and TV series. We are a home for fans of all genres to share and enjoy in one big hoopy multiverse.

This community is about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Since 2011 the mission goal has always been cool people sharing cool shit with other cool people.

4.Science and Science Fiction-

As hopeful futurists we love Sci-Fi. Good science fiction starts with good science. With all posts outside of fiction or satire you owe the community the service of fact checking before you share science with us. Shit is complicated enough without further muddying the whole affair with lies or misinformation. Truth should always prevail to the best of our knowledge.

Addendum One: The Climate Crisis Imperative

Here at Galactic Hitchhikers we respect everyone’s right to their opinion, but please keep in mind that our team is 100% behind science, and the notion of helping to create a positive future for our world. In the coming days we will be posting a lot more about our climate crisis, because we feel it is the singular most important issue of our times, and that we can do something about it. We stand to kindle hope, and use that hope to move forward to a better tomorrow.

Please keep in mind as you reply to our posts about the climate crisis that we do not allow the flaming of posts. If you disagree with something we ask that you simply keep scrolling, if it isn’t for you it might be for someone else. As stated, everyone has the right to their opinion: But at the end of the day this community by it’s charter is a group for like minded individuals. We reserve the right to excuse anyone we deem to be against that charter from participation in this community.

Unless you are a climate scientist, we will give no time to those who deny the best knowledge of our planet’s top minds on the subject. Your compliance is appreciated, your defiance will be unceremoniously tossed out of the airlock. If this statement does not suit you, there are airlocks located on each deck of the ship which are free to use.

We don’t have time to field negativity or tolerate willful ignorance. This is not the rest of the internet, this is Galactic Hitchhikers.

Conflict Resolution

1. Discussions sometimes become debates, and debates sometimes lead to disagreement. Disagreements can be at times imbued with strong emotion. It is expected that all parties with a quarrel or disagreement conduct themselves with dignity and mutual respect. Our community standard is to agree to disagree.

2. If there is a dispute, or an issue that cannot be peaceably mediated we ask that our admin staff is contacted. Remember, flaming posts is not allowed. If a post contains vulgarity, hate speech, or intolerance we ask that the post is reported to the admin staff. Our team will address these issues with priority. Attempting to dispute a post, or exchange in negative banter about a post that contains vulgarity, hate speech, or intolerance is forbidden.

3. We are a sci-fi community, so at times we offer sci-fi resolutions to problems. As such, any member may call upon Convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation, invoking an immediate cessation of hostile actions in order to parley, invoking mediation by our admin team. This may be cited by any parties involved in a dispute, or any member in regards to it. All community members are to respect and abide the citation, and agree to await the admin staff.

4. All members agree to abide by the resolutions offered by the mediating Admins or Mods. Their word is the final say.

5. If no resolution can be reached via mediation through Admins, the Editor in Chief and Space Pope (Zaxley Nash) may step in to either offer a final decision, or in matters of great importance or public interest put the matter to vote through a poll created for the group.

The Whole Sort of General Mish Mash

Miscellaneous agreements and adages

1. May 25th each year is Towel Day, the high hoopy holiday of the frood.

2. The Towel Day Ambassador Contest is a sacred institution, and we honor each year’s Ambassador fully as a representative of both the Galactic Hitchhikers community and too the Hitchhiker’s Guide/Douglas Adams Fandom on the whole.

3. There is no such thing as a former Towel Day Ambassador. Once elected they are always an Ambassador.

4. All of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by print or film, audio recording, stage or holographic mind probe is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Reality is frequently inaccurate, the Guide is always correct. The 2005 film is just as viable a part of our fandom as any other

5.We welcome ALL fandoms into our hoopy haven

6. The dress was blue

7. You are whoever you want to be when you are here. Real life, roleplay and just being generally fun have no division or separation lines to abide. Hence our very own Dale Who and The Galactic Philosopher known Lloyd T. Rich, aka “Time Lloyd” are in fact Time Lords. Zaxley Nash is Betelgeusean, and due to the myriad of intersecting multi-verses constantly intermingling we have enough room for dozens of Arthur Dents.

8. In the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Galactic Hitchhikers can be found neatly tucked away in the tertiary sub-menus normally reserved for scrambled pay per view sub-etha channels, under the apocryphal sub-editorials and personal ads; the entirety of which being categorized under [CITATION NEEDED].